ChairlessWhen is a chair not a chair? This is not a module from some niche furniture-focused philosophy course as much as a design solution from chair greats, Vitra.
Inspired by the Ayoreo Indians of Paraguay (you will have heard of them, of course), Alejandro Aravena has designed a chair, but with the chair part taken away.
Chairless is a simple, strong polyamide strap that braces around the legs and back to support you and leave you sitting with hands free to play with your iPhone, to read or doodle a new “Tableless” perhaps. As daftly minimal as it seems, it works, allowing you to sit comfortably whenever conventional seats are in short supply, like an overcrowded airport or a campsite.
Now the Chairless may be greeted by discreet (or not so) scoffing from yogaistas able to poise effortlessly cross-legged, but for many of us sitting dogs, it’s a losing wrestle with dignity. In fact, Chairless is so popular, there’s a waiting list at Vitra, along with a gallery of user shots from all over.
You could always jimmy up one from an old luggage strap, but will it be seen as a new design classic?
Cost€19.90 (vitra.com).
Satmap Handheld GPSThe volunteers at Mountain Rescue Ireland do extraordinary work, all giving their time and expertise for other people's benefit. And by benefit, I mean often saving their skins. So when they endorse a gadget, you can take it seriously. They do. And they've given Satmap's tough Active 10 the nod. It's a handheld GPS or sat nav, which can be loaded with detailed topographical maps, including our own OSI 1:50 scale maps and some 1:25 in the North. This is the standard reference for hillwalkers to know when they're completely lost.
It’s waterproof, with all the controls by buttons around the outside, so you can also use it with gloves on (built for the Irish summer then). The screen is backlit for reading in all conditions and once it gets its initial fix – which can be a little slow, but probably no longer than it takes to refold your map on a howling hillside – the Active 10 clings to the signal.
It has an electronic compass. Routes can be planned and saved. You can export these to your PC, but not a Mac, which is a missed trick. Maps for different territories come on easy-swap SD cards. And it takes three AA Lithiums or a rechargeable LiPol battery for up to 10 hours of use.
Don’t throw away your maps just yet as it’s great to be able to see a bigger picture; and they don’t need batteries.
However, if you’re going tech, it’ll be hard to top. And maybe it’ll even give our mountain rescue teams an extra night or two’s kip.
Cost€459 including Ireland Mapping SD (greatoutdoors.ie)
Pocket ShowerThere are lots of portable, solar-powered showers out there, but the Pocket Shower from Sea to Summit is particularly neat when space is at premium, such as during camping, when hygiene is definitely at a premium too.
It comes in a 75mm x 150mm (3 x 6) pouch and is basically a waterproof polyurethane-coated nylon bag with two Delrin D rings to hang it from a tree.
The solar part is the black colour, which means a day in the sun warms up your water. How warm you think it is, though, really depends on your own threshold of wimpiness.
There’s a twist-action showerhead to adjust the 10 litre flow – enough for a seven- or eight- minute dousing. And with its roll-top opening, the whole thing can double as one of Sea to Summit’s own dry-bags.
Cost€18 (iwantoneofthose.com)
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