I’ve done it. Bought a lightweight camping chair for cycle touring, and even took it on an overnight cycle camping trip this weekend. It’s great! The extra comfort of being able to sit at the campfire was worth the extra 510g of weight in the panniers.

But will this be a slippery slope? The thin edge of the wedge? Am I gradually surrendering to the need for creature comforts while camping, and what piece of high tech camping gadgetry will be next on the shopping list? 

The ground was so much softer 30 years ago. I didn’t even need a sleeping pad or tent. A ground sheet and light sleeping bag was sufficient. Nowadays I’ve got a high tech tent, high tech inflatable sleeping mat, high loft down sleeping bag and now a comfortable camp chair. 

Yes, it's a slippery slope, Graham.  Next, you're going to find that the camp chair is no longer comfortable enough and you'll start carrying a recliner . . . and then a couch . . . and then a king-sized bed.  You might even end up looking like this doofus:

I succumbed to the chair on my second solo tour.  I had a couple of hours to wait for a ferry at a terminal with no amenities and it was so nice to have something with a back support to sit on.  It comes with me if I'm camping now.  I justify it by considering that the total load I'm carrying is probably less than it was 30 years ago thanks to modern camping gear being so much lighter.

Speaking of 30 years ago, I remember seeing someone with a standard webbed lawn chair (think Danny Deck Chair and watch the movie if you haven't seen it) strapped to the side of her bike and thinking, yeah, I'd like a chair at my campsite but I'm not that desperate...

Thanks for that photo Greg. I’d love to see a film clip of that rider mounting and dismounting. They’d almost need a mobile crane to manoeuvre them.

I’m now adding an esky (chilly bin, ice box) to my equipment list. And possibly a small motor driven generator for a thermostatically controlled electric blanket. The weekend camp out  experienced  a -3°C min. temperature which showed how handy supplementary tent heating and cooling could be.

Jacquie thanks for the affirmation that my new chair isn’t too profligate. I’ll certainly use it again on short local camping tours. It is comfortable, although not easy to get out of.

Your reminisce reminded me that I too saw cycletourers carrying all manner of gear 30 years ago, including full-size deck chairs. I recall one German tourer in Greece with a huge beach umbrella (folded) strapped to his bike. The pointy end of the umbrella protruded lance-like beyond his handlebars, so he’d sheathed the point with a pair of socks. He told me that he didn’t want to “starb” anyone.

G'day Graham

I am a 1942 model and I no longer camp but in the day I used to carry one of those three legged fisherman's stools.

No backrest there and quite easy to tip over. Probably weighed more than your Helinox. I have noticed Helinox look alikes advertised from time to time and one might have been in an Aldi catalogue.

Lucky that you can  still get away for an overnighter. Here in Mexico we are stuck with the 5km radius from home lockdown.

Cheers

Mike

Mike I think it’s only a matter of time before the Sydney outbreak locks us down here in Canberra too. So far we’ve been extraordinarily lucky considering how porous our border is with NSW.. 

Fortunately The Bush Capital has very easy access to bush camping areas so we are able to ride out for overnight camps in an hour or two. If we were limited to 5km, we’d still get to bushland but not for camping. 

I am pleased with my new Helinox. Amazingly strong and comfortable for its light weight. 

All the best for a fast suppression of this latest outbreak. Fingers crossed the vaccination numbers can curtail the frequency of surges in infections. 

Well, cheers for chairs, sez I:  used one for years when canoeing, though I didn't use the trick framed Helix number you have there, Graham.  I used the marginally lighter foldup sit-on-the-ground item, into which you stuff a Thermarest mattress.  Worked a treat.  Went looking for it the other day on my camping gear shelves in the basement, and--lo!--I realized I'd given it away, along with my canoe and related gear. [It's all in a good home -- I gave it to a Brazilian-Canadian friend with whom I've paddled in  the past, and he now has a young family so needs his own boat.  Price was a standing invitation to join them :-) ]

Strange about how much harder the ground has become, isn't it?  Climate change, I reckon -- drought'n'heat'n'all.  Enjoy your new chair!

Yes the John the ground has definitely become harder, and gravity has doubled as a force resisting elevation of my creaky body from ground level to standing position. Even getting out of the high tech Helinox chair requires antics similar to those needed to escape a bean bag. 

I’m intrigued as to how sturdy the new chair is considering it’s lightness. Very clever design and construction.
The only thing not light about it, is the price. It is definitely an indulgent price. A luxury good produced for superannuated retirees like me. And like bikinis it seems that with camp chairs, the more you pay, the less material you get. Per gram, the cost of the chair would rival some precious metals. 

A luxury good produced for superannuated retirees like me.

Not to worry, Graham, I reckon you've paid your dues, mate.  That said, I also reckon that the niche marketeers at Helix and similar producers of low-bulk-high-value have us figured out.  ; )