Tested: the best chair for camping

Posted by Melanie van Zyl on 23 August 2017

We found a camp chair that won’t take up the whole boot of a hatchback car and is rugged enough for campsite lounging.

 

It sits right, it packs right

R795, campworld.co.za

Remember those old-school canvas director chairs? They were the only ones we took on the road as a family. It’s a robust, die-hard classic (the one overlanding companies still tend to use) but it definitely prioritises function over comfort. The Howling Moon Compact Ranger Chair is a modern director’s chair with good rugged bones and a neat packing size, but much more comfortable. This campfire throne still feels robust, with thick steel bars (capped with plastic for better durability) and a stretched, generous seat of tough woven fabric that can hold up to 160kg. The clever fold-up design means you get a whole lot more chair for the relatively compact packing frame of 52 x 50cm2. The camping chair is a little heavy, at 6kg, but it has an easy carry handle and if you’re just transferring the chair from car to campsite, it’s not a factor.

It also has a few nifty features without going gimmicky: a fold-out side table, reasonable cupholder (it could be a little deeper to safely fit bottles of beer, but it’s good for cans) and a zipped armrest pocket, which is very handy against marauding monkeys. I found it just the right height to sit and eat at your average camp table. Others who tried it out found the back support had a little too much ‘give’, but I just found it relaxing.

 

Tested for fun

R599, checkers.co.za

You can spin around in the big Bush Baby Swivel Camping Chair but, to be honest, the reason most camp chairs aren’t built to swivel is because sand is likely to grind into the mechanism. It’s also heavier than normal camp chairs, but this does lend it good stability. And spinning in it is still awesome.

 

This story first appeared in the April 2017 issue of Getaway magazine.

Get this issue →

Our April issue features a guide to the Otter Trail, the sunniest roadtrip in SA, and 12 awesome farmstays.

 

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