What is a good thing to have for sitting around a campfire when backpacking?

[jeff-oh]

Hammock related camp chair discussion.

Being a larger guy, the various non-hammock camp chairs just do not work for me. What are the options people know for a hammock chair? Particularly for use on one tree?

Commercially I've seen a couple of designs:
Dutch's Hammock Chair:Capture2.jpg

And the generic overhead suspension hammock chairs:Capture.JPG

And I've seen one where it hangs from one tree and uses a treking pole between the legs to support the seat. Are there others people know of?

[packman9000]

The generic one doesn't need a second tree to tie off on, Dutch's chair looks comfy but it does limit your options. I'd have trouble even finding a nice hang for the the generic one.

[TrailSlug]

Back packing with the "generic hammock chair". That wouldn't be fun. Here's a good list of backpacking chairs.
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topic...kpacking-chair

[bonsaihiker]

If it's a short hike to a base camp I will take a chair. Right now I'm loving the Helinox Sunset. Otherwise I won't carry the weight.

If pack weight is a concern I will use a Jerry Chair. For years I used this:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...d.php?p=183825.
Now I use one made of DCF which is lighter and longer (6 ft) which doubles as a ground cloth if needed. Weight is about an ounce and it's quite comfortable. If I prefer to sit higher off the ground I'll put it over a log or stump or I'll bring a folding stool and the Jerry chair provides a back rest.

One other option is a chair I saw once and haven't tried. It was basically half of a gathered end hammock with a wide hem opposite the gather which functioned as a sleeve. The gathered end was hung from a tripod of dead branches and a sturdy dead branch was placed through the sleeve. This branch was long enough to prevent passing through the tripod when sitting on the fabric. Here's a photo.

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[jeff-oh]

Back packing with the "generic hammock chair". That wouldn't be fun. Here's a good list of backpacking chairs.
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topic...kpacking-chair

I was keeping this thread limited to hammock style chairs, as the other similar thread got off topic and was remove to the donating member section for non-hammock discussions. But thank you for the input.

[Ozzitoolmetallicrue]

Shelltowee Hammock makes a nice small hammock chair that i use bikepacking for lounging a the time.

[Hiker_Section]

I was keeping this thread limited to hammock style chairs, as the other similar thread got off topic and was remove to the donating member section for non-hammock discussions. But thank you for the input.

Those hammock style chairs look awesome and I definitely plan to acquire one in the future. I hope the mods won't mind my pointing out that several prominent hammock forum contributors have made a plug for taking a simple folding stool to complete the hammock camping experience. There are some lightweight stool options that are larger and support a higher weight. I was swayed by the following videos early on and carry a sub 1 pound stool with me when I hammock camp. One stool I'm aware of, the Jumbo Stool, is made by an American company and the product description indicates it easily supports 300 lbs. and only weighs 1.6 pounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvrP4ADov_4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuHHdWVOLD8

Key takeaways from the above videos regarding lightweight stool:

• Very flexible and simplistic
• Easily fits under your hammock tarp
• Serves as nightstand next to hammock to hold easy access items
• No assembly and deploys in seconds anywhere (in hammock camp, by campfire, on trail, etc.)
• Minimal weight penalty and lighter than most backpacking chairs (typically close to a pound or 1.5 pounds for the jumbo stool)
• Unlike hammock chairs not dependent on trees
• Can be used if you have a visitor to your hammock
• Can be easily carried on backpack

[DocWatson]

I made a DIY hammock chair out of some fabric that I picked up on clearance at Wal-Mart and I use a plastic corkscrew stake for one end. I occasionally bring it with me but I've found that often there isn't trees near the fire ring so I would still need another sitting option for the fire at night.

IMG_20190622_140630.jpg IMG_20190824_150854_1.jpg

FYI: I noticed you said you are a larger guy. At the time those photos were taken, I was around 250 to 260 lbs.

- Clyde

[Hiker_Section]

I made a DIY hammock chair out of some fabric that I picked up on clearance at Wal-Mart and I use a plastic corkscrew stake for one end.
- Clyde

Nice job on the DIY hammock chair!

[DocWatson]

Nice job on the DIY hammock chair!

Thank you. I redid it a couple times to get it to feel right. Initially I just gathered the ends and did a sheet bend with a loop of paracord. But I found that if I folded the fabric like I was trying to make a paper fan instead of just bunching the fabric, the fabric opened up better when I sat in it and was more comfortable. Also I didn't hem the sides of the fabric. The edges had a finished look on them and although I didn't expect the edges to last very long before starting to come unraveled, they have held up pretty well. Eventually I'll redo it and ask a friend to hem the edges and put a channel on the ends for me to pass the end loops through.

I've also noticed when using one tree, having the strap longer rather than shorter works better for comfort and stress on the ground stake. The corkscrew stake is the cheap one in the camping section of Wal-mart and has been re-purposed for a tensahedron stand. I'm going to pick up a heavier duty corkscrew stake - maybe one that is used for pet runs, if I can find a small/medium one that I could pack easily.

- Clyde