Cascade Design‘s ThermaRest Treo camping chair is a great choice for space conscious campers and people who like to be outdoors. The base of the chair is a little larger than a water bottle and it holds the entire packed Treo. Its compact carrying size is ideal for light car camping, sports games and picnics.
Initially, the setup is a bit awkward. The ThermaRest Treo is designed very much like a tent with a base, a seat sling and four aluminum rods. The sling and rods are stored in the composite base. There are two longer rods for the seat back and two shorter rods for the seat base and each pair is a different diameter. The rods fit perfectly in their matching holes on the base so you won’t have trouble figuring out where they go. You can easily stretch the sling over the top once the rods are in place. After the first couple of times setting up, it becomes easier and the whole thing takes about 30 seconds.
Taking down the ThermaRest Treo is also just as easy. Take off the sling, remove the rods, and roll them up into the sling. Place the newly formed roll in the base and close it up. The rubber strap holds the packed chair together.
As expected from ThermaRest, the Treo chair is quite comfortable and feels like a mini chair hammock. And like the setup, the chair will take a couple of times in order to get your balance just right. At about 13 inches tall, it‘s high enough to sit in comfortably. Though it may not look it, but the Trio is one tough cookie and can support up to 250 pounds. It also has rubber feet on the bottom give some good grip to prevent sliding.
I took the Treo along with me on a week-long family reunion campout. One of the biggest challenges with the chair was getting a turn actually sitting in it. The kids were constantly claiming it. The bright color was definitely a selling point to them, and the chair was a huge hit.
While the ThermaRest Treo is a great alternative to a regular camp chair, the $99.95 MRSP may be more than some people are willing to spend. And though the Treo does pack down to a small size, I cannot recommend it for ultralight campers or the backpacking campers. Its weight of 2.4 pounds is very light when compared to other camp chairs, but it is just too heavy for super long backpacking over-nighters.
It’s a great chair to take to outdoor events like sports games, fireworks displays, concerts and fairs. If you want a chair that packs easily and makes weaving through big crowds much easier than when carrying a regular camping chair, this is it.
All in all, the chair is great for short getaways, outdoor events, car camping and pretty much wherever you‘d normally want a camping chair when weight is not an issue. It’s available in four colors, and the one Casdcade Designs provided for this review is their Swedish Blue. You can see the rest at Cascadedesigns.com.
Andy
I’d like to thank Cascade Designs for providing the ThermaRest Treo Chair for this review.