There are two types of campers. The ones who pride themselves on travelling light, sleeping on the ground and eating two-minute noodles without complaint. And the ones who love the idea of roughing it but also quietly packed a good pillow, a decent coffee setup and - if there's room in the car, a bean bag.
I'm firmly in the second category. And after bringing a bean bag on a camping trip for the first time, I can tell you that everyone else in the campsite ends up in the second category too, whether they planned to be or not. It becomes the most fought-over chair at the campfire within approximately twenty minutes of setting it up.
Here's why bean bags genuinely work for camping, and which ones to bring.
Camping chairs have come a long way from the fold-up aluminium ones that pinch your fingers and leave a red stripe across the back of your thighs. But even the best camping chairs have a structural problem: they're designed for sitting upright, which is fine for dinner but not ideal for the part of camping that matters most - the long, unhurried hours around the fire with nowhere to be.
A bean bag solves this. It works equally well for sitting upright with a morning coffee, reclining back to watch the stars, and every comfortable position in between. It sits directly on the ground so there's no tipping, no uneven legs on uneven terrain, no catastrophic collapse at the wrong moment. And when the kids inevitably claim it, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you made a good purchase.
The other thing that surprises people is how well Olefin fabric handles the outdoor environment. Dew in the morning, dust during the day, the occasional splash from the creek - it wipes off, dries quickly, and doesn't hold onto the smell of campfire smoke the way some fabrics do. A quick hose-down when you get home and it's ready for the next trip.
The Reversible Triangle is our top camping pick and it's easy to see why. It's compact enough to fit in the back of a car without taking over the boot, light enough for one person to carry to the campsite, and the reversible design gives you two colour options in one piece - which matters more than it sounds when you're packing for a family trip and trying to keep everyone happy.
The Olefin fabric is built for outdoor use, UV-resistant, water-resistant and easy to clean. It handles the campsite environment without complaint. Bring one per person if you have the space. You'll wish you had.
The Bora Bora Chair has a slightly more upright profile than the Triangle - better for sitting up around a table or camp kitchen, and then sinking back into by the fire later. It's generously sized, comfortable for adults, and works beautifully in pairs or groups. A couple of Bora Boras around a campfire is the kind of setup that makes your campsite the one everyone drifts toward.
Available in stripe and solid colourways - the stripe ones in particular look genuinely good in a campsite setting, which shouldn't matter but somehow does when you're spending a week somewhere.
If you're heading out on a caravan, a boat or a vessel with a bit of deck space, the Chill UV Lounger is the camping upgrade you won't regret. It's a generous double seater - realistically too large for a car camping trip unless you're prepared to sacrifice most of your boot - but for a caravan with storage or a boat with deck space, it's absolutely worth bringing.
Two people, fully reclined, watching the stars or the fire, or in the case of the boat, watching the water. It's the kind of thing that makes time away feel less like roughing it and more like an intentional choice to be somewhere beautiful. Once you've had it on a trip, a folding chair feels like a significant downgrade.
Clear the ground first. Rocks and sharp sticks are the enemy of any bean bag cover, even a durable one. Spend thirty seconds checking where you're putting it down and you'll add years to the cover's life.
Let them air out before packing away. If the cover has picked up any moisture overnight - morning dew, a surprise shower; give it time to dry before you put it back into the car. Our covers are machine washable so a post-trip wash is always an option if needed.
Keep them out of the fire zone. This applies to any fabric furniture, but worth saying - Olefin handles the outdoor environment well but direct exposure to embers or heat sources is a different matter. Keep the bean bags at a comfortable distance from the fire rather than right up against it.
The real measure of any camping gear is whether you'd bring it again. The bean bag passes that test every time, not just because it's comfortable, but because it changes the rhythm of a trip. You sit outside longer. You stay up later watching the fire. The mornings feel slower and better. The kids stop complaining about being bored because there's something genuinely good to sit in.
It's also consistently the piece that people ask about at the campsite. Where did you get that? Can I try it? How does it pack down? The answer to all three is usually enough to convert another camper.
Browse our Reversible Triangles, Bora Bora Chairs and Chill UV Lounger — or explore the full outdoor range for everything we make that handles the elements without complaint.
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