Camping chairs are perhaps one of the most common pieces of “furniture” that people own. Almost every family has a set of camping chairs. Still, it is one of the last things that all of us consider buying unless we are in urgent need of it. Why is that? When asking this question, many will answer with a new question; “why should we own camping chairs?” In this post I will try to make some of its many uses more obvious to the readers. I will also talk a little about some of the different kinds of camping chairs. And maybe you will have an easier time choosing camping chair.
The first and most obvious situation that would require that you buy a set of camping chairs is when you are going camping with your family. If you have kids, it is even more important to have them. Nowadays children are used to the comfortable surroundings in their own home and all the luxury that follows with it. They are not as tough as kids where just a few years ago. If you as parent have the ambition of making your kids fond of being in nature you should do with small steps. One of these steps would be to make the camping trips more comfortable for them. Make them enjoy being in nature. A good way to achieving this is to not make them enjoy their meals on hard rocks. Bring some small camping chairs. It is guaranteed to be a success. When the kids are still small you most likely only go for either short walks or camp with your car close by. On these trips you can bring some pretty good and comfortable camping chairs for both the kids and yourself. The chairs bring a cozy atmosphere to the whole experience, and might help to trigger their lust to be in nature. As the kids grow, you might choose to go a bit further into the wild. Now a camping stool might be more appropriate to bring because of their weight and size. They are not as good as the chairs, but they are still better than sitting on a rock. This way the kids will gradually become less and less dependent on having the luxury of their home with them when camping. Of course this is just one of many steps that should be taken.
Camping chairs is not only for family trips though. It might be that you are a guy/girl that likes to have it comfortable when you are in nature yourself. Maybe you, like me, like to go fishing a lot. In my opinion a camping chair is the most essential thing I bring to a fishing trip, except for the fishing equipment of course. Both when you are looking for fish by the river, and when you are enjoying a cup of coffee by the fire camping chairs are excellent. Even when you are ice fishing they are great. Just put on warm clothes, a pair of Sorel Boots and lean back in your very comfortable reclining camping chair. If you are a hunter you might want to consider bringing your chair to the watch post. It certainly makes it more enjoyable experience. Bird watching is another activity I can think of where it really is nice to have one. If you don't have a long walk to get to where you will fish, hunt or watch birds, you can bring some really comfortable luxury camping chairs.
Even for the beach camping chairs will work great. If you are often at the beach you probably know how much money you could save by having your own sun bed. With one of the more advanced camping chairs those money are almost already saved. These models can be adjusted so much in the back that it almost is a sun bed. And, it is a lot easier to bring to the beach than if had your own sun bed.
A lot of people spend their holidays in RVs. It is no secret that camping chairs are among their best friends. If you ever pass a parked RV you will be certain to see some of the more comfortable camping chairs standing in front of it.
When you already have a camping chair, why not put it to use at home? For parties and things like that they are excellent as spare chairs. I know a lot of people are reluctant of bringing out their camping chairs when they have people over, but what is worst; bringing out the chairs or that people have nowhere to sit?
As you probably know, these chairs are made to fit most situations in camping. And because camping is pretty wide term, that is quite a few situations. You can get them in all kinds of materials, from wood to metal. With padded and stuffed pillows of as hard as a rock. The sizes also vary from small stools to big couches via the regular size chair. Just make sure that it is folding camping chairs.
Now the question is: why shouldn’t you own camping chairs?
Folding camping chairs
The one thing that really revolutionized the camping chair market was when the chairs were made foldable. Folding camping chairs made the chairs a lot easier to bring along on trips and they are just as comfortable as the non folding ones.
When I bought my last camping chair there was one thing that I made sure of; that it was a folding one. For me it makes a world of difference. It is so much easier to both bring and store because of the small space it occupies when folded. Let’s have closer look at them.
This might be a bit unfair, but I will start of with the only bad thing about folding camping chairs. The only problem I have found is that they are usually a bit to heavy to bring on long walks. Even though you can fold them together, they still take their space and it is usually too much for your backpack to handle. However, if you give up some of the comfort, you can get folding chairs that get small enough.
Okay, now that we have the bad thing out of the way, let’s concentrate on the good. And there are plenty of good sides to these chairs.
A common way to camp for regular people is with their cars. Usually the whole family will go for a weekend trip to some chosen destination. Often the parents have a hidden agenda with these trips; they want to teach their children to enjoy nature. That’s great! The problem is that children often become cranky if they don’t have it as comfortable as they have at home. A good way to make a compromise here is to bring some chairs that are good to sit in. But how is a family of four going to bring chairs for everyone in one car? You guessed it; folding camping chairs. They will fit nicely in the trunk of almost any family car. If the family actually has a car that is big enough for four non-folding chairs, they should still consider bringing folding chairs because of the weight. The poles are usually made from aluminum. It is so much easier for both the kids and the parents to move them around as they like.
Most of the folding camping chairs are made in the same height as chairs you have at home. This makes them ideal for eating with the camping table. When a lot of them are also made with a cup holder and small table attached, you will definitely enjoy you time around the fire all night long.
I am a dedicated fly fisherman. I spend most of my spare time in the summer chasing trout in the nearby rivers. My style of fishing is what is called spot fishing. I find a good place in the river that looks like it could contain fish and a sit there and wait until I spot a fish that I can try to catch. After I bought my new folding camping chair this job is a lot easier. Not to mention more comfortable. I guess that the same thing will apply to other outdoor activities like hunting and bird watching.
My girlfriend has found another use of her chair. While I am fishing in the river, she is sunbathing in her chair in the camp. This should tell you that these chairs are both very usable, but also you can get them in different forms, depending on what you are going to use it for. (Tips for choosing camping chair) For example the chair that I have (in the picture above) is a chair that is extremely comfortable, lightweight and has a back that is fairly straight. This is Guide Gear’s “Director’s chair”.
My girlfriends chair has an adjustable back which is a lot higher than mine. This makes it more comfortable for her to lie backwards and relax in the sun. Anyway, if you are going on any kind of camping trip, you should definitely get one or more folding camping chairs.
When I bought my last camping chair there was one thing that I made sure of; that it was a folding one. For me it makes a world of difference. It is so much easier to both bring and store because of the small space it occupies when folded. Let’s have closer look at them.
This might be a bit unfair, but I will start of with the only bad thing about folding camping chairs. The only problem I have found is that they are usually a bit to heavy to bring on long walks. Even though you can fold them together, they still take their space and it is usually too much for your backpack to handle. However, if you give up some of the comfort, you can get folding chairs that get small enough.
Okay, now that we have the bad thing out of the way, let’s concentrate on the good. And there are plenty of good sides to these chairs.
A common way to camp for regular people is with their cars. Usually the whole family will go for a weekend trip to some chosen destination. Often the parents have a hidden agenda with these trips; they want to teach their children to enjoy nature. That’s great! The problem is that children often become cranky if they don’t have it as comfortable as they have at home. A good way to make a compromise here is to bring some chairs that are good to sit in. But how is a family of four going to bring chairs for everyone in one car? You guessed it; folding camping chairs. They will fit nicely in the trunk of almost any family car. If the family actually has a car that is big enough for four non-folding chairs, they should still consider bringing folding chairs because of the weight. The poles are usually made from aluminum. It is so much easier for both the kids and the parents to move them around as they like.
Most of the folding camping chairs are made in the same height as chairs you have at home. This makes them ideal for eating with the camping table. When a lot of them are also made with a cup holder and small table attached, you will definitely enjoy you time around the fire all night long.
I am a dedicated fly fisherman. I spend most of my spare time in the summer chasing trout in the nearby rivers. My style of fishing is what is called spot fishing. I find a good place in the river that looks like it could contain fish and a sit there and wait until I spot a fish that I can try to catch. After I bought my new folding camping chair this job is a lot easier. Not to mention more comfortable. I guess that the same thing will apply to other outdoor activities like hunting and bird watching.
My girlfriend has found another use of her chair. While I am fishing in the river, she is sunbathing in her chair in the camp. This should tell you that these chairs are both very usable, but also you can get them in different forms, depending on what you are going to use it for. (Tips for choosing camping chair) For example the chair that I have (in the picture above) is a chair that is extremely comfortable, lightweight and has a back that is fairly straight. This is Guide Gear’s “Director’s chair”.
My girlfriends chair has an adjustable back which is a lot higher than mine. This makes it more comfortable for her to lie backwards and relax in the sun. Anyway, if you are going on any kind of camping trip, you should definitely get one or more folding camping chairs.
top 5 chairs
Even though the title suggests that I have tested all these five models, I have not. I have actually just tested one of them. In this article I have tried to give the readers an insight into what is available on the market. I have found the chairs from good customer reviews online.
1. Guide Gear – Director’s Chair
This is the chair that I use myself when I am going on short trips. As you can se from the picture it is a chair that is very comfortable, and keeps the user in an upright position. The armrests are padded, which makes the chair very good to relax in. This camping chair is also equipped with its own table and drink holder. Excellent around the fire, by the table or by the river!
2. Coleman – Deck Chair
When you talk about camping chairs, you cannot forget about Coleman. They are probably the best know producers in the world. There are two reasons for it. Number one is that they make good chairs and number two is that they make an insane amount of models. The deck chair is actually a chair that is pretty similar to the Director’s Chair above. There are two significant differences though. The first one is the price. This chair is a bit pricier than Guide Gear’s model. As I haven’t tried this one, I cannot say if it is worth the extra bucks but if it lives up to Coleman traditions it should be good. The second thing that is different is that you get the Deck Chair in two models, one with table and one without.
3. Travel Chair – Big Bubba
This is the chair for those who really want to relax when camping. The back is well leaned backwards, which makes it perfect for activities such as sunbathing and maybe even sleeping. Extreme comfort is the keyword and it is underlined by a built in footrest. Comes very close to being as comfortable as a sleeper sofa. The name probably tries to hint in that direction even though it makes a poor attempt at it.
4. Travel Chair – Slacker
Another chair by Travel Chair. Those guys should really consider getting someone new to name their chairs. To be precise this is not a camping chair but a camping stool. From the picture you can see that it is not nearly as comfortable as the chairs, but it is very easy to transport. It should be the first choice for long and medium trips on foot.
5. Academy – Broadway.
Puts the E in easy. The design is so simple that a two year old could have made it. I guess that this is one of the more traditionally looking stools you will find on the marked. This is another stool that should be preferred for you trips on foot. Compared to Travel Chairs model, it is somewhat bigger when folded, and thereby harder get in your backpack.
1. Guide Gear – Director’s Chair
This is the chair that I use myself when I am going on short trips. As you can se from the picture it is a chair that is very comfortable, and keeps the user in an upright position. The armrests are padded, which makes the chair very good to relax in. This camping chair is also equipped with its own table and drink holder. Excellent around the fire, by the table or by the river!
2. Coleman – Deck Chair
When you talk about camping chairs, you cannot forget about Coleman. They are probably the best know producers in the world. There are two reasons for it. Number one is that they make good chairs and number two is that they make an insane amount of models. The deck chair is actually a chair that is pretty similar to the Director’s Chair above. There are two significant differences though. The first one is the price. This chair is a bit pricier than Guide Gear’s model. As I haven’t tried this one, I cannot say if it is worth the extra bucks but if it lives up to Coleman traditions it should be good. The second thing that is different is that you get the Deck Chair in two models, one with table and one without.
3. Travel Chair – Big Bubba
This is the chair for those who really want to relax when camping. The back is well leaned backwards, which makes it perfect for activities such as sunbathing and maybe even sleeping. Extreme comfort is the keyword and it is underlined by a built in footrest. Comes very close to being as comfortable as a sleeper sofa. The name probably tries to hint in that direction even though it makes a poor attempt at it.
4. Travel Chair – Slacker
Another chair by Travel Chair. Those guys should really consider getting someone new to name their chairs. To be precise this is not a camping chair but a camping stool. From the picture you can see that it is not nearly as comfortable as the chairs, but it is very easy to transport. It should be the first choice for long and medium trips on foot.
5. Academy – Broadway.
Puts the E in easy. The design is so simple that a two year old could have made it. I guess that this is one of the more traditionally looking stools you will find on the marked. This is another stool that should be preferred for you trips on foot. Compared to Travel Chairs model, it is somewhat bigger when folded, and thereby harder get in your backpack.
Tips for choosing camping chair
There are a lot of different things you have to consider when you are getting yourself a camping chair. It is nowhere near as complicated as buying a car or a new TV, but it is still important that you get one that you are comfortable with. Really, it is a pain to buy something that will never see anything else than the rest of your junk in the garage. So approach this as you would approach anything else. To make it easier for you I have compiled a check list that you can use as a guide.
The first thing you have to consider is where you are going to camp. This is the single most important factor. How is the ground there? Is it hard? Is it a long walk to get there? I know that a lot of people will say “we are not going to use it the same place all the time”. That is certainly true in most cases. My advice is to think about the place that you go the most and take it from there. If you are routinely going on long trips on foot, you should choose something light like a camping stool, or if you are not walking much at all you can choose a very comfortable model.
The second thing you should consider is your own needs. Do you have any injuries that require that you sit comfortable? Then you should consider buying a comfortable model. Are you mainly going to use the chair for sunbathing? Then you should also think about the more advanced models. If you think about using the camping chair when eating at a table, then a chair in the right height is important.
The price of the chair is a subject that we cannot get away from. Camping chairs can be both very expensive and very cheap. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much you are willing to pay, that decides what you should buy. Most of the chairs on the marked today are actually pretty good. However, there is a connection between the price and the chair. To say it another way: you usually get what you are paying for.
The materials that the camping chairs are made of are also essential. In most chairs some kind of metal is used for poles. If your main concern is to have a comfy chair, then you should probably go for some kind of metal that is solid, but heavy, like steel. If weight is important, go for something made from aluminum or similar. There are also big differences in the quality and durability of the materials used in the chairs. Often the first place you will see this is in the cloth parts. Once again: you usually get what you pay for.
Do you have any things you would like to use the camping chairs for? I know a lot of people used them as extra chairs for their home in addition to using them when camping. This is also fine, but you should then consider going for a comfortable model, as you wouldn’t like to be the host who brings out the chairs from hell when people are visiting.
I know that this is pretty basic stuff, but I hope that you at least got some extra tips that you can use when choosing a camping chair.
The first thing you have to consider is where you are going to camp. This is the single most important factor. How is the ground there? Is it hard? Is it a long walk to get there? I know that a lot of people will say “we are not going to use it the same place all the time”. That is certainly true in most cases. My advice is to think about the place that you go the most and take it from there. If you are routinely going on long trips on foot, you should choose something light like a camping stool, or if you are not walking much at all you can choose a very comfortable model.
The second thing you should consider is your own needs. Do you have any injuries that require that you sit comfortable? Then you should consider buying a comfortable model. Are you mainly going to use the chair for sunbathing? Then you should also think about the more advanced models. If you think about using the camping chair when eating at a table, then a chair in the right height is important.
The price of the chair is a subject that we cannot get away from. Camping chairs can be both very expensive and very cheap. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much you are willing to pay, that decides what you should buy. Most of the chairs on the marked today are actually pretty good. However, there is a connection between the price and the chair. To say it another way: you usually get what you are paying for.
The materials that the camping chairs are made of are also essential. In most chairs some kind of metal is used for poles. If your main concern is to have a comfy chair, then you should probably go for some kind of metal that is solid, but heavy, like steel. If weight is important, go for something made from aluminum or similar. There are also big differences in the quality and durability of the materials used in the chairs. Often the first place you will see this is in the cloth parts. Once again: you usually get what you pay for.
Do you have any things you would like to use the camping chairs for? I know a lot of people used them as extra chairs for their home in addition to using them when camping. This is also fine, but you should then consider going for a comfortable model, as you wouldn’t like to be the host who brings out the chairs from hell when people are visiting.
I know that this is pretty basic stuff, but I hope that you at least got some extra tips that you can use when choosing a camping chair.
Camping Stools
Although technically not camping chairs in that they have a different name, I think that they really belong in the same category. The reason for that is what we talked about in the “what are camping chairs?” post. A lot of people talk about these camping stools as camping chairs. It is something that you bring along when you are camping, and you intend to sit on it, therefore we insist that it is in the same category. Period!
Okay, with that out of the way we can start to talk about them. Camping stools are, as you probably know, a device that you bring along to your camping trip with the intention to sit on. They are usually very light and don’t take up a lot of space. The most common stool is made with three legs. Haven’t seen one? Here is a picture of one for you:
Why would people choose to bring along one of these stools to a camping trip when there are hundreds of other chairs to choose from, and all of them are more comfortable to sit on? Sure, the stools are not the best sitting surface you will ever own, but they are actually not as bad as they look. Most of the people who use camping stools are people who do medium to long walks before they make camp. They need their backpacks to be as light as possible. For them the heavier and more comfortable chairs are no competition for the small stools. In fact a lot of them actually think that the stools are too heavy!
In my own opinion I would have to say that I find it very strange to bring along one of these chairs when you can actually use a dead tree or a stone to sit on and it would not make that much of a difference. On very rare occasions have I actually seen that it would be useful to have a camping stool with me, but that is more the exception that the rule. One of these exceptions came up on a trip that I did with some friends a couple of years ago. We went far into the mountains to fish in a lake that we had been hearing very good things about. What we didn’t know was that there where no threes that far into the mountains, and on this particular place it was entirely flat and no rocks to be seen. When one of my friends then made a fire (with wood that he had been carrying all that way!) I finally got good use of my camping stool. But that is one of the very few times.
The conclusion would have to be that a camping stool is not very useful unless you are going to places without natural things to make chairs of often. Let’s put it another way: if I had the choice between a camping stool and a chair I would choose the camping chair without hesitation.
Okay, with that out of the way we can start to talk about them. Camping stools are, as you probably know, a device that you bring along to your camping trip with the intention to sit on. They are usually very light and don’t take up a lot of space. The most common stool is made with three legs. Haven’t seen one? Here is a picture of one for you:
Why would people choose to bring along one of these stools to a camping trip when there are hundreds of other chairs to choose from, and all of them are more comfortable to sit on? Sure, the stools are not the best sitting surface you will ever own, but they are actually not as bad as they look. Most of the people who use camping stools are people who do medium to long walks before they make camp. They need their backpacks to be as light as possible. For them the heavier and more comfortable chairs are no competition for the small stools. In fact a lot of them actually think that the stools are too heavy!
In my own opinion I would have to say that I find it very strange to bring along one of these chairs when you can actually use a dead tree or a stone to sit on and it would not make that much of a difference. On very rare occasions have I actually seen that it would be useful to have a camping stool with me, but that is more the exception that the rule. One of these exceptions came up on a trip that I did with some friends a couple of years ago. We went far into the mountains to fish in a lake that we had been hearing very good things about. What we didn’t know was that there where no threes that far into the mountains, and on this particular place it was entirely flat and no rocks to be seen. When one of my friends then made a fire (with wood that he had been carrying all that way!) I finally got good use of my camping stool. But that is one of the very few times.
The conclusion would have to be that a camping stool is not very useful unless you are going to places without natural things to make chairs of often. Let’s put it another way: if I had the choice between a camping stool and a chair I would choose the camping chair without hesitation.
What are Camping Chairs?
Most people probably have good idea of what a camping chair really is. However, as I have discovered lately, these ideas are often very different from each other. When I ask a person to bring a camping chair, I will often be surprised at what the person is actually bringing.
The different ideas come from one thing. There are just so many types of camping chairs out there. They are all meant for roughly the same thing, but with small differences. Think of it this way: when a friend of you says that he is going on a camping trip, what do you think that he is going to do? For me the answer would be that he is going into the mountains, or at least away from people. And he will probably be sleeping in a tent and a sleeping bag. More importantly, I would assume that he would be walking there. A lot of people have a different idea of camping. They can say they are camping when they are driving their RV to their grandmother’s place in the countryside. Other people might say that they are camping when they are driving their car into the forest and putting up a tent just besides the car. And some might even say they are camping when they are sleeping in their own back yard.
Of course this leads to quite a few misunderstandings. When camping doesn’t mean the same as camping, a camping chair is not necessarily the same as other camping chairs. Actually camping chairs come in many different forms. You can choose to have a chair with or without a back. You can choose a lightweight chair or a heavy chair, or something in between. You can find chairs that are extremely comfortable, and you can find chairs that are mainly built for ease of both use and transportation.
The marked for camping chairs is, as any other market adapting, to the demand. This means that you can get almost any thing that you are looking for in a camping chair these days. Just do a quick search on the internet, or go to amazon, and you will see that there are plenty to choose from.
So, what are camping chairs? It seems that we are no closer to a precise answer. It does involve leaving your living room and front door. (Or backdoor if you are camping in your backyard) But besides that, it can be just about any chair that is used. In later articles I will talk about different types of camping chairs. I might even make a top 5 camping chairs list. For now, just avoid the confusion when talking about them with being as precise as you can.
If you are a fanatic RV camper; check out this RV Blue Book, it rocks!
The different ideas come from one thing. There are just so many types of camping chairs out there. They are all meant for roughly the same thing, but with small differences. Think of it this way: when a friend of you says that he is going on a camping trip, what do you think that he is going to do? For me the answer would be that he is going into the mountains, or at least away from people. And he will probably be sleeping in a tent and a sleeping bag. More importantly, I would assume that he would be walking there. A lot of people have a different idea of camping. They can say they are camping when they are driving their RV to their grandmother’s place in the countryside. Other people might say that they are camping when they are driving their car into the forest and putting up a tent just besides the car. And some might even say they are camping when they are sleeping in their own back yard.
Of course this leads to quite a few misunderstandings. When camping doesn’t mean the same as camping, a camping chair is not necessarily the same as other camping chairs. Actually camping chairs come in many different forms. You can choose to have a chair with or without a back. You can choose a lightweight chair or a heavy chair, or something in between. You can find chairs that are extremely comfortable, and you can find chairs that are mainly built for ease of both use and transportation.
The marked for camping chairs is, as any other market adapting, to the demand. This means that you can get almost any thing that you are looking for in a camping chair these days. Just do a quick search on the internet, or go to amazon, and you will see that there are plenty to choose from.
So, what are camping chairs? It seems that we are no closer to a precise answer. It does involve leaving your living room and front door. (Or backdoor if you are camping in your backyard) But besides that, it can be just about any chair that is used. In later articles I will talk about different types of camping chairs. I might even make a top 5 camping chairs list. For now, just avoid the confusion when talking about them with being as precise as you can.
If you are a fanatic RV camper; check out this RV Blue Book, it rocks!
Welcome to Camping Chair Guide!
Hi and welcome to this guide about camping chairs. The reason that i am making this guide is an argument i had with some of my friends on a camping trip. We couldn't agree on what was the best camping chair out there. Of course none of us has tries them all, but we still had some very hard opinions about the issue. After a lot of arguing i said that i would devote myself to learning as much as i can about camping chairs and post what i learn and my own conclusions on a website.
After a bit of thinking i have realized that it would probably be more helpful to readers if i made it into some kind of a guide. This will make it easier for people to find their way around and it might even help a few other who has the same questions.
Ok, that's about all i have to say as a welcome speech. I really hope you will enjoy your stay here and that are able to find what you are looking for.
After a bit of thinking i have realized that it would probably be more helpful to readers if i made it into some kind of a guide. This will make it easier for people to find their way around and it might even help a few other who has the same questions.
Ok, that's about all i have to say as a welcome speech. I really hope you will enjoy your stay here and that are able to find what you are looking for.
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