Seats & Stools

Seats and stools for stakeout, hide & tour – stay comfortable when things get exciting

In the middle of dusk, everything is quiet, and the first thing you feel are your knees. You know the feeling. This is exactly where good seats and stools come into play: quiet, comfortable, unobtrusive. In this category you’ll find suitable seats for Tragopan hides, perfect for longer stakeouts, but also simple solutions for a quick session close to home or a weekend tour somewhere between country lane and forest edge.

Perfect for longer stakeouts: seats that really go the distance

When you sit in a hide for hours, you’ll quickly notice whether your seat is any good or not. That’s why you’ll find robust, innovative seats with camouflage here, which blend unobtrusively into the surroundings and still offer enough comfort so you don’t have to change position every ten minutes.

The matching seats for Tragopan hides in particular are designed to be quiet, stable and sensibly proportioned in terms of height – neither too high (hide-window problem) nor too low (back problem). The materials are generally weatherproof, easy to clean, and built so they don’t give up after just a few seasons. No high-end gimmicks, but well-thought-out outdoor gear that simply works.

Practical stools & folding solutions for on the go

Sometimes you don’t need a luxury armchair, just something that gets you off the cold ground: folding stools, lightweight tripods, compact folding chairs. Especially for spontaneous stakeouts, photo tours or watching at the forest edge, such stools are worth their weight in gold: quick to set up, small when packed, unobtrusive in the field.

Many of the stools in this category are deliberately minimalist so they fit in a backpack, camera bag or even on your belt. Still, they’re stable enough not to buckle right away, even with winter clothing and gear. And yes, of course we pay attention to quiet materials; nothing is more annoying than a creaking stool just when things get exciting.

Simple seat pads from Brandit Wear when you want things light and uncomplicated

For everyone who says, “It’s enough for me if I’m not sitting directly in the wet,” the simple seat pads from Brandit Wear are a pretty clever solution. Light, flat, quickly stowed away, ideal for short stakeouts, observation breaks or as extra padding on a stool or bench that’s seen better days.

These seat pads are robust enough for damp forest soil, cold stones or the rickety stadium bench at the village fair (yes, they work for that too). And because they take up hardly any space, many people just keep them in their backpack permanently, just in case. Not spectacular, but extremely practical.

Zitterik seat pad with backrest – more comfort in the hide

If you want a bit more comfort without lugging around a large chair, it’s worth taking a look at the Zitterik seat pad with backrest. Essentially, it’s a mix of ground chair and seat pad, flat enough for low hides but with a backrest so you’re not constantly hunched forward in a cramped position.

Especially in lying hides or very low hides, such a seat pad with backrest is a real game changer: you sit stably, have pleasant support for your back and can still change position flexibly without having to rebuild your entire setup each time. And yes, it’s more comfortable than it looks at first glance, especially if you spend several hours at a stretch in the hide.

Sleeping pads for use in lying hides when sitting alone isn’t enough

For everyone who prefers to observe or photograph half lying, half sitting, sleeping pads for use in lying hides are almost mandatory. They insulate against ground cold, cushion small bumps and ensure that you don’t get up completely frozen through after a longer period.

Especially close to the ground, for example in low photo lying hides, a good sleeping pad is more than just “nice to have”. It makes the difference between “it sort of works” and “okay, I can really stay here for several hours”. Combined with a light seat pad or a compact backrest system, you get a flexible lying-sitting combo that adapts to your way of observing or photographing.

Innovative seats with camouflage – stay unobtrusive, sit comfortably

As soon as animals or shy subjects are involved, every little detail counts, including the look of your seat. That’s why you’ll find innovative seats with camouflage here, whose colors and patterns are matched to typical hides and woodland and field environments. No bright colors, no shiny metal parts that flare up like a lighthouse in the first ray of sun.

Many of these models combine camouflage patterns with practical details: quiet fabrics, concealed frames, quickly adjustable straps or backrests that adapt to your seating position. This way you remain virtually invisible in the shadow of the hide or in the undergrowth and still don’t have to sacrifice comfort.

Which seating solution suits you?

Whether you sit in a hide for hours, just linger briefly at the forest edge, or work in a lying hide almost at eye level with the ground, the range of seats, stools, seat pads and sleeping pads is deliberately broad.

Maybe you only need a simple seat pad, maybe a full-fledged stakeout chair with camouflage, maybe a combination of sleeping pad and ground chair. Just see what suits your way of nature observation, photography or hunting – and your back, which will thank you later. Or not.

Ultimately, this is about something very simple: you should be able to stay outside longer, more calmly and more relaxed. The rest – the good moments, the quiet observations, the perfect photo – often follows all by itself.