Ask HN: Is there a good camping chair that is comfortable for programming?

The bigger the chair, the bigger the comfort - but you are more restricted in the place, as you don't want to move that big chair so far. And the most accessible places are usually the loudest (but in Sweden you probably have more space).

I do maybe 50% of programming outside and I can use any place, but the best places require a bit more walking (or climbing). So I have some hidden spots around where I live and no one bothers me there, so the best condition for me to get into the zone.

And sometimes I bring a small chair with me (that fits in a backpack), but usuall not and I rather learned to sit comfortable with my legs crossed.

Called Schneidersitz in german (literal: tailors seat, but that does not seem to be a english word)

https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneidersitz

It is also a yoga position and good for your back muscles.

So I don't need a chair and can sit and work anywhere.

(And since I was quite nomadic and outdoor, I did sit in lots of remote, but awesome locations - solar powered).

But I am using this position since a kid, so if you are not used to it, you might never find it comfortable and this surely would not help with any work getting done. But for me it is way better for my back, than a standard camping chair.

hug · 2 years ago

The equivalent in English would be “sitting cross-legged”.

excalibur · 2 years ago

I think pretty much everyone is familiar with sitting this way, but terminology varies. When I was a kid everyone called it "Indian style", but that term has fallen out of favor. At my kids' schools they called it "cris-cross applesauce".

afaik69 · 2 years ago

Ok, but where do you put your laptop while in schneidersitz?

hutzlibu · 2 years ago

On my knees. Or some sort of table, you can bring one or improvise your backpack for example.

But yes, if your laptop is very heavy, then you want a small table, or a lighter laptop.

I like to hike into the middle of the wilderness and work, which means I want as little weight as possible.

Initially I was thinking I'd buy one of these: https://www.intension-design.com/tripodtable

But it is both heavy, not versatile, and expensive. Instead, I made my own:

1. Got a high quality, lightweight camera tripod with a ball head which I could use for photography anyway. This is more expensive than the above but extremely lightweight, durable, small and w/lifetime warranty: https://www.peakdesign.com/products/travel-tripod or https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085BQS6K4 the important thing here is that the ball head can be well-tightened since you'll be resting both laptop and some weight from your arms on it.

2. Got an HDPE cutting board (you can buy these anywhere for like $10). This acts as the 'desk' surface and is very lightweight and durable.

3. Drilled a hole in the top two corners of the breadboard, through which I passed and knotted 1/4in bungee cord. This crosses along the top of my keyboard, below the screen, in the hinge of my laptop and keeps the laptop from sliding off. It's a bungee seatbelt, basically.

The whole thing compresses down to minimal space inside my backpack, so that I can also fit a lightweight backpacker's chair if I want to sit – but the beauty of the tripod is that it also adjusts for standing height, and I've found I don't even bring the chair anymore and just stand there in the middle of the woods writing. Good for posture and productivity, and when I really need to rest I also have a hammock that I can string up :)

I really like this tripod + breadboard setup a LOT and I even use it around my house now.

-----

EDIT: photos as requested

Laptop strapped in: https://ibb.co/yNgbtRf

Underside: https://ibb.co/ZhpxdYg

Top w/out laptop: https://ibb.co/rbs2bVK

Mounting bolt: https://ibb.co/5W9BvCH

Quinque-Johnny · 2 years ago

Can you show us a picture of the setup? Sounds great but struggling to visualise.

Bonus points if you include a shot of it in the woods.

23B1 · 2 years ago

Laptop strapped in: https://ibb.co/yNgbtRf

Here is a shot of the underside: https://ibb.co/ZhpxdYg

Here is a shot of the top. The glue marks were from me trying out having rubber feet on the breadboard to insure no slippage but it turns out my MBP has pretty decent rubber feet: tohttps://ibb.co/rbs2bVK

Standard mounting screw straight through the bread board. I drilled the hole maybe 1mm smaller than the bolt size and then just jammed it in there, and I leave the quick mount just attached to the breadboard: https://ibb.co/5W9BvCH

Meleagris · 2 years ago

If you don't want to spend money on the expensive peak design tripod, you can find many alternatives at half the cost like the "Ulanzi Zero Y Lightweight Travel Tripod"

23B1 · 2 years ago

Yes this is true, my only issue with that is the tolerances in the tripod head since cheaper tripods are generally meant for simple prosumer/SLRs whereas professional photographers who use heavier/longer lenses need the same amount of support I need to rest my wrists as I type.

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kolmel · 2 years ago

I'd recommend a chair that folds up to a square shape, rather than a tube shape. Like this one from BCF (available in Australia, I'm sure there's a similar shop in Sweden) : https://www.bcf.com.au/p/wanderer-reclining-mesh-lounger/520...

This is the kind I'd recommend you avoid: https://www.bcf.com.au/p/oztent-king-goanna-hotspot-camp-cha...

The reason being is that these chairs tend to have better back and butt support for longer periods. This particular model allows you to recline as well, which can be good. It'd mess up your neck if you're doing it every day for weeks on end, but the occasional park day would be fine.

kcplate · 2 years ago

I can second both the recommendation and the style of the ones to avoid. I spent several weeks camping and working remotely using the first one over the winter (here in Florida that’s the best time to camp). Tried using the other style too, but always found it uncomfortable for head down work.

brudgers · 2 years ago

I am sitting in a $10 Walmart camping chair as I type this with my laptop in my lap.

[edit: oops, it's $8 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-Basic-Quad-Folding-Ca...]

For me, the second part - the laptop in my lap - is 90% of working comfortably whether on the go or in my regular workspace.

The chair just needs to be good enough...just needs to not have terrible ergonomics and for me "better" chairs tend to be worse.

Chairs being better or worse based on theory won't reliably predict whether a chair is going to work for you. That's why Aeron's come in different sizes.

Good luck.

[PS: if a want shade, I put my chair in shade]

andion · 2 years ago

I worked in a chinese compact chair like the ones pointed out here(helinox) both the large and small size.

I rather use the cheap decathlon folding chair with armrests: https://www.decathlon.es/es/p/silla-plegable-camping-quechua... which is surprisingly comfortable for me

alsobrsp · 2 years ago

You may be an exception. Everyone I know, including myself, hates this style.

Yeah I think most people would agree today. 20 years ago those were the nice ones, and these were the ones everyone hated:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lawn-Chair-USA-Folding-Aluminum-W...

te_chris · 2 years ago

Check out Helinox https://helinox.eu/. We have a couple that we take to the parks with us in London and they're great.

willca · 2 years ago

Knock off versions with the same style are all over amazon[1] at a 5th of the price. Im sure the helinox versions are better but 5x better?

[1] https://amzn.eu/d/8uoKjrS

undefinedzero · 2 years ago

At the last few grams, a small reduction gets very expensive. Helinox are super light, great for hiking and motorcycles. If you’re in a car, you can take a lot more with you.

op00to · 2 years ago

Guarantee the knock off versions use cheap pot metal rivets and will fall apart after 4 uses.

bittumenEntity · 2 years ago

In my poorer student days, I actually used one of these (stye) as my primary writing chair in my home. If it's the right size for your shoulders and arms, it works quite well

veave · 2 years ago

They say that they hold up to 120 kilos but I find that simply impossible to believe given how thin the frame is and the joints being made of plastic.

dist-epoch · 2 years ago

You can't see inside the join, it's possible the metal pieces connect and the plastic is just for guidance or to prevent your fingers getting caught.

fersarr · 2 years ago

They look nice. One question though, they seem to be mostly tilted back, do you think this would be comfortable if I use it with a desk?

They might be a bit difficult for that, definitely more for chilling out.

solardev · 2 years ago

Regardless of chair, I would also recommend a small folding desk like this one: https://table-mate-llc.myshopify.com/products/table-mate-ult...

It's much more ergonomic than working off your lap, since your arms can be in a more neutral position and your neck isn't tilted down all day.

In a pinch, picnic tables are also ergonomically better, if you can find one nearby.

nologic01 · 2 years ago

> We are getting really good weather in Sweden right now

With all that sunshine up north you might also want a build-in unfoldable solar panel so that you can charge your laptop in perpetuity?

I recommend charging a separate battery pack with the solar then plugging THAT into the laptop. The reason being laptops don't like direct sun and are nearly impossible to use.

You just need to make the panel area much wider so that it can create shade ;-)

https://tailgating-challenge.com/solar-chair-review/