part four??five? whatever--i did knives,bags,and a couple other bits of gear that went by the wayside for one reason or another.too heavy,worn out,found something better.here are the four chairs i used over the last twenty something years.for the first few years i used my sleeping pad in one way or another but found that it developed leaks so i got a real chair to rest my back on.in the first photo are from left to right--a good beach chair,about two pounds.i used this for many years,maybe ten,that would be twenty two week trips.i'll show another shot of that below but first it's replacement.in front is a REI camp chair.i got that because i wanted something stronger and would break down so it could be carried under the pack flap and pulled out and used at lunch breaks.the first folding one was handy that way and it sure beat sitting on rocks or logs at lunch stops but it's draw back was that it got hung up during the loading and unloading as it was just strapped to the back of the pack.the draw back for the REI chair was it's weight--four pounds--putting it together was not as easy as just unfolding the beach chair but still that was no problem.after years of use the cloth started to wear and rip and was repaired with the green duct tape and on a trip by safety pins..lots of them..ok next at the right,rear of the photo a very nice Laufma Chair.light at two pounds and it folded very flat unlike the aluminum beach chair.a replacement to the REI it got a few years of use but once again was a hassle.carried on the back of the pack it caught on the canoe at the carrys.


below a close up of the repair to the beach chair made somewhere in Quetico.a tent peg thru the bolt hole and held in place with cord and duct tape.i found that the weak point to the folders was the hinge.any sort of leaning to one side or the other put enough strain on the hinge and bolt that they deformed or busted at some point.



so next and last was the Crazy Creek cloth chair.i got the big Lounger model but after a couple trips removed the pad from the extension but left the nylon section that it fit into for more leg protection.this was about the best so far.it went into the food bag as a back pad and was easy to set up and use.the draw back was that as a pad in the pack i could not get to to easy enough to use as a lunch stop seat.it also served to level out some uneven sleeping spots as it fit under the sleeping pad to raise sides and ends of odd tent pads



the beach chair was not the only one to get a field repair.after many years the Crazy Creek need one.the fiberglass wand on one side pushed thru the bottom.i think all the side to side shifting i do as i reach for gear to one side or the other did this,same as the hinges on the beach chairs.i'm a heavy guy at 200 pounds and that may have had something to do with it---anyway--with the wand thru the bottom and as could not push it back up in place i needed to cut it off so the chair could be used in the tent without punching a hole in the floor.

so there it is..i can keep using the Crazy Creek even with the bit of wand sawed off but i think i'll just get a new one but this time just the regular size as i found that using the smaller one my Wife has that the back does not come up under my arms so much and i can just drop my butt into it and lean back..

In my experience, nothing beats the Crazy Creek chair on top of a Kitty Litter bucket filled with food items. Not only is it comfortable and the right height for sitting on, but it's also a rodent-proof alternative to always hanging a food pack. In addition, two of these buckets sit beautifully side by side in a #4 Duluth pack, ...and the price is definitely right!