Lighten Your Load with the Sitpack Zen

Sitpack makes portable compact seats that transform telescopically from a small cylinder the size of a drinks can to a 90 cm tall T-shaped rest that makes waiting a great deal more comfortable.

I reviewed the first and second generations of the Sitpack back in 2017, and you can read my thoughts about these ingenious devices here and here. While I wouldn’t claim that the Sitpack 2 has seen daily use since then, it’s been taken out a couple of times when I’ve known in advance that I’d be hanging around and seating was unlikely to be available.

Unlike me, Sitpack haven’t been hanging around and the Sitpack Zen is the latest design iteration, with two lightweight models. The black aluminium tube version weighs in at 555 g, while the even lighter carbon fibre tube edition tips the scales at 455 g. Although the Zen might be light, it’ll handle people up to 136 kg.

The new versions look better too. Folded up, it’s less “drinks can” and more “light saber” which definitely doesn’t hurt. The Zen models have a different mechanism over the Sitpack 2 for the seat, using ballistic nylon straps under tension to provide a little more comfort. The straps do double duty for carrying the Zen as well.

Sitpack is not all about portability though – it’s about health too as it’s designed to ensure users rest with the right posture. Correct resting increases blood circulation, soothes a tired back and leaves only 30% of the body weight on the coccyx (that’s the remains of your tail at the bottom of your spine).

Lightness is one of those things you pay more for less, so while the polycarbonate Sitpack 2 is €47, the anodized aluminium Zen XI is €99 and the carbon fibre Zen XII is €189. Both are available from the Sitpack shop with worldwide shipping.