Carol, aren't we all getting older. [g] I use a rolling seat and a kneeling pad. I do often have a five gallon bucket next to me when I am weeding, etc. and I grab ahold of that to give myself a little help getting up from a kneeling position. I have not found it unsteady. In my mind, it works the same as kneeling benches. I have hesitated to get a kneeling bench because it is just one more thing to carry around from place to place. [g]

I just use a kneeling pad and a small bathtub bench (the legs didn't fit right in my old bathtub.) I use the bench to hold onto to get upright. Plus I have used the bench in the house for other chores, so it is multitask. I don't like the idea of a kneeling bench as the side handles would limit my movements side to side/reach. Just my thought....

My version of this device is a foam kneeler from the Christmas Tree Shop and an upside down empty kitty litter bucket. Creaky AND tight...hmm, oxymoronic...but it works.
Yesterday was the first time I harvested mesclun and baby spinach from my mini greenhouse and I was happy to have that kitty litter bucket to sit on because the raised bed is 20" high - just enough to kill the lower back and cramp the knees and my spirit. Whatever works for you is the right device. :)

Jane

My knees are terrible. I can't even think of kneeling, even on a bench. So this may not be answering your question, but perhaps some people are looking for a bench.

I use a little rubbermaid bench that is the perfect height for weeding and digging without killing the back. I had one of those rolling benches (fat) but they get filled with rain, and then they are very heavy. I also have one that is folding canvas. It is a little high, but the main problem is it feels a little too unsteady.

Over the years I'd say the qualities to look for are 1) lightweight & easy to carry so you'll actually use it
2)stability 3) legs that won't smash a lot of plants when you use it in a more thickly planted area. The Rubbermaid has 4 legs and sometimes I can place it for minimal smashing.

If I saw the rubbermaid ones on sale anywhere, I'd buy three and place them in each section of the garden.

Marie

I have one of those kneeling benches and it's OK, but I rarely use it. I also have a foam pad. For me it's easier to just bend over (and stay bent over; I have long arms). I know this goes against all of the medical advice, but I do back stretching exercises every day and bending at the waist is much easier than bending my knees. My kneecaps don't like to be kneeled on either.

Of course I have a high tolerance for weeds (I encourage "native groundcover") and I don't set out vegetables or annuals each year.

Claire

The saleslady at a local nursery this morning reminded me that the CHS's speaker (Sydney Eddison) this Thursday eve if about the 'aging gardener.' If I get any hints for our bodies, I'll share them via a new thread...

My wonderful husband bought me a kneeling bench and it is very useful. However, it is pretty heavy and I don't always use it, because it's one more thing to drag around. (What a complainer...) The lightweight cheapie kneepads are what I still prefer because of the greater range of arm movement/reach that someone mentioned earlier.
I can only do a half-hour of digging at a time before I have to quit, doesn't that just burn your toast? You can't get much done in a half hour at a crack. But at least I am still out there and admiring even if I am not working.

Debra

Like Marie, I can't even think of kneeling. But I don't sit on a bench or seat. I just sit on the ground. I use a foam pad, but for my butt, not my knees, lol.

It is pretty rough getting up and down, but I usually just drag myself along the edge of the bed as I work.

:)
Dee

My favorite shovel is a short one with a strong shank and a D-shaped handle. I bring it with me to whatever part of the yard I'm working in, and use it to hoist myself up from various embarrassing positions. Various pads and stools and such have been left in the garden over the years while my knees have gone to #%*&. The shovel is the only aid I actually bring around with me.

LOL, still_lynnski! For a second I was thinking, why is she talking about shovels? We're talking about kneelers. Then I saw where you were going with it! Too funny!

I do push myself up with my little three-pronged claw thingy. Perhaps I should start carrying around a bigger tool to help get up off the ground, lol!

:)
Dee

Dee,
A friend who is a physical therapist told me what she says to her patients who garden, and now have to cope with a disability. I paraphrase: it doesn't matter how you garden. Sit and scoot, get on your stomach and weed, crawl; whatever works to keep you doing what you love to do.

As with our figures, we aren't what we used to be. Dignity should not get in the way of function!

Marie

I always thought the sides would bother me on a kneeling bench. What I tried and LOVE, are the knee pads. The outside is hard, the inside is coushioned. They have velcro straps to get them on and off. The advantage I find is that when I move, the knee pads move. If you use the bench or the kneeling pad, you have to keep moving it. It may seem trivial, but I find it much easier to move around (over brick sidewalks, stones, etc.) by just crawling/moving and not having to move the kneeler too. It's less cumbersome. I only paid $5.95 for a pair. They come in a variety of styles.