Two years ago I was in Amsterdam with the local art club, we had lots of guided tours, i.e., a guide would explain a picture and we would all stand around him or her and listen, all with the exception of an elderly man who would rest his behind on a kind of tripod, three sticks connected in the middle, spread out on the ground to stand firm and spread out at the top to hold a piece of leather to sit on.
I was envious, I always have probs standing for some time, I wanted such a thingy, too! I asked him where he had got it, but he couldn't help me, he had got it from a friend who had ordered it from a catalogue for hunters but he didn't know any details. Before the next excursion of the art club I tried my luck in a shop for umbrellas and walking sticks and found something, although not the tripod I had seen, I found a simple stick with a seat at one end and a rubber, anti-slip foot at the other. It turned out to come from the UK, from the firm LINDEN LEISURE LTD from WINCHCOMBE so that I can write on it and tell you my experience.
The stick in question is called Elite SeatStick, the model I bought is the Walker (Adjustable Height Model). The walking height can be adjusted by pressing in the two spring buttons, sliding the inner tube to the desired length and making the two buttons spring out into the required pair of holes, the stick can be between 83 and 90 cm (32 1/2 and 35 1/2 ins) long, the sitting height can be between 78 and 85 cm (31 -33 ½ ins).
When the shop-assistant showed me the Walker SeatStick, I knew that I had found what I was looking for, in fact I liked it even more than the tripod I had seen used by my arty mate. I asked her if she had a foldable model as I wanted to use the stick only for excursions with the art club meaning I would have to take it with me on bus and train tours, she said no, they didn't have foldable models as they were no good, not firm enough to sit on and might break. Damn her!, truth is that the stick she could offer me was the only one they had in the shop so it was either sell me this one or nothing at all. When I came home and clicked on the homepage of LINDEN LEISURE, I found a foldable version with the Maximum User Weight of 125 kg (275 lbs); even if I made a fattening diet, I wouldn't reach this weight!
The good thing about the foldable model is that it is stored away in a bag which can be carried round the shoulder, I had to carry my stick with me in its full length, a bit awkward when getting in and out of trains or trams (as we had to do repeatedly), I was afraid I might forget it somewhere because I couldn't attach it to my body. I brought it home in the end but am still convinced that the foldable version is the one which would serve me best.
The SeatStick isn't a burden to carry weight-wise, though, the stem is made of aluminium, the firm offers the colours black, brown and green, I've got a green one which looks quite nice actually, the seat is made of hard plastic in the same colour as the stick, the whole thingy weighs only 500g, it looks heavier than it is. To open the seat I grasp the black locking sleeve and pull it down firmly, then I tip up the seat into a horizontal position and that's it.
When I met the art club members at the train station for our last excursion, I was greeted with quizzical looks, one woman was clearly envious, she suffers from arthritis in the knee. When we were waiting at the gate of an exhibition hall for our handbags to be examined (for size, not explosives), the young woman who was doing it, looked at me and my SeatStick in an odd way, I couldn't interpret her look, I was afraid she wouldn't let me get in with it and so I said, "This is a piece of furniture to rest your behind on." She laughed and said, "Can I have it, please?" She had been on her feet for hours already.
Now, how did I sit? The instruction advises you to place the seat behind you with the base approximately 45cm (18'') away, to lean the seat towards you and bend the body to meet it, to place your feet approximately 45 cm apart to make a triangle with your stick. I find this very funny, should I take a measuring tape with me? I think everyone does it right instinctively and finds out for themselves which position is best. For example, I mostly didn't sit with outstretched legs but with one leg straight and one leg bent. I used my SeatStick a lot and I know that because of it I enjoyed the exhibitions more than I would have done without it. There were many visitors and some rooms were quite dark in order to preserve valuable artefacts, I was a bit afraid someone would look at the exhibits and not at me and maybe knock off my 'third leg' sending me to the floor so I mostly stood/sat near the wall.
The seat has two integrated handles (as can be seen in the piccie at the top of the site) and can also be used as a walking stick, not for long distances, though, as it doesn't lie as well in the hand as the handle of a proper walking stick. Outside the exhibition I either used it this way or just carried it in my hand seat down, end up.
To come to a conclusion: the SeatStick is a fine invention for people who love outdoor activities but can't stand for too long on their own two feet, I'd recommend the non foldable model for someone who starts their activity right from home or goes by car to the starting point of whatever sportive activity they want to pursue. I've learnt that such a stick is also called shooting stick as many hunters use it for their hobby. The foldable model is more for people who use public transport or have a long distance to cover on foot before using it.
I paid 54,50€ (~ 36,50 GBP). I sent an email to LINDEN LEISURE (sales@lindenleisure.co.uk) asking for the price in the UK, it must be cheaper in the land of origin, but the LINDEN people gave only a vague answer (prices ranging from … to …). So I can only advise you to go to an umbrella shop or a sports shop dealing with hunting and fishing equipment and ask.
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