Straight from the Horse's Mouth, this is what they have to say.

They know – it’s just a chair. No big deal if it breaks. Right? It’s not like a carabineer straightening out and sending you hurtling to your death. Or breaking a paddle on a Class V river just before you skirt that terminal sieve. But if your chair breaks it will hack you off. And it will hack them off.

Since 1984 they have been designing chairs in phun hog heaven in Gig Harbor, Washington. This company overbuilds them from the nylon that they use in the feet, to the webbing that holds the seatbacks to the frames. They are just that way. Hey – they know that it’s just a chair. But they want it to be the best chair that you’ve ever owned.

CONNECTORS The connectors are made with amazing stuff that is durable and pliable - nylon. It means that year after year these connectors will be flexing their way through life (think power lifter strong, yogi flexible) while other weak, frail connectors break under the pressure of everyday life.

FRAMES The steels and aluminums are a grade higher than what is on the market and a tick or two thicker. Are you thinking of getting that less expensive chair? Just remember, it’s less expensive for a reason. And it’s not what you get, but what’s missing that counts.

DESIGN They started the whole folding furniture genre in 1984. Natural selection has led to a design that is as simple, as light and as tough as possible. Since 1984 they have sold over 2.5 million products – that’s a lot of real life abuse (they call it product testing).

FABRIC The common thread throughout their line is that each fabric must be the ultimate in durability for its intended use. Take the 600 denier nylon. They use a double layer instead of a single layer like the discount store chairs. The Ballistic Nylon and Polyester Meshes are the result of having a need and then working with suppliers to make it happen. Of course, along the way They put it through product testing in the Desert Southwest, in Chilean Patagonia and in their own warehouse.

DETAILS This company overbuilds. You will probably never notice things like bar tacking, doubling of fabrics and reinforcements fabrics made of seat belt material, but they will. The bottom line is that attention to detail makes good designs work best.

GENERAL QUESTIONS:
Q: How do I care for and feed my new Camp Chair?
A: Like any piece of quality outdoor gear your outdoor Chair is made for backcountry use, but does need some occasional TLC. From time to time you will want to hose your folding Chair off – especially if you’ve been lying around salt water. Stains can be effectively mopped up with a mild detergent and sponge. Like any piece of outdoor gear, this product should be thoroughly dried before being stowed for any length of time.

Q: Are my chairs suitable for use around salt water?
A: This was originally designed as a beach chair. The tubes are powder coated on the outside and specially treated internally as well to control oxidation. This is the same treatment that crab pots in our home waters of Puget Sound get. Does this mean that they will stay pristine if you sit waist deep all day in the surf? NO. Does this mean they will look like new if left on your deck all winter under three feet of snow? NO. What it means is that they think they have found the perfect blend of corrosion resistance and value. If your chair is out in the weather for extended periods of time you can expect some oxidation to occur around the rivet points.

Q: It broke. What do I do now?
A: Call TravelChair at 253-851-7519 or call Comfortchannel.com at 1-800-303-7574 (Telephone Sales Hours: 7 Days a Week 8:00 a.m. - 6:00.p.m. MST) or e-mail to salesquestions@comfortchannel.com or cutomerservice@comfortchannel.com. Their products are warranted for at least one year. Lounge Lizards carry a special three-year warranty. Note that stains from spilled beer, having your tire chains rub a hole through the frame while stuffed in your pick-up, or backing your vehicle over your chair are not warranty items.

Q: I can get a chair that looks like yours for $9.00 at the superstore. What makes them so special?
A: You can also get a watch that says Rolex on it for thirty bucks on a street corner in New York City. This is the original folding chair. You will never pay attention to thicker walls on our frame tubing until the $9.00 chair frame collapses under your weight. You will never notice that the connectors are made of nylon instead of plastic until the $9.00 chair connector fails while you’re chillin’ on a sunny afternoon. They overbuild from the ground up. Their return rate is only .02% (industry average is around 3%). They is proud of that and it demonstrates that a Travel Chair is something that you can count on year after year – long after the discount store chairs have ended up in a landfill.

Q: I have a Chair from years ago that I cannot find anymore. How can I get a new one?
A: Most likely it is something that they may have kicking around their warehouse. While YOU know exactly what your old favorite looks like, they can guarantee that a description such as, “A green folding chair” will leave them dumbfounded. Shoot a digital photo of it and send it to www.travelchair.com so they can get you hooked up again.

Q: I am looking at the Easy Rider which has a weight capacity of 300 pounds. What does that really mean and how is it determined?
A: That means that a 300 pound person can use the chair and it will withstand vigorous use. They work in conjunction with STR Labs to develop and administer destructive testing of their products. Our “reality check” is for a Travel Chair product to withstand twice the force exerted by the recommended weight limit in an “agressive” situation. You can break any product if you try – it’s called abuse. In real life conditions this product will withstand years of normal use.

Q: Where are they made?
A: Virtually all products are made by one of two manufacturing partners in Asia. They have exceedingly close relationships with their partners and work with them to maintain high quality standards of raw material, working conditions and finished products. They know that sweat shop labor can’t produce the best outdoor products, so it is in their best interest to work only with factories that have their act together from the ground up.

Courtesy of the Travel Chair Company