Fishing chair: A design for everyone

[Dales]

That is the only thing I disagree with. On the Ribble the banks can be a reall bugger to set up a chair on and extending legs are an absolute must on many of the swims I fish. I simply wouldnt buy a chair without them. Its horses for courses though and some may need them while others may not. I couldnt be without them.

 

 

Be a man and sit on the floor

 

I tend to use my chair as a table and spend more time sitting or slumped on the floor then sitting in a chair.

 

Edit change the word floor to ground, saying I spend alot of time slumped on the floor makes it sound like I have a drink problem.

Edited October 20, 2011 by Dales

[Anderoo]

But weight is not at all important if you drive to your swim and stay in the same place all weekend.

 

With anything user-facing, you need to start with the user and work backwards. If you design something for a user that doesn't exist, no matter how clever it is, it isn't going to sell! For example, if the chair can either be a chair OR a bedchair, will anyone want it? Do people want both at the same time, or is one or the other at any one time OK? It reminds me of a Stewart Lee joke about a 'quillow', which is a combination of a quilt and a pillow, the trouble being that if you want to use both at once you need two quillows...!

 

The reason light chairs are hard to find now is that steel is stronger than aluminium, and makers of lightweight aluminium chairs kept having them broken by heavy anglers, so went back to using steel. Stonger, but heavier.

 

Little things can make a big difference. I have recently bought a new light chair for the winter river fishing, and it has a little mechanism that lock the legs in place. On the face of it this is a good idea as it prevents the chair collapsing. However, I can tell already that on a bitterly cold day it's going to be next to impossible to undo with cold fingers, and definitely impossible with gloves on. And as Latimeria said, his chair would be a little bit better with a diffently shaped back. Get all the little bits right and an 'ordinary' chair is suddenly the one everyone will buy. Another example, I have never understood why lightweight stalking chairs don't have a comfortable and insulated section designed for carrying the chair. Most roving is done in the winter and metal is cold. A bit of pipe lagging solves it, but design it in, and your chair is that extra percent better.

 

Please don't read this as negative, I'm actually very interested. I think the things I'd want to know are:

 

- what is the best selling chair right now and what are its properties?

- when people buy a chair what are the top 3 aspects that inform their choice - and what type of fishing will they use it for?

- do people buy more than one chair for different types of fishing? If so would they prefer one chair that could do everything or multiple chairs designed specifically for the different types of fishing?

- what do people dislike or what would they change about the chair(s) they currently own?

- what are they prepared to pay?

 

Rather than 1 chair with a load of attachments I would provide users with a shopping list of clearly priced components and let them choose exactly what they want. Whether that's a strong steel frame, fully reclinable, really comfy, with short legs or light ali frame, single position recline, basic material, long extenable legs with mudfeet, 'winter-proof' carrying handle and strap, or whatever. That way the user gets exactly what they want and aren't paying for something overdesigned for their purpose. There wouldn't be that many basic components and all you're doing is offering various combinations of them. All the while looking for those little things that make it just that bit better.

[Dales]

I always assumed that most anglers had more then one chair for different situations and that it would be hard to come up with the perfect chair hence why there are so many different styles available. The only major advance that you could make that would take chairs further down the line is to be able to make them lighter and or make them take up less space.

[rob4310]

I manage fine with my Chub classic. Its light enough and compact enough. I don't sit on it all day so its comfortable enough. I have had a issue recently. That my 8 year old son wants to sit on it. I thought about buying him one the same. But its too big for him. In fact it could be 3/4 size and still be fine for me. Making it lighter and even more compact. So a half size version or Junior version would be ideal. I'm 6ft and 14 st and there seems to be plently of space to sit. Maybe I haven't got a big Backside!! The Chub classic is not a big chair but if there was a reduced size one that would be great for fishing on the move or for juniors.

 

Regards

 

Rob

[Phone]

Androo,

 

I strongly disagree with your first statement. Inovation or invention is usually "the answer" for which there was no question but produced a desired or coveted result (often by marketing). I cannot remember the last time I thought a "consumer" knew what was best for them.

 

For example, angling has become so non essential little is really chosen for maximum function.

 

Phone

[Dales]

Oddly my favourite chair at the moment is one of those cheep camping fold up chairs that collapse and go in a bag. The sort of thing sold for around £8 in supermarkets. You need flat ground to use it but it works in most situations and even has a holder for your drink and takes a few seconds to open and close with no messing around with those revolving locking twisty things. A good chair to have when you want to stay right up to chucking out time at a day ticket venue and folds down in seconds. A simple deck chair also ticks the same boxs, why do so many fishing chairs generaly require time to sort out simply to use them.

 

So two other suggestions.

 

Quick to put up and close down

 

And be cheap if it is seen as a viable product to take to market.

[Phone]

Dales,

 

The "sloop" in those things just "kill" my back.

 

Phone

[Renrag39]

Same as Dales really. I really like the simplicity and ease of use of the folding cheapo chairs. They're light too.

Maybe one of them but with some adjustability built in? Possibly screw legs but maybe the extending pinlock type (like seen on crutches)? Higher back would be nice too. Plus, you can always add lightness...

 

Renrag

[chesters1]

err don't you subtract to make things lighter

i have a tall backed reclining garden chair which has been very comfy for 20 years ,its only drawback is it acts like a slide on a sideways slope,i have a couple of modern "fox" type carp chairs which are not comfy ,one doesn't even fold flat weigh a ton and both do not have yellow and red stripes!

Edited October 20, 2011 by chesters1

[Sportsman]

I'd like my Korum accessory chair, but with a more comfortable seat.