The Denver Observing Chair

After I got my dobsonian, I started realizing that the constant half-stand, half-crouch was taking its toll on my back.  I also learned that being seated helps improve your observation of those distant celestial bodies by helping you to concentrate on the eye piece and not on keeping your (well, my) aging body still.

I looked at a few commercial options for light weight collapsible chairs and was horrified by the $130-260 price tag on a lot of them!  I dug around a bit more, checked out the forums, and found a link to instructions for making my very own Denver Observing Chair.

Construction of the chair was simple, and relatively rapid.  The most time consuming portion was applying the stain.  Turns out applying three coats (including drying) takes a long time.

At any rate, the end result was marvelous!  Anyone with basic coordination can probably put one of these together, and having a sturdy chair to sit in, that's infinitely adjustable, is priceless!  The only negative aspect is that compared to a commercial aluminum chair, my home made one is somewhat heavier (but totally manageable).

The Denver Observing Chair