The Essentials Series – Camping Chairs for Your Overland Journey – The Pros & Cons

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“I can’t believe it. These camping chairs are not even one week old, and now look at them!”I was disappointed, furious and frustrated at the same time.

I was disappointed, furious and frustrated at the same time.

“How can they call this quality?”

We were sitting on a beach in India and had just spent the Christmas holidays with family in the Netherlands. After reading about our ongoing troubles with our camping chairs, Kampeerhal de Vrijbuiter in Assen, the store where we had bought the chairs, had offered us an upgrade.

So we combined our family visit with a mission to replace some of our cheap camping stuff with quality gear.

Read More: The Journey

Preparations

Before we started our trip in 2003, we researched what kind of outdoor camping chairs would stand the test of time and would fit in the back of the Land Cruiser. I thought we had a good deal when we bought our fancy folding chairs with an integrated leg rest.

But what did we know? We were new to this type of camping. We both had crossed Europe with backpacks and tiny tents but had never brought chairs. So we were blank so to speak and bought what we thought was going to serve us well.

After three weeks on the road, those comfortable, integrated leg rests were showing signs of fatigue, so I emailed the Kampeerhal de Vrijbuiter with a complaint as well as ideas to improve the structure. Over the course of that year the chairs gave up on other fronts as well.

Over the course of that following year a few other little failures started to appear and after extensive email contact with the supplier, he was willing to send us a new pair of camping chairs as they were under their 3-year warranty. Only these would be an improved model as “ours” was out of production. Great!

Read More in the Essential Series: Recovery Gear

New Camping Chairs in India

So here we were, camping on a remote but popular beach known to overlanders as Agonda Beach in Goa (India) when, only after a week of use, our new chairs started to deform. The two vertical back support poles started to bend towards each other and eventually touched at the top.

This was insane and I couldn’t believe the manufacturer was saying (per email) that they had never had a recall on this particular model.

We sent them photos of the deformed chairs. They offered two possible solutions. Either they would give us our money back so we could buy some outdoor camping chairs in India — which are non-existent — or we could return them when we would be in the Netherlands again, which would be in a year’s time.

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Service and Quality

Luckily my father would be visiting us in a few weeks so he could bring new camping chairs. This time our contact person went really out of his way after I had sent them an email saying we liked a particular chair at their competition’s store across the street.

Guess what, he went over to that store, where a staff member remembered us testing this one particular chair. So they teamed up and got us two sturdy De Waard outdoor camping chairs (De Waard is a well-known brand in the Netherlands for high-quality camping equipment). My dad brought them to India and we never looked back for more than nine years. Talking about quality!

Actually that’s only half true. Mine started wearing a bit and after five years I fell in love with a smaller chair with added back-support at De Wit Camping Store (in the Netherlands). Karin-Marijke’s chair held out great for nine years. And note that we aren’t talking about three-week camping trips per year. We’re talking about nine years of almost daily use.

Read More: Driving the Transamazônica

On the Transamazônica
Tapajos River, Brazil

Of course we have patched them up and had minor repairs done over the years: a few nuts and bolts here, and a piece of fabric there. But both were still going strong when we donated them to our friend Graham, the most hospitable Aussie in Ecuador.

Weak Elements of Camping Chairs

So if we donated our camping chairs to Graham, what are we using now? Well, we had discussed buying new chairs over the last few years, especially because we wanted chairs that took less space in the Land Cruiser, but since ours still held out we never looked for new ones.

What we did do each time we met other overlanders, was checking out their chairs to see how small they packed and how repairable they were.

Now we had learned that a camping chair may look cool and sit comfortable but that if it has rivets and plastic corner pieces you can bet your ass on it that you will have a hard time repairing it on the road.

Read More: Off-Roading and Rough Camping at the Páramo of Zuleta

Kermit camping chairs in practical packages
Reading the instructions for proper use of the Kermit camping chairs
Reading the instructions for proper use of the Kermit camping chairs

Where to Find New Camping Chairs?

I fancied the wooden-made Byer of Maine Campain Chairs, which I saw in Pakistan (in 2004). Our overlander friends Irene, Pierre and Tobias had used them for years. They even had a nice wooden roll-table to go with it. I thought that, one day, we would end up with a similar setup until we met Curt and Claudia in their fancy Zebra Landy and they showed me their Kermit chairs.

Online, I had come across the Kermit camping chairs, however, I could find only a handful of reviews and some uninspiring videos. The chairs remained covered with a layer of mystique.

Recommended Books on Preparing your Overland Journey

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Overlanders’ Handbook

Motorcar Overland Camper Manual

Motorhome Self Build and Optimisation

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detail of the beauty and simplicity of Kermit chairs
detail of the beauty and simplicity of Kermit camping chairs

One of the problems with being on the road 24/7, at least outside the western world, is that it is difficult to find shops where you can hold and use an item that you have eyed on the Internet. You can read all the reviews you want and ask around in the forums until your head spins, the bottom line for me is holding a product in my hands.

Feeling the weight, smelling the materials, looking at the details of the craftsmanship. How does it work in ‘real’ conditions? Can it withstand some abuse? What are the likely weak points? And importantly, can I fix it myself?

Kermit Chairs – Sturdy, Comfortable, Repairable

When Curt shook a bag full of what looked like big wooden Mikado pieces from three feet above the ground out on the grass, I cringed. ‘Go easy’, I thought, but clearly Curt was on a different wavelength and had the Kermit assembled before I even noticed what he was doing.

“Have a seat” he gestured. I did.

“My! Karin-Marijke, you’ll have to try this,” I exclaimed and got up to let her have a seat. I started looking to the mechanics in detail.“Here, try to set this one up.”

“Here, try to set this one up.”Curt must have seen my inquisitive eyes and handed me a small black packsack.

Read More in the Essentials Series: Brewing Coffee

The beauty and simplicity of Kermit chairs
low kermit camping chairs and low foldable camping table

The choice of thin yet solid oak pieces in combination with aluminum hinging and connecting parts is outstanding. You can see and feel this product was not put together in a few lost hours. There must have been years of developing, testing and refining it. And for sure the designers must have listened to the feedback of the first users.

I instantly fell in love with the Kermit Chair. These were going to be our next chairs.

Meanwhile Curt had taken a similar black packsack, albeit way smaller, and put together a side table. The design looks cool but, in my opinion, the table is too small and too cumbersome to set up. Besides we have a perfect little bamboo table. So I decided to stick to the chairs.

Read More: Accommodation & Camping in Colombia

Star gazing while sitting in comfortable Kermit chairs
Camping in the Tatacoa Desert, Colombia
Admiring the sunset sitting in comfortable Kermit camping chairs
Camping in the Tatacoa Desert, Colombia

The next challenge presented itself: how were we going to get two Kermit chairs to Ecuador? We weren’t going to test the red-tape efficiency of customs in South America again, so when I heard of Christophe Noel of Expedition Portal was going to fly to Quito for a motorcycle trip, I jumped on the opportunity and set the wheels in motion.

Which brings me back to Graham and how we came to give our Dutch camping chairs to him. After unpacking the Kermit Chairs for the first time, and setting them up at Graham’s grassy field overlooking Ibarra, I handed him our old chairs, knowing he would put them to good use.

Read More: Why Overlanding in Japan is Fun, Easy, and Affordable

Kermit chairs with extensions
In Japan – With extensions on the chair as well as on the table we create a perfect little office setup.

We have been using the Kermit Chairs for three years now and while setting them up needed getting used to, I can now assemble them in complete darkness.

It still amazes me how small they pack away. If you have ample space and don’t have to worry about packing away a couple of chairs, Kermit Chairs would still be a perfect choice in terms of sturdiness, repairability, and comfort. $140 buys you a quality chair where you don’t have to worry about it ever failing on you.

Tips, Suggestions, Feedback?

I’d love to hear what kind of camping chairs you are using and how satisfied you are with them.

Feel free to use the comments below to keep me updated.

Originally published in 2014 / Updated in 2019. And, yes, we are still using the same Kermit camping chairs very much to our satisfaction!

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27 thoughts on “The Essentials Series – Camping Chairs for Your Overland Journey – The Pros & Cons”

  1. Our odyssey of buying the “perfect” camping chair was not as long as yours, Coen and Karin-Marijke, but we ended up with the Kermit Chair as well (… which, actually, was your recommendation, Coen). They are small, sturdy, well designed and easy to repair anywhere in the world …

    Reply
  2. Space isn’t such an issue for us, but comfort and reliability are – and that’s where 90% of all camping chairs fail. So I fully agree with your experience! Last trip we carried a couple of Coleman folding aluminium chairs, same style as directors’ chairs. They lasted the full trip, started to sag a bit, but frame and stitching kept up well. This time I looked at the newer model of the same style Coleman, now made in China, and thy didn’t feel sturdy enough for me to buy them. So we have a couple of ALDI garden chairs – at least they were cheap at €20 each…

    Reply
    • I agree with you Juergen, that the simple garden chairs are maybe the cheapest solution that have great quality properties. But in our case space is an issue and we can’t opt for that. I think we may have found the best thing considering our limitations.

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  3. I’ve had my Kermit for several years and love it. About a year ago I bought a chair from americancampchair.com after trying them at Overland Expo. It is equal in quality and comfort to Kermit and although I like both I’m inclined to carry the American when I have the room (it’s compact but not to the extent the Kermit is). Six months of travel with the chair and it looks new. Thanks for the great info and insights you’ve given the overland community.

    Reply
    • Thank you Paul for that link. This looks also like a nice chair, but although I have not tested it, I think Karin-Marijke would miss the arm rests and I would miss the back support that the Kermit chair does bring. And I’m seeing rivets, something that I don’t see as that repairable. Just my thought.

      Reply
  4. Hi. I have used a Kermit for over 8 years. When it arrived to UK via post it had a broken arm. One was sent to replace it but never fitted as a little wood glue fixed the brake. Never leave home on my motocycle camping trips without it.

    Reply
    • Great to hear that you are enjoying the Kermit chair as well. We have been happily surprised by the sturdy build and hope to be using these chairs every day for a long time to come.

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  5. Thank you Coen for the great review! I was suffering from the same dilemma and the Kermit chair has solved the problem.

    Reply
  6. I would recommend the Larry Chair from TravelChair. They are a little heave but fold flat for storage and bomber construction and a great warranty. But I see through the comments you like back support and arm rest so TravelChair’s Wallaby might be a good option. The staff is a very friendly group of people. Check em out. TravelChair.com

    Reply
  7. The chairs have an hardwood oil finish which makes them easy to maintain. They have longer legs and a higher back than the kermit plus the Cordura fabric is doubled on both the seat and back so insulation can but slipped in when camping out in colder conditions.

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  8. I love camping and I do often. So I need good equipments. We’ll definitely look into the Kermit and the Byer . Thanks for the great article !

    Reply
    • Hi Robert, Yes we are. We still love our Kermit Chairs. We use them regularly and sometimes daily for months on end (not now, in winter in Siberia :-)). They haven’t broken at any point. Strong and comfy as in the beginning. They are not cheap compared to many regular camping chairs that you can buy in any store, but with these Kermit Chairs you are definitely buying quality that we find worth the investment. We hope this helps!

      Reply

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