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A couple things were still missing from my new ALPS chair (beyond a Sherpa to carry it on a portage); the high rise backrest extension I use as a wind block for starters. We have those DIY extensions for most of our cheap camp chairs, nothing more than the seat fabric from a defunct camp chair, two old Eureka tent poles and two bungee balls.
The seat fabric from a dead camp chair has grommets and sewn sleeves exactly where needed to hold the tent poles for a wind block headrest extension. Getting that fabric off the chair requires a Sawzall, but the grommet and sleeve design is perfect.
P5280791 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Take a couple stitches out of the top of the backrest sleeves on the chair, slip the tent poles inside the tubular back rest frame and wrap the bungee balls between the corner grommets and back legs to hold everything in place and keep it taut in the wind.
P5280797 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
As long as I am smart enough to sit with my back to the breeze I have my own personal wind shelter.
P5280799 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
When packing up just undo the bungee balls from the chair and roll up the wind extension. It fits nicely inside the folded chair legs for storage, and the chair still till fits in the original stuff bag.
P5280808 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Constant wind battering becomes tiring, and having a personal wind shelter that I can turn back-to-the-breeze in any direction is a godsend, even more so on chilly off season trips with some added insulation.
The nylon cloth on folding chairs does not provide much insulation on cold nights, so the insulating Ridgerest seat pad was born.
P5280805 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
That scrap of RidgeRest is amazingly effective insulation. To the point that I will use the pad on chilly mornings and later wonder why my arse is sweating. I am at least smart enough to sit with my back to the wind, other nuances sometimes escape me.
Warm and windproof though they may be, even beefy big-boy XXL folding camp chairs still eventually suffer from seat sag. The seat and back fabric on the ALPS is held in double stitched sleeves with, nice touch, flange head screws instead of pop rivets.
P5280810 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Lets see what I can do with an ALPS chair.
Hmmmm, the ALPS seat and backrest frame are not tubular round, it is more of a rectangle with radius edges. The Eureka tent poles will not fit inside the backrest poles as usual.
Hmmm, hmmm, the backrest fabric, like the seat fabric, is folded over and sleeved around the pole. With an existing finger-width gap inside the top of the sleeve.
P5280811 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The wind block extension headrest poles fit perfectly inside that sleeve opening, without any stitch removal surgery. The poles just slide right in (Note: only on the first ALPS).
P5280813 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Extension poles dropped in the existing sleeve openings with bottom bungee balled in place. That was too dang easy.
P5280814 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
P5280815 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
I threw a couple crude poly thread stitches at the bottom of that open sleeve to help keep the poles from sliding all the way through.
P5280828 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The ALPS still need some arse insulation. Maybe more than just arse insulation this time. Although the doubled backrest fabric adds some additional breeze barrier, on cold back-to-the-wind nights I would not mind fuller insulation.
What have I got in the shop? Ah ha, half an ensolite sleeping pad, the other half having been cut off and gifted to a friends dog as a cold camp bed. That pad scrap is better quality than the cheap blue stuff, with a slight waffle pattern on one side. 43 long by 25 wide left after the doggie giftage.
That is a little wide for the chair, but that extra width holds it firmly stuffed in place, and provides a half inch depth of Ensolite insulation from my shoulders and neck to my thighs. If it was not for that doggo I would have enough to reach above my head. Worth a celebratory beer.
P5280818 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
That will do for ALPS chair wind and cold protection. The Ensolite pad typically slides under my ThermaRest at bedtime for thorn and sharp pokey thing protection.
The second ALPS chair was as easy as the first one, although the fabric in the sleeve was folded over part way down and required an Exacto knife plunge inside the sleeves to fully seat the poles.
P5280825 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Same couple stitches at the bottom of the sleeve and ALPS II is done. Almost up to a family 4-pack of insulated wind chairs.
P5290830 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The seat fabric from a dead camp chair has grommets and sewn sleeves exactly where needed to hold the tent poles for a wind block headrest extension. Getting that fabric off the chair requires a Sawzall, but the grommet and sleeve design is perfect.
P5280791 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrTake a couple stitches out of the top of the backrest sleeves on the chair, slip the tent poles inside the tubular back rest frame and wrap the bungee balls between the corner grommets and back legs to hold everything in place and keep it taut in the wind.
P5280797 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrAs long as I am smart enough to sit with my back to the breeze I have my own personal wind shelter.
P5280799 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrWhen packing up just undo the bungee balls from the chair and roll up the wind extension. It fits nicely inside the folded chair legs for storage, and the chair still till fits in the original stuff bag.
P5280808 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrConstant wind battering becomes tiring, and having a personal wind shelter that I can turn back-to-the-breeze in any direction is a godsend, even more so on chilly off season trips with some added insulation.
The nylon cloth on folding chairs does not provide much insulation on cold nights, so the insulating Ridgerest seat pad was born.
P5280805 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrThat scrap of RidgeRest is amazingly effective insulation. To the point that I will use the pad on chilly mornings and later wonder why my arse is sweating. I am at least smart enough to sit with my back to the wind, other nuances sometimes escape me.
Warm and windproof though they may be, even beefy big-boy XXL folding camp chairs still eventually suffer from seat sag. The seat and back fabric on the ALPS is held in double stitched sleeves with, nice touch, flange head screws instead of pop rivets.
P5280810 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrLets see what I can do with an ALPS chair.
Hmmmm, the ALPS seat and backrest frame are not tubular round, it is more of a rectangle with radius edges. The Eureka tent poles will not fit inside the backrest poles as usual.
Hmmm, hmmm, the backrest fabric, like the seat fabric, is folded over and sleeved around the pole. With an existing finger-width gap inside the top of the sleeve.
P5280811 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrThe wind block extension headrest poles fit perfectly inside that sleeve opening, without any stitch removal surgery. The poles just slide right in (Note: only on the first ALPS).
P5280813 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrExtension poles dropped in the existing sleeve openings with bottom bungee balled in place. That was too dang easy.
P5280814 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrP5280815 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrI threw a couple crude poly thread stitches at the bottom of that open sleeve to help keep the poles from sliding all the way through.
P5280828 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrThe ALPS still need some arse insulation. Maybe more than just arse insulation this time. Although the doubled backrest fabric adds some additional breeze barrier, on cold back-to-the-wind nights I would not mind fuller insulation.
What have I got in the shop? Ah ha, half an ensolite sleeping pad, the other half having been cut off and gifted to a friends dog as a cold camp bed. That pad scrap is better quality than the cheap blue stuff, with a slight waffle pattern on one side. 43 long by 25 wide left after the doggie giftage.
That is a little wide for the chair, but that extra width holds it firmly stuffed in place, and provides a half inch depth of Ensolite insulation from my shoulders and neck to my thighs. If it was not for that doggo I would have enough to reach above my head. Worth a celebratory beer.
P5280818 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrThat will do for ALPS chair wind and cold protection. The Ensolite pad typically slides under my ThermaRest at bedtime for thorn and sharp pokey thing protection.
The second ALPS chair was as easy as the first one, although the fabric in the sleeve was folded over part way down and required an Exacto knife plunge inside the sleeves to fully seat the poles.
P5280825 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrSame couple stitches at the bottom of the sleeve and ALPS II is done. Almost up to a family 4-pack of insulated wind chairs.
P5290830 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
