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Reviews > Camp Tables and Seating > Chairs > TravelChair Joey Chair > Test Report by Dawn LarsenTest ReportJoey Chair Initial Report 11 November 2014 Field Report 20 January 2015 Long Term Report 15 March 2015  Name: Dawn Larsen Age: 54 Gender: female Height: 5' 4" (163 cm) Weight: 165 lb (75 kg) Email address: vicioushillbilly AT gmail DOT com Florence, South Carolina USA Backpacking Background: I used to backpack in college a zillion years ago and just in the last several years have backpacked private trails in Tennessee, Missouri and most recently South Carolina. I have been an avid car-camper and paddler in South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. I use a lot of the same equipment for both. I hike hilly/rocky trails especially in Missouri (my home state) and Arkansas. I live in South Carolina and am busy checking out the terrain here with my twenty year-old son. Initial Report 11 November 2014 Product Information Manufacturer: TravelChair Year of Manufacture: 2014 Manufacturer's Website: www.travelchair.com MSRP: US $78.99 Listed Weight: "Under 2 lbs" (0.91 kg) Measured Weight: 2.05 lbs (0.93 kg) without case Capacity: 300 lbs (136 kg) Made in China Available colors: Yellow, Black, Red, Green, Purple (color tested) Listed dimensions are correct: Packed - 4" X 4" X 14" (10 X 10 X 35 cm) Set up - 21" X 21" X 28" (53 X 53 X 71 cm) Seat dimensions - 21" X 21" (53 X 53 cm) Seat height - 16" (41 cm) Materials used in construction: Anodized aluminum frame Ripstop fabric with breathable mesh panels High strength plastic Bar tack (reinforced) sewing  Product Description and Initial Observations I am always impressed with an item that I can open up and use immediately without lots of instruction. This chair absolutely fits the bill! The Joey Chair arrived zipped up in its case with a nice letter and catalog (see above). It is advertised on their website as "The Joey is light, comfortable, packs down to nothing and still supports 300 lbs." The contents are few: chair frame, cloth seat with mesh insert, and instructions that are printed on the inside of the zippered case.    Though I appreciated the instructions, the chair practically set itself up. The shock-corded frame was easily assembled because the pieces snapped into place almost on their own. The four reinforced corners of the cloth seat were simple to slide onto the rounded ends of the frame. Once I did that, the chair was ready for relaxing. I like that the bottoms of the legs are reinforced with pegs to keep the chair from sinking into the dirt. It really is so lightweight, I was a little afraid to sit in it. The back of the chair comes about midway up my back so it provides adequate support. When I sit in it, I sort of feel like my rear is a little wide for the seat, but I think it is just because I sink into it versus other camp chairs where I sit "on" a seat. Summary I am so excited to take this out in the field! Wow, I can actually sit off the ground in the colder months coming up. I think this chair will be great for kayak trips too. I wonder how well the gray with show dirt and how well it might clean up. I also wonder if the mesh insert will make it necessary to sit with a blanket wrapped around me to keep out the draft. What I like The shock-corded frame sets itself almost. It is very lightweight. It is simple to use. What I don't like So far, only that I can't lean my head back. Field Report 20 January 2015 Field Conditions and Use 14-16 November - Private Land Effingham, South Carolina. Backpacking trip. Temperatures ranged from 47 F (8 C) during the day to 35 F (19 C) at night. The weather was overcast, but clear. 4-5 December - Asheville, North Carolina. Backpacking trip. Temperatures ranged from 45 F (7 C) during the day to 32 F (0 C) at night. The weather was intermittent light rain and humid. 15-17 January - Private Land, Effingham, South Carolina. Backpacking trip. Temperatures ranged from 55 F (31 C) during the day to 40 F (22 C) at night. The weather was clear. I used it several times at gatherings in place of my bigger camp chair. Observations This chair is fabulous! I backpack in Effingham with a regular group of friends and it was funny because they all decided that they each got 20 minutes in the chair to try it out. The next time we went out (January), the tradition continued. They loved it, even the bigger guys and I'll talk about that below. Weight - The chair is light for what it is. 2 lbs (.93 kg) for me, because I'm whiny, is a lot to add to a pack, but to be able to sit off the ground in colder weather makes the added weight absolutely worth it! Set up and pack up - As I said in my initial report, it almost sets itself up. It really does spring into the shape that it is supposed to be. I hope the shock cord lasts a long time. Packing it up is not quite as easy as I had to actually arrange the pieces so that it fit into the supplied bag, but that was no problem. Cleaning - It got a little muddy on one of the trips so I let the mud dry and it just brushed off. Legs - I wanted to mention that I really like the "anti-sink disk foot" (see picture below from the manufacturer's website). They really thought this chair through. It does not sink in wet sandy soil like we have here in South Carolina. I hope it gets warm enough to hit the beach with it during the next report period. I'll try to go looking for some muck.  Comfort - I find the chair to be quite comfortable. I am suspended by the fabric corners of the seat. It is even kind of bouncy. The only complaint/observation that I have is that I can't lean my head back, but again to be able to sit off the ground in colder weather on a backpacking trip makes this totally worth it! The bigger guys in my group were hesitant to sit in the chair at first because it looks flimsy. However, it supported them just fine. They were also afraid their rear ends were be too big to fit, but it was fine, though it was not as comfortable for the largest guy who was approximately 6' 4" (193 cm) and 250 lbs (113 kg). He said he felt smashed up in it. The mesh in the seat makes it a little breezy in the winter, but it will be nice in the summer. I just put a piece of fleece down to cover the mesh and it worked well. Summary I like this chair so much, that I take it to one-day gatherings instead of my bigger camp chair. It fits in my picnic basket! I have to really look to find cons about it. I think I will use it, not only to camp, but at the beach also. What I like. It packs up so small and light. It sets itself up. It is comfortable. What I don't like. The mesh is breezy in the winter. No support for my head. Long Term Report 15 March 2015 Field Conditions and Use 13-15 February - Huntington Beach State Park, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Car camping trip. Temperatures ranged from 55 F (13 C) days to high 30s F (3 C) nights. The weather was windy and clear. 27 February - 1 March - Effingham, South Carolina. Backpacking trip. The weather was rainy, temperatures ranged from 60 F (16 C) days to low 40s F (4 C) nights. Observations Performance: The chair performed very well, in line with previous reports. I got to test it at two beaches this reporting period. The one thing I noticed at the beach was that it would blow over in the very strong winds. I would put my beach bag in it and it was fine. The anti-sink feet performed beautifully! On the rainy backpacking trip, the feet of the chair performed very well, not sinking into the wet sand and mud. Comfort: It is very comfortable except for the lack of head support. Cleaning: It has maintained it's ability to be cleaned by just allowing mud and sand to dry and then to brush it off. Summary This chair is light and small, easily packable, and performs wonderfully! I continue to really like the way it sets up almost by itself. It packs away a little less easily, but still is fine. I will continue to use this chair even when I don't really need a chair that small. It is so easy and comfortable that I would almost always rather pack it in my picnic basket than haul a larger camp chair. What I liked It packs up so small and light. It sets itself up. It is comfortable. What I didn't like The mesh is breezy in the winter. No support for my head. It blows over in the wind. This concludes my Long Term Report. Many thanks to Travelchair and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test the Joey Chair. Read more reviews of TravelChair gear Read more gear reviews by Dawn Larsen Reviews > Camp Tables and Seating > Chairs > TravelChair Joey Chair > Test Report by Dawn Larsen | ||||