The last time I went camping I forgot to bring the camping chairs. Getting out of the house in the morning was just to much. Pack the car, feed the kids breakfast, get all the kids stuff, get the dog, etc. I did not realize what I had done until we were unpacking the car at our campsite. I could see the chairs leaning against the wall in the garage, all ready to be thrown in the car.

Fortunately there was a picnic table at the state park campsite we stayed in. It would have really been a pain if that nice wooden monstrosity was not around. I also learned that wooden picnic tables of the kind that they have in many state parks are not that comfortable if you spend a few days with that as your only seat. I gained a new appreciation for my own camp chairs and hope I don’t ever forget to pack them again.

When I go on a backpacking camping trip – and by that I mean one where I’m going to be hiking in to my campsite with all of my gear on my back, instead of driving to my campsite – I have to strike a good balance between bringing too much gear and not enough. On the one hand, you don’t want to bring too much gear and kill yourself on the hike in, but on the other hand, if you’re not going to use your gear, then there’s little point in buying it. What I like to do in these situations is buy and use camping gear that doesn’t weight a lot, like my lightweight camping chair. Having this on my trip makes sitting much more comfortable, and it doesn’t weigh me down so much on the hike in.