Perry Mack
This is a Bluetooth heated chair that provides much comfort - and warmth - on cooler nights and days.
Words and Photos by Perry Mack
If you’re going to have a camp chair, buy a heated one. Anyone who has ever sat around a campfire as darkness falls has felt that cool draft where the heat doesn’t reach.
The new Switchback Heated Chair from Kuma is the solution to nighttime chills from the cooler air of spring, fall and winter while enjoying outdoor life. Its material is a rugged 600 denier fabric with well-stitched protective welting around the edges. The windproof seat and back are padded, the steel frame is sturdy, and the phone pocket and insulated beverage holder combine to create a durable, comfortable camp chair.
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Perry Mack
The battery pack powers the chair and can charge other devices with the featured USB ports.
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Perry Mack
No phone, no problem. Access three heat settings with a button on the seat.
This is the first design from Kuma with the company’s DuoHeat system, which can be controlled via Bluetooth through the designated app and is downloaded on your smartphone. The seat and lower back heat settings can be adjusted from one to ten and there’s also a button to access three heat settings indicated by a coloured ring that include red (10 on the scale), white (5) and blue (1).
To use the app, we went to the Apple App Store, searched for Kuma Heat and then downloaded it. The app needs your authorization to use Bluetooth so simply adjust that in Settings. Then, connect the battery to the chair, pair it to the phone, and look for the new device. In our case, it was called ‘BT-912’. Once it’s connected, just drag your finger on the tri-coloured circle to adjust the temperature from 1 (coolest) to 10 (hottest) or turn it on/off.
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Perry Mack
The ‘Kuma Heat App’ easily paired once we recognized it as ‘BT-912.’
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Perry Mack
The app allows us to remotely pre-warm the chair just like auto starting a vehicle on a cold day.
We downloaded the app for an iPhone but an Android version will be available soon. For those of you still sporting a Blackberry, you’re out of luck.
The included rechargeable 10000 mAh battery keeps it the chair warm for as long as needed. It stores in a pocket under the seat where it’s also connected. With two USB-A, a USB Micro, and USB-C ports, it’s not only a heater but a versatile power station for your smart devices and other electronics.
The unit comes with a USB-C cable but we also charged it with the USB Micro so whatever cable you have will work. We tested the chair at the highest heat setting and it stayed warm for hours.
Perry Mack
It also comes with a phone pocket and an insulated beverage holder
Two colour choices are available including sierra/black and our choice, red/black. If you love specs, the chair measures 86 cm (h) x 86 cm (w) x 68 cm (d) (34 x 34 x 27 in) with a seat height of 40 cm (16 in). It weighs 6.8 kg (15 lb) and is easy to carry with the included travel bag.
Initially, we thought a heated, Bluetooth camping chair is somewhat extravagant for the outdoors. But given the occasion to use a heated one, we warmed like to the idea - pun intended.
Staying comfortable with some extra heat while winter BBQing or enjoying cool evenings at a campground just make the experiences more comfortable. Now, anytime we need a chair outdoors, we’ll have the bonus of heating our backside while the temperature drops. With our matching flannel shirt, we’ll be cozy and camouflaged as well.
Retail Price: $220 CAD
Perry Mack