Folks. Hear me out.

I have done my fair share of backpacking. I know how to pack for that.

I have done my fair share of car camping. I know how to pack for that.

I'm still doing some tweaking on the bdubs trips though... they seem to sit at a nice comfy happy medium between the two aforementioned excursion styles. I'm not new to the bwca, and will have logged my 20th trip later this summer. While I've never been interested in ticking off miles, I can certainly pare down the junk if need-be. Most of of my/our trips however, since I enjoy taking as many rookies as I can find, have been on EPs w/ short or no portages (Brule, Perent, Lake 1, etc). You know...the kinds of trips where you can get away with bringing too much stuff because why not?! Anyway, let's move on to the topic at hand... my ass and where to put it.

On a nice night I want to be able to hang my bear bags, brush my teeth, then proceed to drink too much whisky and fall asleep in a chair by the fire. Or, another scenario would be catching 2 nice smallies and a walleye in the afternoon, then remember I have no plans for the next 3 days and reward myself with a nap.

If it's backpacking I bring an Alite Monarch. Love that thing and, from experience, you can fall asleep in it, but then you fall in it.

If I'm car camping I've got a bag chair w/ a niiiiiiice angle to it (see picture). That's a napper's delight but weighs a ton and unless there's exactly 0 portages, isn't worth the size and lbs.

Is there a decent chair that's lighter and smaller than a $30 bag chair from wally world but that's still sturdy enough for a 175lb dude to crash in?

Bonus points if you can find a table (w/ hard surface) that fits into that same genre. Most tables I find are meant for hauling in a pickup truck, not a portage pack. Anyone have or use anything that might work?

Headed up tonight for trip number 18, so I'll take my answers off the air, but as always - please and thank you. Ya'll are the best.
Z

PS - I'm young and able-bodied. At this point I don't mind an extra trip on one or two 20rod hauls for some creature comforts at camp. When people mock our enormous loads, my paddling partner and I just explain that we're headed out for a month or more.

I nap in the hammock or tent, depending on which I brought. Or I find a suitably contoured (and preferably grassy) piece of ground to lie on. Or a nice tree/rock to lean against with maybe a small foam pad to even out the hard spots. Or, worse case scenario, whip out the sleeping pad.

Finding comfortable places to sit and relax are part of the fun and makes a nice little treat.

Alan

If it were just about the nap, I'd agree with you. I can and do nap just about anywhere, and will usually retreat to my hammock if I'm looking for sleep sleep. I'm looking for a chair though, that can be napped in - specifically something I can sneak into the firepit area. I just came across the diy wilderness chair and that might be a good idea other than just the shear size of it.

i too have an a-lite monarch and like it a lot. i dont want to buy anything else so am thinking to work out a way to raise it a bit and beef up its foundation in camp. perhaps something like lashing a couple dead logs underneath it with some paracord.

This is exactly how I settled on the REI Flex Lite. I know that it's no lounger, but I have fallen asleep in it. (5'9,185) It packs small and weighs less than most in that comfort range. Between this and a flat expanse of granite, or the hammock, or back in the tent on the sleeping pad on occasion... it's all good.

I also have an REI Flexlite and it's been canoe camping and backpacking with me. I think it will do what you're looking for.

For tables, how about the Camp Time Roll-A-Table or the REI clone of it?

The REI Flexlite chair is nice. I use one. But I can't see myself ever falling asleep in it. No head support.

You might try something like this rocker. they have a similar, high back, version without the rockers:

Rocker

This portable table & This for a chair w/head support.
I have the Helinox One and it's very comfortable, well-constructed & supportive--except lacks head support.

IMO the best lightweight, cheap and comfortable camp chair is a butterfly chair. All you need to carry is a triangular piece of material with a hem sewed in the bottom to accept a pole.







Of course it requires you to gather 3 poles about 6' long for the tripod legs and 1 pole, 4' long once you get to your campsite.

For a table, our group simply uses the bottom of a canoe or two.

I use the REI Flex-lites and Helinox swivel chairs. The Helinox table doesn't have a hard top, but it's awfully flat/taught/stable - we love it.

Zach, I just have to say, I didn't think there was anyway your camp there in your picture was a BWCA camp until I looked closely at the firegrate...good for you guys, that's a lot of comforts!

@treehorn you are right! A big Coleman cooktop, a cooler, what appears to be an oven, etc. Not pictured is the Tempurpedic mattress. That is a load of stuff to carry in! Virtually any item that you replace will become "ultralight." You might be able to shave 100 lbs of pack weight!

Seriously, a good practice is to list each item you take and its weight. That makes it easier to do the cost-benefit analysis for each item. For example, say that your Tempurpedic weighs 35 pounds and a Nemo air mattress weighs 2.5 pounds. I would start there before replacing your stainless steel cutlery with a titanium spork.

These things are pretty cool. I guess fairly similar to a hammock. We got some good zz's in the one we brought in last year. I was pretty skeptical about the product as a whole, but almost everything about it exceeded my expectations...not by a ton, but the thing worked and you could certainly get comfortable in it.

https://www.amazon.com/ChillaX-Inflatable-Lounge-Airbed-Bottle/dp/B01HTWQ0IM/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1495810866&sr=1-4&keywords=inflatable+lounger

quote LuvMyBell: "IMO the best lightweight, cheap and comfortable camp chair is a butterfly chair. All you need to carry is a triangular piece of material with a hem sewed in the bottom to accept a pole.









Of course it requires you to gather 3 poles about 6' long for the tripod legs and 1 pole, 4' long once you get to your campsite.


For a table, our group simply uses the bottom of a canoe or two."

+1... this is a very comfortable chair that is easy to nap in.

The ultimate napping chair...

quote brux: " The ultimate napping chair... "

I'm not ready to upgrade hammocks yet, but I will consider that when they make a tall version!

Why is the bag chair not worth the weight?
If you want to relax and nap or fall asleep by the fire it seems like the obvious choice.

I do the sub 20lb pack for high mileage trips and I do the 50lb pack for R&R trips. I pack for the intent of the trip so every trip is different. Core gear stays the same but the luxury items come and go depending.
If I want to fish I bring a rod, I don't make one out of a stick. If I want a chair I bring one...What's another 45minutes walking portages when you have hours of a comfy seat at camp......

Our camp looks similar to yours. I bring a Helinox chair and the Heninox table. Big fan of both. Most guys in our group bring "bag chairs".

I've used the REI camp chairs, they are good but sink into soft ground.

Check out this sweet table I got from scheels today for $10. It is about 12" by 10" surface.... Folded up about 12" by 18"....solid aluminum light weight.... Alps mountaineering....this is my 25-30 lb daughter standing on it...my son Henry (the Ned rig wrangler) is about 40 lbs, and also stood on it, but he was naked, so I won't post that picture.

quote pamonster: "Why is the bag chair not worth the weight?..."

It's more weight, sure, but that's not really the reason for us. We pack 2 guys to a #3 Duluth Pack and these latest lightweight chairs can be stuffed inside the pack along with all of your other goods, rather than hand-carried separately. Fewer items to carry. Fewer items strewn across a portage landing. Fewer items to puzzle-fit into the canoe. It's the same reasoning that was behind finally abandoning my Original Thermarest of 40 years for a Klymit pad. In addition to some weight savings, it packs down tiny. More room for fishing stuff. :-)

I like the cheap $7 Menard's bag chairs. In this case cheap = light. I take a 5 gallon bucket with gamma seal as a food pack, which makes a great table for one.

quote dasunt: "I've used the REI camp chairs, they are good but sink into soft ground."

Golf whiffle balls. Problem solved for a buck.

quote Wables: "

quote dasunt: "I've used the REI camp chairs, they are good but sink into soft ground."

Golf whiffle balls. Problem solved for a buck. "

Great idea Wables,

I'll try it, it should work for most occasions, but probably will need something bigger for the Tundra, of AK.

Another fan of the Helinox chairs (non-swivel variety for us; lighter and pack smaller).

Another good option can be an Eno hammock, and use it as a chair.

Off the chair topic, a real treat sleeping is the Exped Ergo Combi with a good long/wide air pad underneath it. I started out with a Hennessy Hammock 15+ years ago, and after going to the Exped don't use the Hennessy anymore.

quote schweady: "

quote pamonster: "Why is the bag chair not worth the weight?..."

It's more weight, sure, but that's not really the reason for us. We pack 2 guys to a #3 Duluth Pack and these latest lightweight chairs can be stuffed inside the pack along with all of your other goods, rather than hand-carried separately. Fewer items to carry. Fewer items strewn across a portage landing. Fewer items to puzzle-fit into the canoe. It's the same reasoning that was behind finally abandoning my Original Thermarest of 40 years for a Klymit pad. In addition to some weight savings, it packs down tiny. More room for fishing stuff. :-)
"

Totally agree! I've done the same. Just not sure if you want a "big chair to relax and sleep in" that you can bring anything other than a "big chair to relax and sleep in".

Side note - your thermarest might out age mine! A couple weeks ago I was e-mailing with Cascade Designs Inc to age my mattress (inherited from my grandpa). They put it at ~38! A million trips and still no patches! Had it's first outing of the season in the b-dub 2 weeks ago, still warm at 30deg!

quote pamonster: "Why is the bag chair not worth the weight?
If you want to relax and nap or fall asleep by the fire it seems like the obvious choice.


I do the sub 20lb pack for high mileage trips and I do the 50lb pack for R&R trips. I pack for the intent of the trip so every trip is different. Core gear stays the same but the luxury items come and go depending.
If I want to fish I bring a rod, I don't make one out of a stick. If I want a chair I bring one...What's another 45minutes walking portages when you have hours of a comfy seat at camp......"

After spending 5 days on Perent Lake and philosophizing about things I think this is the advice I'm going to heed. I keep comparing everything to a bag chair because that's what I want. I'm just going to keep on the lookout for the right one. Another friend mentioned he'd take on the search for a table so that's off my plate.

As far as the wilderness chair goes - has anyone had any issue finding the proper size branches to make it work? That'd be my only fear.

quote pamonster: "Just not sure if you want a "big chair to relax and sleep in" that you can bring anything other than a "big chair to relax and sleep in"."

:-)

quote LuvMyBell: "IMO the best lightweight, cheap and comfortable camp chair is a butterfly chair. All you need to carry is a triangular piece of material with a hem sewed in the bottom to accept a pole.




I have two very similar. Very comfy and adjustable. We usually do a couple nights at same or basecamp . I have spent an hour hunting proper poles (and exploring and firewood hunting. It is worth every minute to me.....especially basecamping. Mom sewed us up two 'Wide Glide' versions of the 'Coffee Sack Wilderness Chair' of nylon . Worth their weight in gold to me some evenings. Very adjustable if needed.





Of course it requires you to gather 3 poles about 6' long for the tripod legs and 1 pole, 4' long once you get to your campsite.


For a table, our group simply uses the bottom of a canoe or two."