Camco 43635 Folding Step Stool, 300 lb Non-Skid

The Camco 43635 is a one-step folding stool built for the small jobs that come up all day around a boat, an RV, or the house. You need a couple extra inches to reach a high shelf. You're climbing into a rig with a tall first step. You're wiping down the topsides and can't quite get over the rail. This is the little helper you grab, stand on, and fold away without thinking twice about it.

Here's what you're getting. A single molded step, 13 inches wide, sitting 11-1/2 inches off the ground, rated to hold up to 300 pounds. That's a real platform, not a flimsy footstool. The whole thing is molded from UV-stabilized, impact-resistant resin, so it takes sun and the occasional drop without turning brittle or chalky the way bargain-bin plastic does. Leave it out on the dock or in the bed of the truck and it holds up fine.

The top wears a non-skid surface, and that matters more than folks expect. Wet feet. A slick cabin sole. Socks on a Sunday morning. That textured top keeps you planted instead of sliding out from under you. When you're stepping up with an armload of gear, sure footing is the whole point.

Then it folds. Flat down to 15 by 14 by 2 inches, which is thin enough to slip into a cockpit locker, stand up behind a seat, hang on a garage hook, or slide under the RV dinette. If you've ever tripped over a rigid step stool that had no good home, you already understand why the fold-flat design wins. It disappears when you're done with it and it's right there when you need it.

Who's it for? Honestly, just about everyone. Boaters use it to climb aboard from a low dock or to reach the hardtop for a wash. RV owners keep one by the entry door for shorter folks and kids, or to close the gap on a high first step. Around the house it earns its keep in the kitchen, the closet, and the garage. It's light enough to carry one-handed from one job to the next, so it doesn't live in one spot and get forgotten.

Because it packs down so thin and weighs next to nothing, it's an easy thing to throw in the truck for a weekend away. Toss it in the RV storage bay, the boat's lazarette, or the trunk next to the cooler. Campground bathhouse with a high step? Covered. Loading a kayak onto the roof rack and need a boost? It's right there. It's the kind of gear that quietly solves a dozen little problems you didn't plan for.

A few honest notes. This is a one-step stool, not a ladder. It gives you 11-1/2 inches of lift, which is perfect for that top-shelf reach or a tall entry step, but it won't get you to a ceiling or a rooftop. The 300-pound limit is generous for a single-step design, though it's still a limit worth respecting, especially if you're standing on it with a load of tools or groceries in hand. And keep the feet and the top clean. Grit tracked onto a non-skid surface cuts the grip over time, so a quick rinse now and then keeps it working like new.

The silver finish is neutral and won't clash with anything, and it hides everyday scuffs better than you'd guess. For the money, the Camco 43635 is one of those buy-it-and-forget-it pieces of gear. It does one job, does it well, and stays out of your way the rest of the time. Keep one on the boat, one in the rig, and you'll wonder how you got by without them.