When you are overlanding, there is a lot of sitting. You sit in the car all day, and when you camp, people tends to stay seated throughout the evening. Especially when traveling with several cars, the social aspect of this is a highlight. But by all means, make sure to get exercise as well. Add rest days where you can go hiking, or take a little evening walk.
However, there will be a lot of sitting, and then a good chair is important.
When choosing a chair, there are 3 points that are important. Packed together, it must be as small as possible and easy to unpack, it must be easy to set up, and most importantly, good to sit in.
Chair and table are the first to be unpacked in the evening when consuming the mandatory camp-beer, so it is important to have this easily accessible.
Here is a presentation of the 4 chairs we have used. We who make up the test group are quite different in size; he is 195 cm and 97 kg, she is 163 cm and 58 kg so we represent two extremes of the average population.
From left: Small folding chair, Simple Camping Chair, Front Runner Expander Chair, Helinox Sunset Chair
Small folding chair
This is super simple and cheap. But we have never had it as the only chair. It has only been included as a “lunch chair” because it is easy to pack so you get it out quickly for a quick stop. Nothing to sit on for long because it does not have a backrest.
Simple Camping Chair
The cheapest is the simple camping chair that you can buy at petrol stations. It may be wise not to buy the very cheapest as they tend to break down quickly and are worse to sit in. We have tried them too. There are also more expensive variants of this, such as from ARB.
We have used chairs from a camping store for many years and they work just as well today. Nothing has broken. The disadvantage of it is that it is long and difficult to pack away securely at the same time as it should be easy to take out. Seating comfort is decent, but it is a bit low if you are going to sit at a table and eat. If you have a bad back they are not the best giving little support in the lower back.
Price 10 – 30 USD. 55 USD / 65EUR for ARB stol.
Front Runner Expander Chair
We have used this on a couple of trips. It becomes very compact when folded, looks very solid mechanically with steel pipes, but maybe a little heavy. It is quick to set up even though the tubes in the legs that are telescopic can tend to get wedged. The sitting position is very straight. This is good when you eat, but I get stiff in the back after a while. So it is not perfect for those long evenings.
Price 65USD / 77EUR front-runner-expander-chair
Helinox Sunset Chair
The latest addition is a Helinox chair that has its very own design, and is in a separate price range. It is made of a very strong aluminum alloy and is super light and compact when packed. And the seating comfort is wonderfully good. You sit comfortably backwards with good support for your back, even if it is not as perfect at the table when you eat. But I prioritize seating comfort for the long evenings leading up to sunset.
When unpacking it for the first time, it may seem complicated to assemble, but this is not the case. The pipes have an elastic inside which means that they almost assemble themselves. It is too early to say anything about long-term sustainability, but I strongly doubt that there is a problem. The manufacturer provides a 5-year warranty on the chair and it must withstand a personal weight of 145 kg.
Price 150USD / 130EUR helinox-sunset-chair
Pakking
Here I have made a shelf for tables and chairs, in this case Simple Camping Chair. The advantage of this is that they are very easy to take out, and they do not need to be tied down.
Here the table is mounted on the door and the chairs are in the box on the left. It can all be taken out without having to get into the car.
