Introduction
When preparing for our most recent overland trip through Africa and South America, we were looking to upgrade some of our overland gear. A key priority was finding new folding camping chairs to replace the worn-out travel chairs we used on previous overland trips. But finding a fold-up camping chair that strikes the right balance between comfort, ease of use, durability, and packability took some research.
Fast forward to today, after putting our Front Runner chairs through daily use in places like the Amazon, Namib Desert, and Patagonia, I think we’ve finally found a folding camping chair that strikes that coveted balance.
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Table of Contents
An excellent folding camping chair for overlanding, van life, and car camping that strikes the right balance between comfort, packability, durability, and ease of use
What follows is a review of the Front Runner Expander Chair. While our review is based on overlanding, we think the Front Runner chair is an excellent choice for van life, car camping, and many other applications - like watching sports and tailgating - where you don’t have to carry your chair too far.
Buy Now: Amazon.com Front Runner
Below, we explain our requirements and discuss where the Front Runner chair excels and where it falls a little short. We also discuss the winning combination of the Front Runner chair and lightweight Eno SingleNest backpacking hammock. It's a winning combination that makes a comfortable and versatile camp setup. One that will have a place on our overland packing list for many trips to come.
Our Travel Chair Requirements
On past trips, we’ve tried out a wide array of folding camping chairs. Some excel at being light, packable, and portable, while others are optimized for comfort, durability, and ease of use. Every travel chair has its’ strengths and weaknesses, so we knew the best option would come down to our specific requirements for our upcoming overland trip.
Traveling overland through Africa and South America, our focus was less on weight/portability and more on ease of use, comfort, durability, and packability. Here’s a summary of our specific requirements:
Easy to Use
We want a camping chair that’s quick and easy to set up and stow away. As I discuss in our 4-part series on building our dream Land Cruiser Expedition Camper, we’re about path-of-least-resistance. One of our key requirements when selecting overland gear is ensuring that our daily routine – including making/breaking camp – is dirt simple. If it takes time to set up, maintain, or repair, we probably won’t use it for long.
Comfortable
Our ideal camping chair needs to be comfortable enough to relax with a good book, but upright enough to sit comfortably at a table for meals or to work on our laptops.
Note: While not a must-have, it’s a plus if we can get in/out of our camping chairs without the need for a crane or dedicated yoga practice.
Durable
Durability is important. We need camping chairs that are durable enough to withstand the daily use and abuse of a multi-year trip. Plus, we need our chairs to be field repairable. If we learned anything from our first trans-Africa overland trip, it’s that proper service and repairs can be hard to come by.
Packable
While weight and portability aren’t top criteria for overlanding, finding a camping chair that packs into a small space is a top priority. We need a folding camping chair that collapses into a small package, which can easily fit in a vehicle with limited storage space.
Front Runner Chair: Quick Summary
Pros:
- Very easy to setup/stow
- Packed size stores more efficiently than traditional camping chairs
- Comfortable enough to relax and read a book
- Upright enough to sit at a table or work
- Durable & field repairable
- Easy to get out of
Cons:
- At 9 lbs, it’s not particularly light/portable
- Hinge screws can work loose / require tightening
- It's not a La-Z-Boy Chair (Read About adding a lightweight hammock below)
Product Specs
Model: Front Runner Expander Chair
Manufacturer: Front Runner Outfitters
Fabric: Black 600D polyester
Frame: Black powder-coated steel
Weight: 4kg / 9lbs
Dimensions:
Folded: L 61mm (2.4”) x W 444.5mm (17.5”) x H 417mm (16.4”)
Unfolded: L 521mm (20.5") x W 444.5mm (17.5") x H 787mm (31")
Price: Check Price: Amazon.com Check Price: Front Runner
Front Runner Review
Ease of Use
Setting up and stowing the Front Runner chair is quick and easy. Much easier than some of the smaller collapsible camping chairs we’ve used, including the lightweight Helinox Camping Chairs we carry on our motorcycles and bicycles. From the time we open our car doors, until the time we plant butts-in-seats, it only takes a few seconds.
To view setup instructions for the Front Runner Expander Chair, click here.
Comfort / Versatility
For our needs, the Front Runner Expander Chair ticks the right comfort boxes. The Front Runner chair is comfortable enough to spend an afternoon relaxing with a good book, while still being upright enough to sit comfortably at our camp table for a meal or work on a laptop. This requirement was important to us, as we’ve struggled in the past to find a chair that’s not too deep, relaxed, or too big to comfortably sit at a table.
The only limitation I’d point out is that it’s not the best camping chair for an afternoon of hardcore relaxing / snoozing. That’s because the Front Runner chair’s design is more director’s chair than La-Z-Boy recliner, which isn’t ideal for curling up and falling asleep. That said, since we have two chairs, I frequently find myself propping my feet up on the other chair and dozing off.
TIP: If curling up for a nap is a high priority, continue reading to learn how adding a lightweight backpacking hammock helped us create an optimal solution that gives us the best of all world’s – lazy afternoon snoozing under shady palms, candlelight dinners at our table in the African bush, and productive mornings with laptops blogging from camp.
Packability
Packability is a real selling point for the Front Runner chair, as the folded size is a very packable 2.4”x 17.5” x 16.4.” Front Runner claims the Front Runner chair’s folded size is just 1/16 its’ size unfolded, which isn’t hard to believe.
The photo below shows the storage compartment we built into our 70 Series Land Cruiser to accommodate two chairs. It’s a tidy, out-of-sight, and easy-to-access solution that doesn’t take up loads of our precious storage space.
As a packability comparison, on previous overland trips in our 80 Series Land Cruisers, we carried traditional folding camping chairs similar to the highly-rated Alps Mountaineering King Kong Chair, which measures 38” x 7” x 7” when folded.
Over years of use, we found the long cylindrical bulk (when folded) of these types of chairs hard to accommodate in our Land Cruisers - too big to fit into our storage compartments/drawers. Ultimately, we built a custom rack into our UK 80 Series Land Cruiser to store two chairs and used a large duffle bag in our US 80 Series. In both cases, we felt like our chairs took up too much storage space and vowed not to use this style of chair on future trips.
Durability
So far, our Front Runner chairs have proven quite durable. We’ve put our Front Runner chairs through more than 1/ ½ years of heavy use while overlanding in Africa and South America, and are pleased with how both chairs are holding up. We even had an elephant knock one over in Botswana and it came away without any damage.
The steel frame is robust, and the fabric has held up well. To date, the only sign of wear is some chaffing along the top left and right corners of the seatback where the frame is starting to rub through the corners of the seatback fabric. This is relatively minor and, while we haven’t felt the need to address yet, it should be relatively easy to repair.
One thing to note: the small screw at the leg hinge likes to work itself loose and, according to another overland friend who’s traveled extensively with two Front Runner chairs, can fall out if not kept tight. To address, we proactively added a little Locktite and periodically check the screws to make sure they’re still tight. If you’re planning to travel for an extended period, particularly in remote areas, you might consider carrying a couple of spare screws just in case. We haven't lost any screws yet, but it's better to be prepared.
Portability
While portability isn't a top consideration for when traveling overland, the Front Runner chair is easy to carry via a built-in handle. At 9lbs, it's not light enough to carry long distances, but it's portable enough for walks up to 10-15 minutes, which makes suitable for numerous applications (see Best Applications below).
Features
The Front Runner chair includes a cup holder, media pocket, and utility pocket. These pockets provide a useful place to store items like a headlamp, book, phone, sunscreen, bug spray, a drink, etc.
If I had one small complaint, it’s that the cup holder is a little floppy. While not a big issue, it does mean a little extra care is required when moving the chair to avoid spilling a full drink. We quickly figured this out and just remove the drink before moving the chair.
Front Runner Accessories
Front Runner Outfitters offers a padded canvas Expander Chair Storage Bag. It might make a nice addition if you need to carry your camping chair frequently or need a case to store/protect the Front Runner chair during transport.
Model: Expander Chair Storage Bag
Manufacturer: Front Runner Outfitters
Dimensions:
431mm (17") x 483mm (19") x 51mm (2")
Weight:
0.39kg (0.85lbs)
Price: Check Price: Front Runner
Best Applications
As noted above, the Front Runner chair is a great choice for:
- overlanding
- car camping
- van life
- watching sporting events
- concerts
- tailgating
- picnics
...and any number of other applications where you don’t need to carry your camping chair too far.
Value for Money
The Front Runner Expander Chair isn’t cheap, but given its’ proven durability, it's good value for the money. It’s one piece of overland gear that will continue to be on our packing list for many trips to come.
Click to check the price on Amazon and Front Runner Outfitters.
Adding an Eno SingleNest Hammock
As noted above, the Front Runner chair is both comfortable and versatile. But sometimes we want to be truly lazy, and on those occasions, it’s nice to go the La-Z-Boy route. This is where the Front Runner chair falls a little short.
But upsizing to a bigger La-Z-Boy-like folding camping chair just to solve for a minor limitation, isn't a good trade-off to the Front Runner Expander Chair’s packability advantage, at least not in our opinion.
Instead, we took an alternative approach, which offers the best of all worlds. Rather than choosing a larger and space-hungry camping chair, we simply added a lightweight, packable backpacking hammock to our overland gear list. This solution solves for days when we want to while away an afternoon in absolute comfort. It's a combination that offers greater versatility and takes up less storage room than going with a bigger chair.
Combining the Front Runner Chairs with an Eno SingleNest Hammock is a winning combination that makes for a comfortable and versatile camp setup
Our hammock choice? The supremely comfortable Eno SingleNest Hammock. We’ve been using the same Eno SingleNest Hammock for many years now and love it. It's a comfortable, lightweight, and packable addition to our overland gear list, which makes for a very relaxing camp. Combined with the Atlas Suspension System, it’s easy to set up and takedown.
Just wrap one of the Eno Atlas Suspension straps around a tree, pole, or other secure hanging point and slip the Eno SingleNest hammock’s carabiner through one of the Eno Atlas’ daisy loops and you’re all set. Here’s a brief 1 min demonstration video to illustrate how the Eno Atlas Suspension System works:
To view the Eno Atlas Suspension System’s setup instructions, click here.
Frequently, we’ll park our Land Cruiser near a tree, wall, pole or other secure hanging point and connect one end of the Eno SingleNest to our bull bar and the other end to the secure hanging point. When traveling with another vehicle, it’s even possible to park two trucks nose to nose and hang a couple of hammocks between the two bull bars. This flexibility makes it pretty easy to find a place to set up our Eno hammock while on the road.
Eno Atlas SingleNest Hammock Specs:
Model: Eno Atlas SingleNest Hammock
Capacity: 400lbs / 181kgs
Material: 70D High Tenacity Nylon Taffeta
Packed Dimensions: 3.5" x 5.5" / 8.9cm x 14cm
Dimensions: 9’ x 4’10” / 2.8m x 1.4m
Weight: 16oz / 454g
Price: Check Price: Amazon.com
Eno Atlas Suspension System Specs:
Capacity: 400lbs / 181kg
Material: 1000D Polyfilament Webbing
Packed Dimensions: 3.5" x 5.5" / 8.9cm x 12.7cm
Dimensions: 9’ x 1.5/.75”, 2.8m x 4/2cm
Weight: 9oz / 255g
Price: Check Price: Amazon.com
Conclusions
After more than 1 ½ years of daily living with the Front Runner Expander Chair, we’re sold. While no chair is perfect for every situation, the Front Runner chair strikes the right balance between comfort, ease of use, durability, and packability for vehicle-based travel, and it’s well suited for numerous other applications:
- Outdoor concerts? Check.
- Tailgating? Check
- Watching sports? Check
- Picnics? Check.
Is it the best camping chair for overland travel, van life, and car camping? We think so. The Front Runner chair is a good option if you’re traveling in a vehicle with limited storage space, if you don’t need to carry you chair a long distance, and if you want a folding camping chair that’s durable enough for daily use, is easy to deploy, comfortable, and folds compactly into a space that resembles a laptop bag.
Combine the Front Runner chair with an Eno SingleNest Hammock, and you’ve got a comfortable and versatile solution that will help you feel at home on the road. It’s an overland gear combo we love, which we plan to keep on our overland packing list for many trips to come.
Interested in learning more? Read other reviews and check prices on Amazon.com or Front Runner
Want to see other gear reviews? Check out these posts:
Overland Gear Guide: 12 Overland Essentials We Won’t Leave Home Without.
The Best Packable Backpacks and Accessories in 2019