Restup Has No Backrest. Here's Why That's the Point
If you want a seat with a back, Restup isn't for you. If you want something light that sets up in seconds and goes anywhere, read on.
Let's get this out of the way: Restup is a portable stool. It has no backrest. If you need a seat you can lean back in, you're in the wrong place, and that's fine. A camp chair or a beach chair will suit you better.
No backrest is a deliberate trade-off. Adding a back means more frame, more weight and a bigger bag. Restup was chosen and refined to be the opposite: something small enough that you actually bring it with you.
Who Restup isn't for
If you want to settle in and lean back for a whole day, say at a cricket match, a long concert or around the campfire, get a chair with a back.
If you have back or hip problems and need support when you sit, a stool won't give you that.
If you'd rather have armrests, a cup holder and a padded seat, and you don't mind carrying something bigger, a full camp chair is the better buy.
Who it is for
Restup is for people who sit for a while, then get up and move: parents on the sideline, people waiting at stations or in queues, people fishing off a jetty, bushwalkers taking a break, and tradies at smoko.
It weighs 1.4 kg, folds to roughly the size of a large water bottle and goes over your shoulder in its carry bag. It opens in a few seconds with no tools, swivels 360° and holds up to 150 kg on a four-legged X-frame with non-slip feet.
What you gain by giving up the back
Weight. At 1.4 kg it's light enough to carry all day without noticing.
Size. It fits in a backpack side pocket, a car door, or under a seat on the train. A chair with a back usually needs its own bag and a free hand.
Speed. Out of the bag, open the legs, sit down. Packing it away is just as quick.
Movement. No back means you can swivel all the way around to follow the game, chat to the person behind you, or reach your gear.
The short version
Restup won't replace your lounge chair, and it isn't trying to. It's for getting off your feet anywhere, quickly, without lugging a chair around. If that's what you're after, you're in the right place.