Redcamp Foam Hiking Seat: A Budget Folding Pad for Knees, Elbows, and More

Introduction

If you spend a lot of time kneeling on rough or wet surfaces, you probably keep a rotating collection of pads, mats, and knee protectors. The Redcamp foam hiking seat started as something from outside the tool aisle, but it turns out to be a surprisingly good fit for workshop and trade use. It is a simple folding closed-cell foam pad, roughly the same concept as a Z-fold sleeping pad, and it typically sells for around thirteen dollars, sometimes less. That puts it in the same price range as a basic single-purpose kneeling pad, but with considerably more flexibility.

Who This Product Is For

This pad suits anyone constantly in search of kneeling options that do not take up a huge amount of space. It works for one thick knee pad, two knees placed close together, or a wider configuration with the knees spread further apart. You can also fold it over into a smaller, denser stack. Because it folds in so many different ways, there are lots of toolbox storage options: sometimes you can slide it into an existing compartment, sometimes not, but it packs down smaller than its total unfolded thickness thanks to the way the fold holes come together.

Why Not Just Use Knee Paps or a Standard Kneeling Pad?

Knee pads are an obvious alternative, but they can be a hassle. They can be hot, and they do not always work as well as you would expect. Small kneeling pads are another common choice, and using two of them, one under each knee, does work. The problem is that many of them carry a warning: do not stand on the mat when placed on a wet surface. A lot of real work, plumbing included, happens on wet surfaces, and a slippery pad is a genuine hazard. Some of these small pads are, in practice, about as slippery as a hockey puck. The closed-cell foam used here is a different story.

Performance on Wet Surfaces

The Redcamp pad is made of closed-cell foam, which means it does not absorb water. That is a key advantage over the yellowish open-cell style pads, which turn into sponges when they get wet. It is also not especially slippery in the way the snap-on style pads described above can be, and it is wider than those smaller pads, which helps because knees are like tires: they might be big, but they only encounter the ground in one spot. The pad is fairly squishy under load and provides comfortable padding for knees, elbows, hips, or anything else when you are reaching under something or working in an awkward position.

Beyond the Toolbox

Because it is essentially a folding sitting pad, it easily crosses over outside the tool space into other activities. It works as a ground seat for hunting or hiking, and it could even serve as a boat or canoe seat. At roughly thirteen dollars, it is inexpensive enough to treat as somewhat disposable, which makes trying it a low-risk decision. It comes in a couple of different colors, including versions with a highly reflective aluminum-colored side.

Things to Consider Before Buying

A few caveats are worth knowing. Its folded footprint is compact but not always small enough to slide into every toolbox space, which is why smaller dedicated kneeling pads still earn their place. If you need something that fits a very specific tight spot, measure first. On the other hand, if you want one cheap pad that covers kneeling, sitting, elbow and hip padding, and outdoor use, it covers all of those in a single purchase.

Buying Advice

Choose the Redcamp foam hiking seat if your priority is a versatile, water-resistant pad at a low price. Stick with small dedicated kneeling pads only if your storage space is extremely constrained. Given the price, there is little downside to having one in the tool bag and letting it earn its keep across multiple uses.

Conclusion

For around thirteen dollars, the Redcamp foam hiking seat is a pleasingly simple solution to a recurring problem. It resists water, folds into multiple configurations, pads more than just knees, and doubles as an outdoor seat. After a couple of trial uses, it works exactly as hoped, and it is easy to recommend to anyone who spends time on their knees at work or on the ground outdoors.