• We apologize for the somewhat convoluted sign-up process. Due to ever-more sophisticated attacks by chatbots, we had to increase our filtering in order to weed out AI while letting humans through. It's a nuisance, but a necessary one in order to keep the level of discourse on the forums authentic and useful. From the actual humans using WCP, thanks for your understanding!

Camp seating

andreas

andreas

Paddler
Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
1,161
Location
Victoria BC
What do people use for seating while out camping? Most camp spots already have picnic tables and therefore offer more or less compfy seating. But to sit down and relax. you will need something different.
In the past I have used almost anything available out on the marked, from big heavy camping chairs, to small folding fabric seats to a hammock. Nothing really worked as they were either to big, to heavy or just not practical for kayak camping.

A while ago I came across this one: http://www.alitedesigns.com/shop/monarch-chair/ at MEC in Victoria. Back then I believe they only had a "sample" chair set up to get some feedback. I loved it! Next time I was there it was gone and well yes, I was sad to hear that they don't sell them...
Anyhow, today, to my surprise I found them on the shelves and of course I couldn't resist :D Bought one!
The first thing I noticed was the light weight. Caring it home on my 20 minute walk wasn't a big thing at all, super lightweight and small in size. Setting it up at home was also a breeze, only took a couple of seconds.
And now the seating test:
First it takes a bit time to get used to it as you have to watch out not to lose balance and fall over. But it doesn't take long and you feel nicely supported and you are also off the ground. I think we have a winner here! This chair is the solution :lol:

Anyhow, what type of seating will you be dragging around this coming season?
 
I would wind up on my back or in the campfire! I think I would add a third leg to it, but that is me. I still have a pin in my right hip and knee.
 
Therma-a-rest chair sleeve. Sorta like this one... but not quite:
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-r ... ir/product

Its super light weight, and since I usually have my therm-a-rest for sleeping anyways, all I have to bring is the sleeve. The sleeve rolled up is way smaller then even just a set of tent poles. So it fits in a boat beautifully... slip in up towards the bow (or stern) and it just disapears.

The nice thing about this seat, is its nice and comfy. You blow up your therm-a-rest to your desired firmness, and sit away. I've never had a problem with putting a hold in the thermarest either. It provides pretty good back support too. which is nice after a long day paddling.
 
I have a square piece of blue ensolite that I trimmed from a cheap camp mattress made of same. It's about 30" x 30" x 1/4" and is creased where I fold it up in three layers. It's waterproof and provides insulation from bare rock, snow, and anything else that I might sit upon. It's cheap so it doesn't matter if I get a hole or do other damage (my biggest fear with using my thermarest for a seat).

The best way to use the pad is on a washed gravel beach in front of a log or rock to provide a backrest. One third is folded up against the log to fill cover the lower part of the log and provides padding.

In snow I just carve a packed snow seat and set the pad on top.

It's multiuse; at night it gets used to form part of my pillow. If the ground is sand or other very loose surface the pad is used as a placemat to keep from losing items, particularly while cooking. I tried putting a stove on once to keep the stove from sinking into the snow once; not recommended as the pad had some melting from the heat.

I usually carry a spare that is used under my heels in the kayak. It helps keep the feet warmer.

Most camp spots already have picnic tables and therefore offer more or less comfy seating.
Click to expand...

If I'm car camping, normally the case if there are picnic tables, I use a foldup lawnchair. The blue pad goes on the seat of the chair on those cooler nights when the air just wicks the heat away.

Every ten years or so the pad needs to get changed out. I just trim another piece from the old mattress.
 
andreas said:
Most camp spots already have picnic tables and therefore offer more or less compfy seating.
Click to expand...

In my neck of the woods, Picnic tables are the exception not the rule. Its nice to have them if they are around... but usually I have to make do with whats around.

Most beaches are crown land, and are not developed at all.

Even where there are BC Parks (or National Parks) there are rarely picnic tables.
 
I use the collapsible Thermarest chair but I also take a piece of blue ensolite foam (same as Ken). The foam works great for adding some warmth to a picnic table bench or for sitting on a beach or log.

As a bonus, I also put it in the kayak under my feet on cold days for extra warmth, and at night I usually slide the blue pad under the footprint of my tent, right in front of the door -- this creates a really nice comfortable spot to kneel on when entering and exiting my tent (yeah, I've got a bit soft over the years).

On some occasions, when space is not a premium, I'll take a $10 Canadian Tire folding camp chair.

*****
 
Thanks Andreas,
The more I look at the Monarch chair the more it looks like a Hit!
At first I thought it was a little bulky but a person could store the poles and seat separately and for me putting the poles along the skeg like I currently do with the Thermarest chair would be an easy swap.
Getting off the ground is a nice feature and will promt me to follow this product to see if it will hold up to rocky beach sites, let us know how tough you think it is.

Dave R
 
Just sat in one of those chairs. A) it's very comfy, B) balancing act is fine, C) the construction looks and feels pretty flimsy.
My favorite so far- the Thermarest Z-lite, the folding egg-crate style foamie. Folding really IS that convenient :D I got the short version and cut it down by 2 folds, now depending how much room I got, I either take the big part to put under my thermarest and to sit on, or the small part just to sit on or change shoes on.
 
I used one last summer and have been pretty happy with it. The best thing: no one else knows how to use it so no one steals it from you. I found it to be lightweight and comfortable and so far after two extended trips it has stood up well.
 
Sorry for reviving an antediluvian thread, but it was the only one I could find that was dedicated to this subject. I'm finding that after a day in the boat, my old butt and back want something comfortable to sit in.

There've been a number of developments in camping chair technology since this thread was last added to, including the attractive-looking Helinox Chair One.

Anyone have experiences or recommendations they'd like to share?
 
Well, I just went down to a couple of outfitting stores & tried a bunch of chairs. Quick impressions:

Thermarest Treo: did not like. It packs down to a pretty compact bullet - heavy, but that's not much of a concern for kayaking (though I wouldn't want to lug it on any day hikes). Its high sides felt restrictive, and the tripod base didn't feel stable even on the flat floor of the store. Pass.

Helinox Chair One: very comfortable and felt very stable - something you could relax in. Packs down quite small and doesn't weigh a ton. A definite contender.

Alite Monarch: has a pivot point instead of a set of legs. Requires more of a "legs stretched out" than a "knees up" seat. Surprisingly comfortable for all that - you have to use your muscles to balance a lot less than you might imagine. But I'm definitely in the market for something that will just hold my exhausted cadaver at the end of a day. Tried it more or less for the novelty. Packs down nice and small, might be worth a look if you don't mind "active" sitting. The least expensive of all the seats I tried, and build quality seems excellent.

Alite Mantis: more or less identical to the Chair One, but takes up about 1/3 less room when packed. The other difference is that it's lower to the ground, so asks you to stretch your legs out instead of bend the knee. Super comfortable and stable.

Travelchair Joey: a Chair One knockoff that's a little bit cheaper -as well as taller and wider. Build quality seemed a little dicey - when assembling it, I was worried I was going to break it due to negative play between the fabric slots and the frame. I've checked out a bunch of reviews, and nobody has anything bad to say about it, though.

For me it's really a toss-up between the Chair One, the Joey, and the Mantis. The Mantis has the edge on packed size (but falls down on price and seated height). The Joey has the edge on price and height (but gets docked points for possibly being of lesser quality). The Chair One is in the middle on pretty much every measure.

Welp, I've got some figgerin' to do.
 
I recently picked up the Coghlans Tripod stool. It's inexpensive, stable on sand and pebbles, and not too high off the ground which will be good for cooking duties.
9785-small.jpg
 
I've got a Chair Joey but would buy the Flex Lite chair from REI if I had to do it over again.

The Chair Joey constantly loses the little rubber feet. I contacted them and they sent me a bag of extras. Nice but it shouldn't be required. My buddies with the REI don't have this issue.

The back support is amazing as well as being able to be off the ground.
 
The REI Flex Lite definitely does have an issue with losing the rubber feet. I'm down to one left from my original chair! The soft forest floor has taken the rest of them. Friends with the same chair have the same issue. We're all out of the rubber feet! Cane tips or hiking pole tips work as a replacement for a little while, but not long before they're falling apart.
 
I have a hunch I may end up with a Joey because reasons (friend works for a co. that sells them, so discount). I may end up gluing the feet on before using it, thanks for the warning!
 
I love my alite chair, it is the first generation and still great. Put the back flat on the sand and it becomes a lounger. Add a small rectangle blow up pad for warmth on chilly nights.
 
stagger said:
I have a hunch I may end up with a Joey because reasons (friend works for a co. that sells them, so discount). I may end up gluing the feet on before using it, thanks for the warning!
Click to expand...

Looks like Joey changed their feet so it might work better
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top