Only about 32 inches when fully open. I'm 6'2" and would have to bend down all the time using this product on the back of a chair. Can work for a small person or attached to the back of a chair, but outdoors I sit on a stool. Also, the insertion and retractable pin that attaches the lower metal rod to the base is weak and will pop out of the shaft and "lost" in the shaft. I had to pry it out with tweezers. The lid is so tight that it cannot be reinserted. No thank you.