Cali Chair Comfort

[Auberg-ine]

Having some sleepless moment over the poor comfort of our Cali chairs.
But see, white nights can be so rewarding. As I want all my stuff to be as multi-functional as possible I took the chair, the 2 stool/tables I bought recently, a towel and two velcro strips, and ended up with this really comfortable solution:
I strapped the widest element of the stool tot the upper part of the chair, and fixed both feet with velcro to the chair as well. The towel I folded to fill the sleeve of the stool, and flapped it over to turn it into a padded headrest. The whole set can simply be folded together to fit inside the tailgate pocket. Done! Happy!!

 

[LadySmiff]

Having some sleepless moment over the poor comfort of our Cali chairs.
But see, white nights can be so rewarding. As I want all my stuff to be as multi-functional as possible I took the chair, the 2 stool/tables I bought recently, a towel and two velcro strips, and ended up with this really comfortable solution:
I strapped the widest element of the stool tot the upper part of the chair, and fixed both feet with velcro to the chair as well. The towel I folded to fill the sleeve of the stool, and flapped it over to turn it into a padded headrest. The whole set can simply be folded together to fit inside the tailgate pocket. Done! Happy!!

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Ingenious!

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[Auberg-ine]

Thank you! It is my biggest pleasure to make our beloved as versatile as possible. The ‘Swiss knife” of automotive.

 

[Robowagen]

Are the stools the same material as the chairs & do they store ok with the chairs?

 

[Auberg-ine]

As you saw on my last picture, the stools ( Outwell Baffin) just just fit in between the chairs when you open them slightly when entering the pocket. So indeed, they fit perfectly. Also the material is almost identical. In colour and in texture.

 

[sapto]

As you saw on my last picture, the stools ( Outwell Baffin) just just fit in between the chairs when you open them slightly when entering the pocket. So indeed, they fit perfectly. Also the material is almost identical. In colour and in texture.

Great idea! Found the OutwellsThank you!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Perhaps a little over engineered for my liking.
Great effort though

 

[Auberg-ine]

Don't understand so well what you mean by over engineered. To me it can't be more straightforward and simple. You just take what you have in the pocket, and use two strips to strap them together. Done in a second without having to cut or screw or whatever. If you are four, you just remove them to use as stools. If you're alone, you get a extra table besides the relax chair or a footrest.
I've been surfing on the German, French and Spanish boards, and all I found was a custom made alu structure that had to be added to the chair. I even already took out the polystyrene fitting, to try getting in classic relax chairs in the pocket, which was not working either. Another german guy cut the legs of these chairs and remounted them at each time,...
Well, anyway, as I said, happy with the result. Next step is that I dismount the chairs to make the back more inclinated.

 

[kurienp]

Very ingenious indeed. Cool! Neat and simple idea.

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[andrew bazeley]

I do have one problem with these chairs (although I agree they're not the most comfortable in the world!): if you don't make sure the legs are fully splayed apart, they can easily collapse or tip over. Okay if you're used to it, but if visitors use them, you have to warn them!

 

[Bello]

Great idea!

 

[BikerGran]

I do have one problem with these chairs (although I agree they're not the most comfortable in the world!): if you don't make sure the legs are fully splayed apart, they can easily collapse or tip over. Okay if you're used to it, but if visitors use them, you have to warn them!

And even when you do make sure the legs are fully splayed, if you sit down heavily as I tend to do, they can still go over backwards - I got a nasty bruise on my head last summer when the chair went over and my head hit the pole of a gazebo!

 

[Auberg-ine]

So therefore we need to spread our legs in front of us as far as we can to shift that gravitation point to the front... So: relax people!
Serious, in my search in finding a way to incline the back part more I tried first to put a block of wood of 10cm underneath the front legs, and I still did not tip over. I admit, I was being careful.
I could hang some kind of bags in front of the chair with water bottles in. Can you imagine, the more we're drinking water, the more risk of falling from our chair
I agree with Andrew, the chairs are not a torture thing, we should not exaggerate in complaining about them. After all it still is a handy solution which was an element of conviction to lots of us when choosing VW over Mercedes. But looking for improvement where possible is a moral duty, no?
So I keep thinking at that bottle storage solution, still have some velcro left...

 

[Auberg-ine]

In the line of 'improvement' the following photoshoot:
- I turned the 'headrest stool', and strapped it together with the chair in the middle. The legs of the stool are now 'forking' over the chair, which makes it very stable.
- I strapped my beloved Ikea Skubb boxes with water bottles (and sweets I don't want the insects to enjoy) underneath the chair, adding more stability to it while leaning over.
Freezing cold it was...

 

[Hotel California]

I like the fact you want to add some comfort , but imo. this all is way to much haslle.
The original folding chairs we only use to sit outside at the table to eat , or sit for a short while .
If we go to warm places and stay on campsites we simply carry our very comfy relax seats from home (Lafuma) .
In fact most of the time we don't sit that much next to the Cali as we don't use campsites a lot but like aires and free spots in some witch putting tables out and unwinding awning is forbidden , we rather like to walk and explore the nearby surrounding .
Even with all your extras the original seats are only good for 10-15min before your back/neck gets sour.
This only shows we all have diffrent ways of enjoying our Cali's ...
I also have about thesame small folding chair with tabletop and find it very handy ...

 

[Auberg-ine]

Well, I can only tell you this way it takes me literally up to some seconds to avoid with my headrest that exact pain in the back and neck and to be able to enjoy a sunset and a view with a nice port and some lounge music for some hours in all comfort. Difference has to be indeed! ;-)

 

[Auberg-ine]

Hi Auber-gine, I bought 2 Outwell Baffin stools and cannot for the life of me fit them in between the chairs! How did you do it?

Hi Sam, you just have to open the stools a little bit while sliding them in. The backframe of the seat of the chair has to come in between the seat of the stool. Zoom into my last picture here above. No need for a hammer! ​

 

[Auberg-ine]

A cheap alternative chair that fits in the backdoor pocket? And with higher comfort (higher backrest), and less weight? And with still a possibility to slide the two Bafflin stools in between?





Thx 'Ernesto' (Caliboard)

Campingstuhl Ben

Der Campingstuhl Ben lässt sich leicht und mühelos mit in die freie Natur nehmen. Sein Textilen-Outdoor-Gewebe sorgt für eine lange Lebensdauer – da kein Aufbau erforderlich ist, können Sie sofort Platz nehmen und Ihre fantastische Umgebung genießen. Hauptmerkmale: Tragfähigkeit bis zu 100 kg...

portal-outdoor.de

They have a shorter base/footprint, are a bit lower and look a bit less solid (till 100kg), so not the perfect ones. But then again, seen all threads about the broken pieces of our originals, and seen the price perhaps worth a try?

 

[66tim99]

A cheap alternative chair that fits in the backdoor pocket? And with higher comfort (higher backrest), and less weight? And with still a possibility to slide the two Bafflin stools in between?

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Thx 'Ernesto' (Caliboard)

Campingstuhl Ben

Der Campingstuhl Ben lässt sich leicht und mühelos mit in die freie Natur nehmen. Sein Textilen-Outdoor-Gewebe sorgt für eine lange Lebensdauer – da kein Aufbau erforderlich ist, können Sie sofort Platz nehmen und Ihre fantastische Umgebung genießen. Hauptmerkmale: Tragfähigkeit bis zu 100 kg...

portal-outdoor.de

They have a shorter base/footprint, are a bit lower and look a bit less solid (till 100kg), so not the perfect ones. But then again, seen all threads about the broken pieces of our originals, and seen the price perhaps worth a try?

Thanks. Can you fit one inside the standard Cali tailgate chair?

 

[Mr T]

Thanks. Can you fit one inside the standard Cali tailgate chair?

Middle photo shows it in the cali tailgate, so I'm guessing it's a yes!

 

[Borris]

As others have said, very ingenious.

We no longer use the Cali chairs as we too find them uncomfortable. Mrs B has also fallen foul of their instability shortfall, if the chair legs aren't properly spread. She executed a very inelegant backward roll one night and has not used one since. However, my biggest gripe is that they break far too easily and always in the same non load bearing joints. Frankly, my view is that they aren't fit for purpose.

Accordingly, we now carry two bulky but über comfortable fold up chairs.

 

[Hedley Wright]

Just needs a cup holder in the armrest to be perfect.

 

[66tim99]

Middle photo shows it in the cali tailgate, so I'm guessing it's a yes!

Shows it in the tailgate but not within the chair in the tailgate, if that makes sense. (I need 3 chairs)

 

[Mr T]

Shows it in the tailgate but not within the chair in the tailgate, if that makes sense. (I need 3 chairs)

Sorry yes, I see what you mean, putting a chair inside a chair then both inside the tailgate, think that might be a bit tight!

 

[66tim99]

As others have said, very ingenious.

We no longer use the Cali chairs as we too find them uncomfortable. Mrs B has also fallen foul of their instability shortfall, if the chair legs aren't properly spread. She executed a very inelegant backward roll one night and has not used one since. However, my biggest gripe is that they break far too easily and always in the same non load bearing joints. Frankly, my view is that they aren't fit for purpose.

Accordingly, we now carry two bulky but über comfortable fold up chairs.

What brand Borris? Do they still fit in the tailgate?