Camp Chair Mulling

[Danattherock]

The Kermit Chair is the bees knees man

I'm 6'6" 320 lbs and my wife and I do remote rafting and flyfishing trips in arctic NW or SW (Bristol Bay) each Fall. We were travel nurses for ten years, spending three years in Alaska, primarily arctic NW Alaska. We have been doing these remote float trips since 2003.

Bush plane fly in with all our gear, which we fly up from NC. From Anchorage to some hub town, or village. Then a 2-3 seater bush plane 50-100 miles away from that hub town.

Point being, gear weight and bulk are huge issues as we have to take all gear, raft, rowing frame, oars, guns, fly rods, food, tent, clothes, etc with us. 5,000 miles. The chair is 7 lbs as I recall and breaks down very small if needed. Easy to assemble. We leave them assembled and just fold them once getting to river of course.

We float 80-120 miles typically, just fly fishing and camping our way down river. I got so tired of breaking cheap folding camp chairs. They were disposable, patched up several times with para cord and/or duct tape, usually halfway through our 7-14 day floats.

Finally heard of Kermit Chairs about six years ago. Godsend. That's the word. We have taken ours on various trips to Alaska, and tent camping closer to home. Ours still look brand new. He even threw in a repair kit for all metal parts that could be lost after hearing of our usage, but have not needed it.

We did buy, and suggest, the aluminum leg extenders. Unless you are short. Amazing product made by a one man operation as I can tell, top quality craftsmanship and materials. He's in Tennesse.


Dan

[Knuff]

Broken rivets on the strongbacks and the chairs can be easily repaired. We always have issues with all kinds of chairs and we have been using steel wire or even zip ties to extend their life...

[Danattherock]

Originally Posted by lizt1011

We love these things....they can be a little troublesome in the sand, but they "scrunch" down to the smallest package and are strong, strong when setup.

I love all GCI products.

Amazon.com : GCI Outdoor Pico Arm Chair, Navy : Camping Chairs : Sports & Outdoors

Junk!!

Has been my experience I should say. Bought various chairs, two camp tables, among other small item. The only thing GCI makes that I recommend are the aluminum dutch ovens, and cases. We own three for our tent camping locally and remote trips in Alaska and they are great. The tables and chairs we bought looked quality, aluminum slats for example on tables. But plastic joints and pot metal connectors that snapped with light use were what put them in the trash.


The only decent quality folding cheap camp chairs we ever found were the heavier duty offerings from Travel Chair. About $40-45/each as I recall. Their tables suck for same reasons as GCI though.

Dan

[Rocinante]

Good news, everyone! Just got notice that our Kermit chair order went out today and should arrive in one week. Looking forward to the blessed event.

[SteveSueMac]

We got ours.

They look fantastic.

We'll have to see how they pan out. They are plenty comfortable to sit in. But I wonder how long they'll last to be honest. It might be because they're meant to be so portable that their use as an actual chair is perhaps compromised. Lots of flexibility in the frame and seating material which doesn't instill a lot of confidence first couple times testing them out.

But we'll see. It looks like you can permanently mount the leg extensions as they have a pre-drilled hole in them and in that hole aligns with a pre-tapped starter hole on the wooden frame where the extension meets the leg. That may provide just a skosh more stability.

By the way - I don't know if it's because they're new but putting these together was NOT easy! The curved braces at the top and front of the seat required significant pressure to get them together. To be honest - since we're not rolling them up for motorcycle driving (the crowd who is their most vocal enthusiast), we'll probably leave them fully assembled all the time. You can fold them in half and that's portable enough for me.

More to come - wish us luck! 😃

[Ted S.]

TravelChair Classic Rider Chair

Basically a bag type chair. I can fit 6 in the front of the trailer, they weight nothing. I don't even bag them. I get them up and down in two trips to the trailer and just a few minutes.

I have had quite a collection of chairs over the years and feel like they are basically baggage. They hold me back from moving on down the road. Its all about fast and light.

[m.hony]

I'm digging the Kermits.
I don't ride a BMW, but the chairs should travel well with a Harley-


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[Hittenstiehl]

TinGoat

They look great.

There is a
you-tube from the owner of the company that shows a nice tutorial on putting them together and apart.

People on various blogs and mc touring forums talk about having theirs for lots of years without issue.

We will anxiously await your reviews as we are also looking at them.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

TinGoat

They look great.

There is a
you-tube from the owner of the company that shows a nice tutorial on putting them together and apart.

Thanks Hittenstiehl! I think they look great too.

Danattherock posted a review a few back describing himself as 6'6" and 320# - I figured since I'm 6'1" and 275#, these have to be a sure thing. And maybe they are? We'll see. We even got the wide version for those 2 extra inches of comfort 😃

And yes, about a page back, the videos were posted here and believe me, I've watched them a dozen times - mine didn't go together so quickly or smoothly 😃

The only sticky point was with those curved braces. They seemed to require an amazing amount of pressure to fit (as though they might be a half inch too long?) and now that they're together, I don't dare take them apart! 😜

Will report back. We're not camping for another couple weeks (argh!!!) but will keep everyone posted!

[slowmover]

Damn, ya'll are some big boys. I guess my concerns about chair longevity against my 6'2" 190-lb size just aren't solid. I usually torque chairs apart via unintended leverage.

[Roadtech]

I have had my two Kermits for over 5 years and they still look good as new. I assemble and disassemble them for each trip and store in their bags to save space, When they were brand new, the curved pieces were a little tight but they loosen a bit quickly, and are then very easy to install. It takes me less than a minute to put one together and I could do it in my sleep. I am 6' 4", 240 lbs. and they handle me with ease (they are the original narrow version). The great thing about the curved pieces is, being curved, you don't get the uncomfortable bar across your back and legs as with most other folding chairs.

[Airtandem]

I just replaced my LLB chairs after 10 yrs. They had a good canvas seat and back that was double layer with fiberfil. very comfortable and folded to about 16x18x3. Some heavies that did not sit right stretched them out, and a few spark holes did them in. They were a hit as I very seldom got to use them. No longer made. They are replaced with some I bought at Sam's of same style. Those I had to fight now have their own. Also cheaper; $29.00 vs $75

[Rocinante]

Received our Kermit chairs this week. They are really sweet. Easy to set up, great with the leg extensions, drink holders and embroidered "Casa Rocinante." They look very nice and are comfortable indeed. Here's hoping they last us many years!

[SteveSueMac]

Congrats! 😃

Pics??

[PharmGeek]

Yeah - I recall a video explaining that they go together easier over more use

It seems based on many reviews longevity and durability is very good

I wish I could try one

I am going to buy a second helinox - my wife on our last beach trip finally admitted she wants one hahaha




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[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Congrats! ��

Pics??

Thanks! Yes indeed, here's a quick shot at our current campsite.

BTW, our chairs went together easy right out of the bag.

[Danattherock]

Nice^^^^^^^^^

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Thanks Hittenstiehl! I think they look great too.

Danattherock posted a review a few back describing himself as 6'6" and 320# - I figured since I'm 6'1" and 275#, these have to be a sure thing. And maybe they are? We'll see. We even got the wide version for those 2 extra inches of comfort ��

And yes, about a page back, the videos were posted here and believe me, I've watched them a dozen times - mine didn't go together so quickly or smoothly ��

The only sticky point was with those curved braces. They seemed to require an amazing amount of pressure to fit (as though they might be a half inch too long?) and now that they're together, I don't dare take them apart! ��

Will report back. We're not camping for another couple weeks (argh!!!) but will keep everyone posted!

After assembling a few times it will be easier. Trust me. Had same initial impression. They are made to last. You bought the first camp chair you ever had to break in. Rather than wear out. It's confusing.

Dan

[Danattherock]

Originally Posted by Roadtech

I have had my two Kermits for over 5 years and they still look good as new. I assemble and disassemble them for each trip and store in their bags to save space, When they were brand new, the curved pieces were a little tight but they loosen a bit quickly, and are then very easy to install. It takes me less than a minute to put one together and I could do it in my sleep. I am 6' 4", 240 lbs. and they handle me with ease (they are the original narrow version). The great thing about the curved pieces is, being curved, you don't get the uncomfortable bar across your back and legs as with most other folding chairs.

What he said, but at 6'6" 320 lbs


Some pics of our Kermit Chairs from spring steelhead trip about 40 mile flight north of Ketchikan, Alaska.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/211440...57624007239859

And the fish, a 36" beauty. Fiberglass remake in office.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/211440...57626592417240

Dan

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Nice^^^^^^^^^






After assembling a few times it will be easier. Trust me. Had same initial impression. They are made to last. You bought the first camp chair you ever had to break in. Rather than wear out. It's confusing.

Dan

😃

Awesome. We'll see. Another guy in our unit has them an loves them.

[AstroBruce]

After camping for over 30 years, and buying and tossing way too many folding chairs, I think we finally have the right ones.
2 Caravan Sports Zero Gravity Chairs
2 Zip Dee Chairs
2 Helinox Chair One

I'm still working on the perfect tables.

Bruce