Using Camping Chairs Inside Tent

Karma

Adventurer
HI All,
One problem that has always bothered me is what do you do when the heavens are weeping and you must spend significant time in your tent. If you are inside all day or at night with friends how do you deal with camping chairs? The issue I see is the fact that most camping chairs have aluminum post legs with rubber or plastic caps. These tend to dig into the floor in an alarming way potentially wearing holes in the floor or at least creating weaknesses. If the tent is expensive, this could be an expensive issue.

There is no doubt that it is nice to have a table set up and have folks seated around it. This homey and nice. But it seems very hard on the tent floor. My solution is to not do it instead laying on the floor on mattresses or sleeping bags. But this is definitely not as comfortable as sitting in a nice chair.

How do you solve this problem if it is a problem? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Thanks, Sparky
 

Desert Dan

Explorer
You could always put down a tarp to protect your tent?
I always put a tarp down under my tent to protect from rocks etc.
 

sixbennetts

Adventurer
Yup, either fold up a tarp for each chair in a pinch, or stab a hole in an old tennis or racquetball ball and kinda push it into itself making sort of a double bowl. We've even duct-taped them to chairs, cots, and tables that stay in a tent for weeks at a time.
 

wyojoe

Adventurer
I have a small Lifetime folding table that came with two benches that I've used inside a tent. The bottom of the legs on each end of the table or bench is a crossbar, so that rests on the tent floor, spreading the weight load along the whole bar instead of the end of a chair leg. It works well for a couple of people, or even up to four if they're not too big, or don't mind sitting very close together. It would be very crowded for four adults in most cases.

The other solution I have was built into my Jumping Jack trailer. It has a folding table in it, and there are bench seats that can be added to provide a place for four adults to sit comfortably. This is great for card games, board games, or other activities where a table is useful. When set up, it's just like a restaurant booth.
 

Honu

lost on the mainland
canvas or indoor outdoor carpet piece inside the tent on the floor is what we always had
 

huskyfargo

Adventurer
I just bought some canvas drop cloths from Amazon. They were super cheap, and thick enough to provide pretty good protection. They should be much more comfortable on the inside of the tent than a plastic tarp.
 

kraqus

Norcalwood
I have a Cot that I used inside my Annex when my RTT is deployed.
I thought about the same thing, damaging the floor of the annex.
I use the leftover Puzzle Mats from my Daughter's old play area.
I have to say, they worked GREAT and are EASY to carry since they brake down.

749201f0.jpg







Benny
 

wyojoe

Adventurer
I have a Cot that I used inside my Annex when my RTT is deployed.
I thought about the same thing, damaging the floor of the annex.
I use the leftover Puzzle Mats from my Daughter's old play area.
I have to say, they worked GREAT and are EASY to carry since they brake down.

749201f0.jpg


Benny

Pep Boys, Harbor Freight, and others sell interlocking rubber mats that are very similar, but probably larger than most of the puzzle mats that are out there. They usually come in a four or six pack, and are thin and lightweight, so they should stow fairly easily for travel. This looks like a great idea, and might even serve well as a base for an air mattress, so it wouldn't get punctured by rocks or sticks if they happened to poke into the tent floor.
 

Karma

Adventurer
perhaps an advantage for chairs with "feet" like these is that they wouldn't be as "pokey": http://www.integrityoutdoorbrands.com/directors-chairs/xpress-lounger.htm

HI ksmith,
Yes, that looks like a nice chair that more or less solves the problem. However, the basic issue still exists unless you go to the trouble to carry chairs for everybody. Typically, I would carry chairs just for us. Two chairs. Those who join us at the table would have to bring their own which will probably have "poky legs". Some sort of portable protection would be nice such as some have shown in above posts.

I do like the chair you linked to.

Sparky
 

brianwj

Observer
I used one of those pool toys called a water noodlecut into pieces on the kids playpen and cots. It's a round foam tube that I cut into pieces and made a slice in it so it wraps around the tube of the legs it worked great. Another thing we've done is get those cheap moving blankets and lay those on the floor.
 

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