When you’re out urban sketching, finding the perfect spot to sit is half the battle. Over the years, I’ve tried a variety of options to rest my legs while capturing a scene. If you’re wondering what the “best” sketching seat is, it really comes down to how you balance comfort with portability. Here is a quick breakdown of my three go-to seats.

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My current favourite – telescoping stool

This clever little stool is something I first saw 2 years ago, when people started bringing them to my workshops. They look clever, and they pack down into a flat disk … but I was initially a little sceptical. What got me to try it out though was the height of these chairs – which is much much taller and more comfortable than the other super portable option below. And it’s adjustable to a big range of heights between this.

In the photo below, you can see I’m sitting at almost ‘normal’ height, whilst the seat next to me is much much lower.

• The Pros: It is super compact, fits easily into almost any bag or rucksack, and features a handy carry handle. Despite packing down so small, it’s basically the tallest stool I’ve seen, giving it a surprising level of comfort. It also takes literally seconds to expand and lock in place.

• The Cons: It’s made of plastic. While highly functional, it lacks that premium, “wonderful to own” feel, or ecologically friendly credentials.

Find the stool HERE on amazon – this is the exact stool I use.

The Classic Camping Chair

This is the traditional folding chair we often see used in campsites. Like the stool above, it comes together in seconds. And it’s very comfy. But it’s also bulky and hard to carry around – and the arm rests, I find, get in the way more than they help.

• The Pros: These are undeniably more comfy, they sit just as tall as the telescoping stool and give you the feel of a “real” seat.
• The Cons: The heft. There is so much more weight and bulk to carry around. And the arm rests can get in the way sometimes.
• The Verdict: In practice, I rarely find myself using this chair on a normal day out. I save it for workshops or sketching retreats where I have some kind of transport. For those occasions, I must admit it is incredibly nice to have. But if this is your ‘go to’ sketching outside chair, you might just find you don’t go out that much with it!

There are a wide variety of camping chairs you could purchase for relatively small amounts of money – at home we use the DECATHALON chairs that you can find HERE.

The Tiny Sketching Seat

This is a classic, ultra-low folding fabric stool that I really love and I’ve had for years. It is miniscule, and weights nothing, and can easily fit in your bag or even a large pocket.

• The Pros: It is super lightweight, comes together in seconds, and there are lots of different cheap versions available now. It is incredibly easy to pack into any bag when you are weight-conscious, and I use it a lot of the time when I’m filming.
• The Cons: It is very low to the ground and genuinely tiny. Once I sit down, you can barely even see it underneath me. Despite using it for years… I’m always surprised when I sit down and it doesn’t break!

My exact stool is no longer sold, but it is identical in construction to THIS ONE on amazon.

The Bottom Line

There is no single “perfect” chair, only the right chair for the day’s adventure. If I’m packing extremely light, the tiny seat comes with me. If I have transport for a retreat, the comfy camping chair wins. But for everyday urban sketching where I want height without the bulk, the telescoping stool is proving to be a brilliant, quick-deploying middle ground and is now the chair I use all the time.