Camp chairs

Jim K

Jim K

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I managed to break two of our crappy freebie folding camp chairs at OSH. No great loss and less to pack going home, but now we have a chair shortage. The common steel folding chairs like this:
download (3).jpeg
Don't fit very well, even in the lance, as they're too long. I saw a lot of people with this tinker-toy style:
images (3).jpeg
Which pack into a small bag and are super light, but the price for a good quality one was eye watering. I'm not paying $150+ for a camp chair, and I'm guessing the Chinese knock offs are going to be complete trash.

Any good alternatives besides a blanket on the ground?
 
Jim K said:
I'm not paying $150+ for a camp chair, and I'm guessing the Chinese knock offs are going to be complete trash.

Any good alternatives besides a blanket on the ground?
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My pair of Chinese knock off tinker toy chairs has worked very well for 5 or more Oshkosh trips. I recommend them. Amazon for about $30/ea.
 
At Meijer I got those two barrel chairs I brought to rough river for like $25ea. Most comfy camp chair I've ever sat in.
 
If you’re tent camping and have Thermarest pad(s), they make a Trekker device that converts a folded up camping pad into an actually quite comfy chair. It does sit directly on the ground but supports your back and pads your butt. Mine have held up to years of use.
 
I had a couple that (I think) came from Costco - built like tanks, but I ended up throwing them out after mice ate the fabric. They were comfortable. I've now got a couple of cheapo chairs that came from Dicks - uncomfortable and flimsy.
 
I bought one of the $100+ small camping chairs a couple years ago. Bought two more of the $30 chinese knockoffs this year. You can't tell them apart.
 
I spend a lot of time in camp chairs. My votes:

https://www.rei.com/product/847136/rei-co-op-camp-x-chair
I have 2 of these, over 5 years old, and they have held up to every abuse my family and troop of Scouts can throw at them.

My new one, bought for backpacking, is this:
https://www.bigagnes.com/Mica-Basin-Camp-Chair
Small, light, but high enough off the ground and wide enough to be quite comfortable. Has survived very well through 20 hard days of use this year.

The cheap chairs are just that, cheap. Often uncomfortable. Unless you are really gentle with them and not using them much, the cheap ones fall apart quite easily.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
The cheap chairs are just that, cheap. Often uncomfortable. Unless you are really gentle with them and not using them much, the cheap ones fall apart quite easily.
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Not my experience. My cheap chairs are indistinguishable from what you could buy at REI. The only difference is probably 2 layers of markup. I wouldn’t be surprised if the REI and knock-off chairs are made side by side in the same factory.
 
kyleb said:
Not my experience. My cheap chairs are indistinguishable from what you could buy at REI. The only difference is probably 2 layers of markup. I wouldn’t be surprised if the REI and knock-off chairs are made side by side in the same factory.
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Glad that has been your experience. I camp side-by-side with many other families, and watch the frequent disposal of failed knock-off chairs, rolls of duct tape and sewing kits pulled out for failed seams, etc. It is small, invisible things, like hinge pins that fail, sub-par stitching at stress points that give out. As I said, my equipment gets used a lot, and not just by me, so not everyone takes care of it like I would. A tired 6'2, 220 lb teenager dropping onto a chair is my stress test.

It is quite possible they are made side-by-side in the same factory, but that does not mean they use the same components. Anyone who does manufacturing in China will tell you that how closely the QC process is supervised is what makes the difference there. They will take short cuts and use cheaper component suppliers anytime you let them get away with it.
 
I tried this one this year to save 4lbs on useful load! Every pound counts in the Skyhawk.
Amazon.com : MARCHWAY Lightweight Folding High Back Camping Chair with Headrest, Portable Compact for Outdoor Camp, Travel, Picnic, Festival, Hiking, Backpacking (Black) : Sports & Outdoors
Sure appears to be a Chinese copy of a popular design. We'll see how long it holds up but it was pretty comfortable compared Walmart/Coleman style bag chairs.
I picked this one as it sits higher than the other tiny REI style camp chairs, has a higher back/headrest, and a mesh back. The lack of armrests did not bother me.
 
baboss said:
Amazon.com : MARCHWAY Lightweight Folding High Back Camping Chair with Headrest, Portable Compact for Outdoor Camp, Travel, Picnic, Festival, Hiking, Backpacking (Black) : Sports & Outdoors
Sure appears to be a Chinese copy of a popular design. We'll see how long it holds up but it was pretty comfortable compared Walmart/Coleman style bag chairs.
I picked this one as it sits higher than the other tiny REI style camp chairs, has a higher back/headrest, and a mesh back. The lack of armrests did not bother me.
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One very much like this did not survive the 6'2" 220 lb Tired Scout test back in June. Stitching pulled out on a top corner. They got to carry a broken chair 30 miles out of the wilderness of New Mexico. I agree, it is comfortable, just don't be too rough with it.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
One very much like this did not survive the 6'2" 220 lb Tired Scout test back in June. Stitching pulled out on a top corner. They got to carry a broken chair 30 miles out of the wilderness of New Mexico. I agree, it is comfortable, just don't be too rough with it.
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What is it with scouts today? In my day, we had better sense than to carry folding chairs 30 miles into the wilderness.
 
GaryM said:
What is it with scouts today? In my day, we had better sense than to carry folding chairs 30 miles into the wilderness.
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We were on a 70 mile trek at Philmont. Personally, I enjoyed every minute of sitting in my 2 lb chair after 5 hours on the trail. I would not have opted for the 4 lb model myself, but the scout in question is a big athlete, and carrying the extra weight was not a problem, kid was a pack-mule and never complained. My own kid opted not to carry his small chair, but he did great, so I let him use mine sometimes.
 
The Heliox or “tinker toy” are super light at around a pound. Great if you want to shave weight and not carry a heavy chair.
 
I have a few of the Helinox that live in my van...they are great for a small and lightweight travel camping chair but they rarely come out when I have other options but are a great choice for a back of the plane chair.

Have gone trough and tried quite a few different camping chairs....some cheapies...some spendy...and while there are certainly different levels of build quality price point does not mean squat when it comes to comfort.

I do not but a chair unless I can sit in it and still have yet to find a collapsible that I am in love with.
 
eman1200 said:
dunno but make sure they're fireproof ;)
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wrbix said:
If you’re tent camping and have Thermarest pad(s), they make a Trekker device that converts a folded up camping pad into an actually quite comfy chair. It does sit directly on the ground but supports your back and pads your butt. Mine have held up to years of use.
Click to expand...
That's pretty cool, but I could only use it when @eman1200 is out of town.

EdFred said:
At Meijer I got those two barrel chairs I brought to rough river for like $25ea. Most comfy camp chair I've ever sat in.
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I didn't pay attention, but Teresa informs me they were in fact the most comfy camp chairs ever.

I need to do some measuring; I want something that will lay flat crosswise in the rear baggage, which is narrower than the front. My CG is such that the front is really only good for sleeping bags & pillows. Weight is a secondary concern, although having something I could carry around at osh all day would be nice. I haven't bought a camp chair in years, but it looks like a good folding one is going to be $50, so maybe the helinox is not so out of line. It's just so much money for so little material.
 
Jim K said:
That's pretty cool, but I could only use it when @eman1200 is out of town.


I didn't pay attention, but Teresa informs me they were in fact the most comfy camp chairs ever.

I need to do some measuring; I want something that will lay flat crosswise in the rear baggage, which is narrower than the front. My CG is such that the front is really only good for sleeping bags & pillows. Weight is a secondary concern, although having something I could carry around at osh all day would be nice. I haven't bought a camp chair in years, but it looks like a good folding one is going to be $50, so maybe the helinox is not so out of line. It's just so much money for so little material.
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These are not space saving chairs. They do not compress down very far at all.
 
We’ve used these at OSH the past few years. Not bad but if the ground is soft the foot tips will disappear in the mud and be nearly impossible to find. Probably true for most of this type, although some have tips with flanges. “Real” replacement tips are pricey but tips for hiking sticks work well and are cheap on Amazon.

Had the one above from Amazon been available when we got these, we may have tried them instead.
0B99B17F-BCE7-4B76-B187-BA8F62490461.png
 
GaryM said:
What is it with scouts today? In my day, we had better sense than to carry folding chairs 30 miles into the wilderness.
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Yeah, we had to make our own chair out of sticks and binders twine. And table as well.
 
GaryM said:
No, we carried toilet paper. But folding chairs on extended backpacking trips? Hell no.
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Yep on TP. Otherwise you learn to identify poison ivy real quick...:lol:


Once a kid was eaten by a bear. Ok, not really, just his cap. But it was a really nice cap....
 
Just carry some cordage, a knife, and some canvas that's doubled over at each end.
 
I just bought the following from the Zon based on research inspired by this thread. Two chairs for $54.00. They are strong enough for an average man. They go together like backpacking tents, with the hollow rods and shock cord. Takes about 5 seconds. For the price, they are excellent. If I planned on using them every day, I would go up a notch. However, these weigh almost nothing, and like the other ones, take up the volume of a large hydration bottle. They would be almost unnoticeable in the cargo area or on the W&B.

2 Pack Portable Camping Chairs Lightweight Folding Backpacking Chair Compact & Heavy Duty for Camp, Backpack, Hiking, Beach, Picnic, with Carry Bag
 
Jeff Oslick said:
We were on a 70 mile trek at Philmont. Personally, I enjoyed every minute of sitting in my 2 lb chair after 5 hours on the trail. I would not have opted for the 4 lb model myself, but the scout in question is a big athlete, and carrying the extra weight was not a problem, kid was a pack-mule and never complained. My own kid opted not to carry his small chair, but he did great, so I let him use mine sometimes.
Click to expand...

We "only" did a 50 mile trek at Philmont back in 1991. No chairs for us (the adults and the Scouts).
 
I bought a knockoff version of what you call tinker toy for less than $30 a few years ago form amazon
name was WolfWise
It was for my son. I have one of the original high dollar Helinox chairs. Probably the first of this type..and I would say the knock-off is at least as good

Low to the ground but they are comfy otherwise
 
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