Vintage ZipDee chairs?

[dznf0g]

Does anyone know from what era and model these ZipDee chairs may have come from? I found them in a resale shop this weekend.

[Silverbee]

There is a listing on on eBay for a Zip Dee lounger that has the same fabric.
The listing says that it is from the 70's.

Here is the eBay link:
Vintage 1970s ZIP DEE Folding Chair w/ Lounger attachment mid century 1970s #1 | eBay

[dznf0g]

Yeah, I saw that after I posted. Was this design ever used in AS? It kinda looks like Argosy colors. Did they come with ZipDee chairs? Did ZipDee sell chairs elsewhere?

[damonbeals]

I don't know what year, but ZipDee will use any of the fabrics, and they have alot of different fabric colors. So you can get them in other colors. They still sell this exact chair but with wooded arms.

https://store.airstream.com/product_...roducts_id=243

Damon

[dwightdi]

This is the color chairs that came with the "Limited" trim. The awnings matched the chair color. I have seem some as late as 1980s. I have one extra chair like that and three of the blue ones. Nowdays they want almost $100 each for them. There were some models that were built with stainless steel. They are even rarer and more costly.

[idroba]

That looks to be the same color and pattern of the chairs and awning material on my '83 310 MH. Rather drab and ugly in my opinion. I sold the chairs with the MH.

[nm1oqrz]

Hello all. I bought a pair of stainless steel Zip-Dee chairs in 1990 and they have the same blue and white fabric that my 1988 Excella awning has.
Great chairs but heavy as h...
Happy camping nm1oqrz

[dznf0g]

These chairs do have wooden arms....but are colored black. I though that may date them. I have seen this fabric with both black arms and natural color (varnished). I really want the blue fabric as my PO apparently kept the ZipDee chairs which were original to my Classic. He also kept the 75th Anniversary jacket, which I can find nowhere.

Anybody want to swap some blue ZipDees for these? Or swap fabric?

[darlingbooks]

Anne-Marie and I just got new fabric for two older Zip Dee chairs that her mother gave us. Our old chairs had a similar dated fabric, but they were quite weathered, and I was able to order the burgundy colored fabric to match our existing chairs and awnings. The chairs come in a couple of sizes, so you need to measure the fabric width before calling Zip Dee, and they can walk you through the color choices while on the phone. The cost of the fabric was around $26 each, or so, I can’t find the charge on my bank records, but a bargain over the cost of a new Zip Dee chair at $100 each.

Steve

[dznf0g]

Well, to make things more interesting....I called Zip Dee and there were apparently some knock offs made throughout the years which may not allow for ZipDee fabric to be used on the frame IF what I have is NOT ZipDee. The lady I spoke to had been there for 15 years, but could not definitively tell me, by description if I had ZipDees or not.

Could someone who has ZipDees help me? She stated that the knockoffs had a different diameter tubing. Could someone accurately give me the diameter of their tubing? Preferably with a micrometer.

The other dimensions I need are the distance from the spring seam (on the sitting surface side) to the front edge if the front seat tube AND the distance from that same spring seam to the top of the seat back cross tube.

If any of these dimensions vary from my chairs, I have knockoffs.

If I do, I am sure glad I found them in a resale shop for 1/3 of what the same chair goes for on Ebay AND they do fit well in the fold down table compartment. I'll just have to live with brown and orange maybe.....till I find a sweet deal on Blue and White ZipDees!

[darlingbooks]

Our old chairs have ¾ inch tubing, and I measured the tubes under the armrest with my tape measure, these are the only ones without a cap on the tube end. The seat measurement from the seam to the inside edge of the front tube is 16 1/8 inches, and this is closest point that the fabric touches the tube. The seam to the inside edge of the back top tube is 17 ½ inches. I tossed the old fabric, but I remember it being stretched out a bit, and the springs were a lot more difficult to put onto the new fabric, then they were to remove off of the old fabric.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by darlingbooks

Our old chairs have ¾ inch tubing, and I measured the tubes under the armrest with my tape measure, these are the only ones without a cap on the tube end. The seat measurement from the seam to the inside edge of the front tube is 16 1/8 inches, and this is closest point that the fabric touches the tube. The seam to the inside edge of the back top tube is 17 ½ inches. I tossed the old fabric, but I remember it being stretched out a bit, and the springs were a lot more difficult to put onto the new fabric, then they were to remove off of the old fabric.

Thank you! If I understand you measurements of the seat and back, my chairs are dimensionally the same as yours. But before I order fabric (which is not returnable) could I trouble you for 2 more dimensions?

With the chairs open, what is the distance from the spring seam to the front edge of the front seat tube? Mine is 17".

What is the distance from the spring seam to the top of the seat back tube? Mine is 18 1/2".

[darlingbooks]

From the seam to the front of the tube is 16 7/8 inches and the seam to the top of the tube is 18 ¼ inches. These chairs have only been sat in for 5 minutes and the fabric is new just installed, and the springs are pulled a bit more than with the old fabric. I think new fabric will work for you.

Steve

[dznf0g]

It appears, by the dimensions, that I do have Zip Dee chairs. I'll order the replacement fabric tomorrow. Thanks darlingbooks, for your time.

BTW, I also found out from the Zip Dee folks that they haven't made the stainless frames for some time. She said with the cost of stainless now, the chairs would be over $200.

[darlingbooks]

We have had the chairs for three winters, and we treated them as disposable chairs, and we have left them outside the every winter in Tucson. The sun had hurt the fabric to the point that I was prepared to toss the chairs, but when I checked the price of replacement chairs, and found out the fabric could be easily be changed out, I chose the new fabric. These are still our knock around chairs, and the nice ones are in the holder in the trailer, and I don’t see us leaving the recovered chairs in the weather as we have in the past. The tubes must be stainless, and the only rust is at the rivets.

[dznf0g]

I ordered the replacement fabric this morning. I'll let you know how they turn out.

[SteveH]

We have some just like that we bought in a camper store in the 70's. Still good chairs.