Portable seat cushion for folding chairs at concerts & shows

May 4, 2019 9:04 PM

I regularly go to events with uncomfortable seats. Some of them have those little folding chairs and some of them are a slightly upgraded version of that. After about 30 minutes, I am squirming around and irritating everybody in my immediate vicinity. Can you recommend a portable cushion that I can put down on the chair to make it more tolerable?

Maybe something gel-based? If possible, I would prefer something discreet, perhaps one that I can fold and hide in a tote bag. I'm not super thrilled about walking around with a giant butt pillow in my arms.

posted by diamondsky to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

I've backed this on Kickstarter, but it may be a bit too bulky for what you have in mind.
posted by Tawita at 10:10 PM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

I had one of these, and it started to break down (not falling apart, just failing to spring back) after about a year and half of use, maybe 4-5 times weekly. I'm a cigar smoker, and it was my seat for wet/dirty/cold surfaces.

It's limp, but folding it to the point of creasing will degrade it over time. It's soft and cushy, closed-cell foam-rubber. It's 13"x14", and I had the 3/4" version.

There are versions with a back as well. And there are different products with flat colors if for some reason you have a camo allergy.

When my seat degraded past the point of being comfortable, I upgraded to cutting my own out of these EVA tiles. It's thicker and stiffer, and holding up really great. EVA is also closed-cell, so you can rinse it off, wipe it down-- it won't soak up anything.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:35 PM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Extremely lightweight. Foldable, though I don’t fold mine, do not sure how it stands up to that. But AFAICT, it’s quite durable.

https://www.backjoy.com/products/sitzright-seat-cushion
posted by armoir from antproof case at 11:41 PM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I have a non-folding purple seat cushion on an uncomfortable wooden desk chair that I found to be very comfortable and an amazing world of difference on the chair. It's not lightweight, but that's probably part of what makes it so damn comfortable. This appears to be a folding version of the same thing but I've never personally tried this model.
posted by Hal Mumkin at 4:50 AM on May 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

I bought a black foam cushion at a store called Five Below a couple of years ago. It was less than $5. I have used it to cushion bleacher seats, but it would work on chairs, as it's chair-seat-shaped. This looks like the same one. It's about an inch thick, and can be rolled or folded to fit in a bag.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:40 AM on May 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: These are such helpful answers -- thank you all! I've ordered the cushion Hal Mumkin suggested as a first crack, but will try out some of the other options if that doesn't work out.
posted by diamondsky at 11:47 PM on May 7, 2019