We had some interesting discussions last weekend on which camp chair/system is the best and wondering what others use. We're going to be on a river next year for 3 weeks so we want to consider options even if the price is a bit more than usual.

We have used the standard folding type chairs you can buy at pretty much any store with a number of different brands. They are semi-durable but one always breaks (we found the roots ones lasted the longest and had mesh so they would dry quickly but I don't think they made in several years). We tried a chair like this that is double (two seats) it's nice but also takes up some more room, longer to dry and doesn't really fit in between barrels (would need to drybag it)

The small tripod ones aren't super comfortable so for a long trip they aren't being considered. Using a barrel is a backup too but not something we want to do other than a backup.

The helinox-type chairs are interesting (also bonus you can keep them dry in a barrel) but some find them uncomfortable or question durability. The cost of these types of chairs can also be massive.

We also tried putting some chairs in a large communal drybag (testing the double chair), it's nice to keep all the chairs dry, but it takes up a good amount of room (ie 1 barrel less for every 3 canoes) vs sliding them in between barrels. So I guess my question is, what so you use/recommend?

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Trip reports from our adventures: https://ssprod.me/trip-reports/list-of-trip-reports/

do you mean '1 barrel more' ?
i use Helinox chair1,
tripod chairs can be useful, portable, move around anywhere, cook from them, etc.
(chair1 seats you deep & back; tripod keeps you productive)
3 legs sink deeper than 4.
sometimes i bring hammock instead of chair. lighter, less bulky, huge comfort.
some sort of material can be draped over chair seat, so it's a dry sit.
that material can be stashed in waterproof pack, preventing need for exrtra barrel to house chairs.

I use a Helinox knock off (Sail), I find it comfortable, packs small, weighs little. I've had the same one for 7 years 400+ days of use, tennis balls on the feat to preventing sinking.

I like the look of the more recent tall back versions.

A friend of mine bought one and broke it after a few days, he also has a bad habit of falling out of his canoe due to pathetic balance skills.

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

To clarify remogami, I meant that if you combine chairs from 3 canoes in 1 drybag, that drybag takes the space of 1 barrel. So instead of having 12 barrels in the 3 canoes (and chairs wedged under), you would have space for 11 (with chairs in drybag).
Not sure that's any clearer?

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Trip reports from our adventures: https://ssprod.me/trip-reports/list-of-trip-reports/

I really like the Maxi trac folding chair

https://armorautosupply.com/products/bkmtchair
It has a very comfortable high back support. Breaks down into a very small bag package for canoe tripping or other travel.
Currently massively on sale at NAPA Auto parts stores for $17.49 until 30Sep. I just ordered another at my local store
https://www.adspecials.us/stores/napa/o ... -13039099/

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0276/ ... 024@2x.jpg?

Helinox Sunsetter chair for me. I got it when it was really on sale but really pricey now. It sits higher than most and has a nice high back. Packs small and is light. Friends have them too and I have seen no breakage so far. A lot of the same design out there now at cheaper prices so nice to hear which ones are holding up.

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I had a couple of Helinox-style chairs but they were weak and the legs broke where they join the main hub. I have since replaced them with a pair of Big Agnes Mica Basins. Much beefier, more comfortable, but of course, heavier. We like them a lot, though.

maybe another option is to throw each chair into own drybag then slide into gaps.
perhaps 2 helinox Sized chairs can fit into a 20L (1 per boat)
may free up space for another barrel.
trailhead has fairly durable 20L nylon drybags 50% off now ($12 each in store).
with shoulder strap i believe.

I’m not sure I “recommend”, but we now use big, beefy, heavy duty camp chairs. Two ALPS Leisure chairs and an ALPS Big Cat. In large part because I can be a restless in-camp sitter, frequently getting up to attend to this or that. Getting out of some winky chair 6” off the ground is nay good.

https://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineer ... 3G4C5?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineer ... SXD42?th=1

Both are heavy as hell, and bulky too. I don’t care, my portaging days are in the rear view mirror. The Big Cat specs a 500 lb capacity. The Leisure chair, with a speced 300lb capacity, actually seems better built and sturdier, without some of common design failure points of folding camp chairs.

The big-box camp chairs, and even pricier others, use pop rivets for the folding leg X connections. I’m sure I have field-repaired a half dozen failed pop rivets using a bent over nail through the leg holes, and later re-drilled the holes at home for a ¼” SS bolt. That repair held, until the cheap stitching began to tear out and the seat started sagging. Is this an ass hammock or a chair?

The flimsy plastic arm rest grommets on cheap chairs are one of the first things to wear out and droop un-ergonomically. I do not like continually pull the arm rest back up into position and immediately having it slode back down. Bad words were said.

For in-canoe transport we use DIY chair dry bags made from heat sealable fabric, one of the handiest uses for that DIY dry bag stuff. That process is here, without any captions:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/153467243 ... 9657673465

But the end result is this:

P7301068 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Those DIY chair dry bags holds the chair, modified with PVC pipe receivers to hold a Sunbrella for desert use, and a high back extension to use as a wind block for breezy off-season trips. Or both.

P7211029 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I want that high back extension when the chill breeze is blowing. I need only be smart enough to put my back to the wind; that simple high rise extension, using blown out cheapo chair fabric and a couple Timberline tent poles, rolls up small and goes on in seconds.

P1050467 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

That extension along makes a world of difference on wind chill trips. And the piece of Ridgerest, which goes under my sleeping pad for thorn protection at night, keeps my derriere warm in the fabric chair seat. I have neglected to remove the Ridgerest as the day warmed up, finally realizing that was why my ass was sweaty.

The UV reflective Sunbrella is a godsend on no-shade desert trips. And, into each life a little drizzle must fall. If I can be out from under the tarp with a better view I’ll take it. I take that Sunbrella on rainy visits to the Thunderbox, or anytime I exit the tarp shelter in the rain. Multifunctional, it is a decent bowman held horizontal sail in a tandem as well. Even a standard golf umbrella works well.

PA070109 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Back to the DIY heat sealable chair dry bags, the beauty is that individually dry bagged chairs are easier to store in the canoe(s), and before bedtime just fold up the chair, stick it in the dry bag and it is guaranteed dry the next morning, even if you left it too close to the edge of the tarp in the windblown rain.

Back to the original question, on a no-portage river trip I want a sturdy, full sized camp chair, in its own custom dry bag. And some DIY chair accessories.

Helinox Chair One here…I have two of them I like them so much!

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"It's healthy to be dirty" - Lars Monsen

I've a fan of the old school folding chairs, such as
https://www.crazycreek.com/collections/all

It's a super simple chair. No directions requires.
No assembly required.
Little to go wrong.
It floats.
It works at your kitchen site, in a bug shelter as well as in a tent.
It works well as your bathing site on just about any terrain.
It packs well. Use it as the back pad in your canoe pack.
Use it as a kneeling pad while cooking, prepping food, digging into a pack, repairing something, etc.
Pull it out at noon for a quick nap/sleeping pad.
Use it to improve your tent site--shore up your sleeping pad.
It can work as a backup sleeping pad.
Long lasting. I'm thinking about buying another one because my 20 year old chair is showing signs of wear.

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Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 

I use the Trekology brand from Amazon (a rip off of the Helinox1) for $49 or a two pack for $76. I bought one for the wife and after a few 5 day trips it held up fine, so I bought a second one for me (6'4 250lb) and it has held up great with no issues and I am not easy on my gear, least of all a chair. Packs up small and weight is not too bad for a chair and so far zero issues with over 70 days in the backcountry on them. Very good bang for the buck considering the average Helinox is $100+

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Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit. ~ Edward Abbey

We bought our helonix chairs the first year sail carried them , I think about 8 years ago. I balked at the then 90 dollar price tag till my wife turned to me and said I'm not portaging any 6 pound chairs anymore. One of our best gear purchases , they are still working great, but will have to replace the elastic cord as that is the only part that has worn out.

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Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Prov. 19:20

I use the Nemo Moonlite Chair, Small, light and weight rated to 300 lbs.