Camping Gear: Choosing Your Camping Chairs

Choosing the cheapest camping chair available is not a good idea, because you could spoil your whole camping trip by being uncomfortable and unhappy in poor quality ones.

It is a good idea to see which chairs are recommended by your local camping equipment store, or in magazines or on the internet. Much of the advice they will provide is well researched and very helpful.

Part of the fun of camping is sitting around the campfire swapping stories and sharing a meal, and you will be much more comfortable, and enjoy the experience more, in a comfy chair than if you were on a hard, lumpy rock or log, or even a hard bench such as you find in some campsites.

The older models which used to be sold have now been outdone by today's advanced designes, which are much more comfortable.

Frames made of aluminum tubing will be much lighter to carry than ones made of steel stubbing.

Many chairs now have cup holders built in, which is much more convenient than old fashioned ones which didn't have them, meaning you had to put your drink on the ground, possibly knocking it over or getting dirt on yourself when you pick it up. Some chairs even have two drink holders in them.

Fabric arm rests are softer and more flexible than metal, hard plastic or wooden ones, and this makes them more comfortable for your arms. The more expensive models even have arm rests which are adjustable to fit your arms and your favored sitting position.

It is also a nice idea to choose a chair which has pockets in which to put a book or magazine, mobile phone, sunglasses or other bits and pieces.

If you want a folding chair, then it should have a bag which you can carry it in, with easy carry straps, preferable long padded shoulder straps which will leave your hands free for carrying other items.

The best fabrics for these chairs are extra strong ballistic nylon, smooth nylon or canvas-type polyester, however for tropical climates chairs with net or mesh in them allow more airflow and are also easier to dry or drain, which helps in heavy rain. These fabrics are however less durable.

There are chairs which include these features in a very creative package, including ones you can fold into a backpack for even greater ease of carrying, and ones with built in coolers so you can keep your drinks cool and you don't have to carry an extra (and usually bulky) cooler with you. Still others have a foam pillow.

Unless expense does not matter, then you need to consider your budget and go for a chair which has the features which you think are important, whilst still being easy to pack away and carry. If you choose the right chair, you could be nearly as comfortable as you are at home in your easy chair.