By Sean Fagan
P1000450 - Copy

Taking a short break while trekking through a woodland. It was a damp, drizzly day and the kneeling pad provided a much-appreciated, comfortable & warm seating area (Photo: Sean Fagan).

.

.

Cost of Kneeling Pad: 2-5 Euros

Outdoor Applications: many!

A garden kneeling pad is a great, cheap, robust and versatile piece of outdoor kit.

Learn what I use my kneeling pad for...some will surprise you.

Here are some of the uses I put my trusty pad through, when outdoors…

  • Fire fan (for improving the oxygen flow to an ailing fire).
  • Fire-starter protector (When igniting a campfire during rainy weather, holding a pad above the vulnerable campfire especially during the vulnerable fire-lighting stage can make the job of ignition all the more probable).
  • Sit pad (provides much-needed comfort and insulation when sitting on hard, cold surfaces).
  • A forgiving kneeling surface when bow-drilling, starting a campfire, macro-photography, tracking, canoeing etc.
  • A very convenient means of partitioning bushcraft gear in a rucksack (can also provide a little back cushioning in your rusksack).
  • In a pinch, a makeshift food preparation surface (albeit with great care – obviously hard food items cannot be cut with a knife as it will cut the mat into pieces).
  • Finally, a nice hip support when on your side, sleeping outdoors (my hips are boney!).

I bring my pad on both day trips and multiple day camping trips - especially during colder, wetter weather.

A kneeling pad is not an essential item for bushcrafting and other outdoor activities – it comes under the somewhat spurious category of luxury outdoor items.

Of course, items on an outdoor luxury list varies from individual to individual - according to taste and type of outdoor activity an individual participates in.

Personally, my pad usually hovers at the top of my luxury item list, and for good reason – it makes the outdoors a lot more comfortable.

I've discussed at greater length, the outdoor applications of a garden kneeling pad in the following article: Bushcraft Photography & Kneeling Pads