Camping Chairs
 

I'm looking for a chair to sit around camp in. Any suggestions?

Look at those Cascade Design chairs that use your sleeping pad.

http://www.thermarest.com/product_co...s.aspx?cID=4#2

The thermarest chairs and their various cheaper knockoffs are about the most comfortable because of the back support. I have used lightweight three-leg stools in the past but they don't have back support (which is solved if there is a nearby tree) and you have to lean to do things like cook if your utensils are on the ground.

The chair converters for inflatable mattresses are extremely useful if you have to hole up in a tent for any length of time because they are not likely to damage the floor.

Crazy Creek

The Thermarest Chair with Mattress
http://www.vwvagabonds.com/images/BikeChair.JPG

for sheer unadulterated comfort, the $50, 18 oz aluminum sling-back chair from Crazy Creek is, hands down, the most comfortable, packable camp chair i have ever used. its based on a design from the 70's, the Slinglight.

straps atop the panniers and luggage without too much issue.

So comfortable, I'm actually sitting in mine by the fireplace right now as i use my computer!

I usually find a rock, log, guardrail, or picnic table. When that fails a flat concrete or grassy surface was OK with me. Maybe twice in 73 days on the TA, I thought about a chair and settled for the tent or thermarest in their respective stuff sacks to sit on during a lunch break.

Sometimes when backpacking, I do carry a 18" square of 10 mil plastic sheet to keep my butt dry. I have not bothered when bike touring, but might if I ride in more consistently wet conditions in the future.

Members of a touring group back in Tasmania cut out rectangles of discarded closed-cell foam sleep pads to soften hard sitting surfaces. The foam is water resistant, extremely light, and can slip down against the back of inside of the pannier. A foot by nine inches is a good size.

I followed suit and found that not only did my piece soften the butt placement, it served as a useful little lap table for my PocketMail device while sitting in my tent on my "thermarest" chair. It was stiff enough to make a good surface for that purpose. I spent six months tenting as I travelled and worked, and it was probably the most effective home-made accessory I had along.

EDIT: Rounding the corners will help the pad sit better and make it easier to slide into the pannier.

Another friend and my ex-randonnee ride partner, a long-time tourer and someone who has worked extended periods in Tasmania's south-west wilderness as a track worker, introduced me to the Thermarest style of seat (after PBP 2003 -- I was seduced on the spot!). He uses a three-quarter length mattress. He just rolls up the deflated mattress and seat together and loads it on his rack.

For those with absolutely no financial limitations there is always the Koga Miyata Chela trailer...

http://www.koga.com/thumbnail.asp?so....jpg&width=159 http://www.koga.com/thumbnail.asp?so....jpg&width=159 http://www.koga.com/thumbnail.asp?so....jpg&width=159
http://www.koga.com/upload/9602931.jpg

wow, that is just awesome! And only 800 pounds!

If you don't mind carrying some extra weight (on some tours it doesn't really make a huge difference to be carrying a few extra pounds), and you like to have a good chair for reading, eating, meditating, or just festering or relaxing, something with well designed armrests can be great to have along. Some chairs are far more comfortable than others -- you almost have to try them out and see for yourself. Bodies are different.

Some beach chairs are pretty light, and a few of them are quite comfortable. They're often made to be portable and easy to carry around. A light, folding chaise longue with armrests and an adjustable back support would be a hit in camp, or on the beach or lakeside, and could double as a cot and sleeping pad.

***
If you are looking for lighter weight, there was a guy in Southern California who used to work in the aerospace industry, who made very comfortable and extremely light folding chairs out of a magnesium alloy. They were a hit with backpackers. Don't know if anyone is still making them, but you might be able to find these chairs for sale on the internet. (I have a couple of them, and they are great. They even have a detachable headrest. They are the lightest and most thoughtfully designed backpacking chairs I've seen.)

***
Another option is to study the proper way to sit -- the way Buddhist monks learn to sit for many hours at a time. There is a certain art to it, and once you get it down you can be quite pain-free while sitting just about anywhere, without supports or chairs, and with a sense of balanced posture. It's a useful skill to learn.

Not a chair, but you can sit in it... My wife bought me one for my birthday and we both can fit in it. It will be standard camping equipment for us now.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden...2/product.html

Kev

Buy a 47" long by 20" wide Thermarest sleeping pad. Cut up a closed-cell foam sleeping pad into an 18 inch x 18 inch pad to put under your feet when sleeping. When you are hanging around the campground, use the 18 inch x 18 inch pad as a warm and dry pad for when you sit on a log or a rock.

By provisioning in this way, you have a quite-light sleeping arrangement and a sitting pad for no extra weight.

Crazy Creek Sling Back or Backpacker AIR
 

I've been thinking of getting the Crazy Creek Backpacker AIR Lite (REI carries the model with the higher back). It weighs about the same as the Thermarest chair converter but you don't have to dismantle your bed nor worry about a damp mattress to sleep on.

Bekologist suggested Crazy Creek's Sling-Back chair. That sounds of interest but, I can't find it on www.crazycreek.com. Does anyone know where I can find it?

I've never done it, but that strikes me as a very good idea. It would be lighter than a full length Thermarest and the 18x18 foam pad would be handy in camp and at lunch stops. I would try it on my next trip if I didn't already own more than one full length Thermarest pads and no 3/4 length ones.

Maybe next time I see a 3/4 length one on a good sale I will grab it.

I use a 11x17 padded shipping envelope. Doubles as a nice place to keep beer cold for a few hours.

I'm sure the Thermarest is better, but the shipping envelope is free.

They're calling it the 'Cradle Lounger'. Truly is the most comfortable packable camp chair you will ever sit in. so comfortable you can sleep in it. toss it on top of the back load, or strap it on the side of one of your panniers. Crazy Creek's version is 23 oz versus the original Slinglights' 18 oz, but oh well...

http://www.crazycreek.com/interior.c...detail&item=66