Chair kit damage to pad?

Has anyone had a chair kit damage their inflatable pad? I don't mean damage from stuff on the ground puncturing it, but from the folding and sitting.

I know that you're supposed to inflate to less than full to allow the pad to fold, but I worry that the folding might increase wear on the fabric. I also worry that sitting on the pad might concentrate wear under my pointy butt-bones --even though I'm slowly adding more 'padding' to them. Has anyone noticed extra wear, or had catastrophic failure of the pad due to using a chair kit?

Corollary question; I found out that my current pad's R-value is less than half of advertised, so I'm on the lookout for a new, warmer pad. Do you all think vertical or horizontal baffles might make any difference when folding into a chair?

I stopped using chair kits (like the Thermarest'r series) when the Helinox folding chairs came out. I never had a problem with the self-inflating pads and chair kits, and used them for a lot of years. I never had any issues with inflatable air pads, either, but only used them for a couple of years. (As chairs, the inflatables never seemed as stable or comfortable as the self-inflating pads to me, but I never had any leaks or other issues with them.)

From my limited experience with inflatables in chair kits, I never had any issues related to baffles. The direction (horizontal or vertical) never seemed important: I used the NeoAir (horizontal) and the Big Agnes Q-Core (vertical) with equal success. I've also used the Sea to Summit Comfort Plus pads with the Thermarest kits; those have a dimpled surface that creates x-shaped baffle pattern; again, no issues.

I'm curious: what was your current pad make and model, and how did you find out the r-value was overstated?

Hi Glen. I grabbed a Klymit insulated static V lite on sale several years ago. I read that the ASTM rating system changed a lot of pads' ratings. This one is advertised as 4.4, but ASTM is 1.9.

I haven't had any issues with it and I still like it, but I have occasionally been cold, particularly in the feet. I'm not looking too hard for a new pad, just on the lookout. Until I see a spectacular deal, I think I'll bring the chair kit with a very thin CCF mat always in it. This way, I can use it during breaks and to protect the air pad when I put that in at night and add a little R-value. The Exped chair kit is a full sleeve, so that will keep two pads aligned. And I'd have a little backup in case.

Never done the chair kit thing with a pad. We have used several standalone backpacking chairs and still have the Helinox chairs. Mostly for weight savings the sections cut from a Thermarest Ridgerest ccf pad work very well and weigh about 1.3 oz. We try to find places to lean back on the packs.

With a lot of experience with inflatable pads they do fatigue on the seams if they are bent and flexed so using them in a chair kit certainly might cause some problems over time. It is hard to patch a seam area. But if you are careful you might get by fine.

I don't have a lot new to add to this thread, I mostly want to reiterate the advice already given... I haven't used a chair a kit since the Helinox came out. The Helinox actually weighs less than the 25" Thermarest chair kit I had I imagine folding the pads does cause wear and tear, though I've never experienced obvious failure related to the chair kit. I have had a total of 4 pads replaced due to failure at the seam. Two from REI and two from Big Agnes. They readily accepted that seam failure is not user error (like a puncture would be). All four pads were several years old when replaced.

I've been sitting on little foam pads for awhile and finally decided I wanted to add some comfort item back into my kit. I went pretty deep down the internet rabbit hole, but didn't find a lot of info about chair kits. They seem like a pretty good solution for several scenarios, so just wondering if I'm missing something. It wouldn't be the first time I'd 'discovered' something everyone already knows...

I am glad to hear that nobody so far has had any catastrophic damage, and also that the baffle direction doesn't seem to matter. Makes me feel a little better, and won't limit my search for a warmer pad.

I certainly hear that. Comfort is something that I can identify with and over the decades usually sought out. My ccf pad only goes so far. I have a Klymit seat pad that is a bit heavier but packs way down. It’s inflatable but next to zero insulation so not too good in winter. The heavier Thermarest lightweight seat pad is one of the most comfortable and does insulate too. But for now I’m happy with the section of Ridgerest pad.

Used the ccf pad earlier today at the top end of a lupine meadow while having some breakfast and tea. Had to change positions a couple times but man was the pack light, got the daypack down to a base weight of 1.6 lbs now with good weather protective rain gear and insulation along with the water bottles and food container and essentials like knife and lighter. Recently got a Spyderco Dragonfly and can no longer imagine taking heavier blades. It preformed some serious tests before being added to the kit.

However there is nothing so special as a super comfortable chair.

Beyond the usual sitting down for breaks, cooking, etc. I wanted this chair kit for a few unusual purposes.

My usual hiking partner and I end up spending a couple hours after the sun goes over the horizon just milling around, chatting, swatting mosquitos and looking for satellites until it's time to retire to our shelters. At altitude, when the sun goes down, the temp drops suddenly so I need insulation since we can't have fires anymore. A warm chair kit makes leaning back to look up at sky a lot nicer, particularly when folded out into lounger mode.

I envision being able to bring my quilt out and just lounge on the chair. Maybe even attach the pad straps and clip in so I can carry the whole thing into the tarp or just cowboy camp if conditions permit. That hasn't happened yet; closest so far is when I sit up to read overnight.

@Arizona I took my son to get a Spyderco on his 21st birthday. I think he ended up with a Dragonfly, which I'll admit to coveting. It looks kind of ideal for backpacking.

One off-the-wall choice might be the Mountainsmith Slingback chair. It's a weird little piece of nylon (5oz.) that uses your trekking poles for a frame. I have one, and have had a little success with it. It's definitely comfortable, and it has a little pocket you can stick a sit pad (like the Thermarest seat) into. There are two problems: it tends to collapse when you're not sitting in it (but isn't a real nuisance to set back up), and under the right conditions you could end up sitting in the mud if you stretch your legs out, since it only extends to mid-thigh. (of course, you have the same problem with other pad chair kits that don't have the "lounger" extension; you could always sew a piece of nylon onto the Slingback. On the plus side, it folds up into a bundle about the size of a folded T-shirt, and is very easy to deploy at breaks during the day.

Not sure it's what you're looking for, but it does fit nicely into the "rabbit hole" department.

At 1.12 oz the Dragonfly is an amazing knife build. It is just big enough to give me a four finger grip. The handle scales are slim but work. The blade is short but it is a freaking razor. I chose the K390 and it really takes and holds a fine edge. To test my blades they have to be a good cooking tool. So I use the paring grip to cut up veggies and fruits. Then the blade is used to process a chicken cutting out the backbone through the ribs and the harder part, the pelvis. The Dragonfly zipped through all easier than my other blades even with its shorter edge. After that work how well it carves up a pile of wood curls for that remote possibility of emergency fire making.

While a slightly larger knife would be nice the small but mighty Dragonfly impressed me. It’s about half the weight of a Delica and while the VG10 is great steel and less expensive the K390 is a madman. After a couple months no downside has risen. When properly equipped for the elements this makes a dandy and very effective hiking tool.

@Glen, I saw the Slingback and thought hard about that one. The big thing holding me back was that I'd have to pull out the adjustable poles again. That one would be great for day hiking.

Normally now we seek out the right boulder that is smooth and at the correct angle to lean back on. The back is the backrest so all that is needed is a sit pad. Our mountains and canyons are very rocky.

I found a used Nemo Tensor at a good price so brought the chair kit to protect it from the RNMP gravel and old tent stakes left at the designated sites. The fabric of the pad is about half as thick as my old Klymit, so I keep it encased in the chair kit almost all the time. So far, it's survived a couple of trips and is definitely warmer than the old pad.

The new pad is thick enough I didn't feel the chair rods, which made sitting up to read overnight almost seamless.

One thing I didn't anticipate was how nice the chair fabric was to sleep on. We expected one night to be extra cold, so I tied into the Katabatic bivy so I could then clip the Katabatic quilt into the same cords. A warm wind blew in overnight so I spent the night kind of sticking to the pad. It would have been a lot of wrestling to get the pad out of the cords and into the chair so didn't bother, but it did make me happy I'd brought the chair kit.