Here is my solution for painting in the field using an easel.
I found I needed a secure place to put my palette and water that was easy to reach. So I built a two-part tray table using a lightweight yet rigid product called Kapablock (a heavy duty foam board). Part one is supported from underneath and is just propped on my easel's leg extention knobs. Part two has a grove cut into the bottom side that slips over the rim of the cross bar attachment that came with my easel. This top piece has two holes cut into it so I can drop in plastic water containers. There is plenty of space between these for my palette.
To connect these two pieces I attached a wide piece of hook and loop tape (velcro) to each piece so the angle can be adjusted depending on how much I choose to slant my easel.
As you can see it works for both sitting and standing.
To keep the easel from blowing over when the wind picks up, I attach my canvas art bag or back pack with a 'S' hook to the center of the cross bar. Of course, if there are some good size rocks handy, a couple for each leg is ideal. Or at the beach a couple of plastic bags filled with sand works well too.
I try not to carry extra weight if I don't have to.
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