When we were at the 24-hour MTB race at Albion working an aid station with some friends, I realized our van was missing a key piece of gear. Our good friends had brought their camp couch—basically two fold-up camp chairs made into one loveseat—and DW fell in love. To be honest, so did I. It turns out, sitting in one of these camp couches is infinitely more pleasant than sitting in a camp chair, and if you’re at a race where you know you’ll be hanging out all day, or you do a lot of car camping/outdoor hangouts, having a couch like this is SO MUCH BETTER than a chair.
As soon as we got home, I ordered one, and DW, Peter and I have all been loving it. We got this slightly padded one from Kuma Outdoor on Amazon, and it’s been fantastic. It’s super comfy, with no weird plastic bits sticking you if you elect to lay down in it. It has cup holders. I can nap in it. There’s room for all three of us. It dries quickly, since water pools on it rather than soaking into it. Honestly, it’s been a dream. And it does take up more space than a chair, but it collapses into a fairly compact size and comes with a strap to wrap it up tightly.
For someone who’s racing cyclocross or mountain bikes, especially if you know you’ll be hanging out at the course all day (if you race in the AM, and your friend races hours later), this is such an upgrade from sitting on a small camp chair. It’s nice to be able to put your legs up if you want, or have more room to spread out, or a spot to share with a friend, or even a place to open up your gear bag and spread your stuff out if you’re usually trying to root around in the bag in the backseat of your car.
For us with the van, it’s been surprising just how much of a difference it’s made. The last couple of weekends, I’ve found myself at the woods while Peter coaches, and to be able to just lay down and lounge on the couch with DW feels so much more relaxing than trying to fit him on my lap in a camp chair. It sounds really silly, but it feels more like a casual afternoon at home rather than a less-optimal day waiting around. I’m realizing when it comes to living out of the van, the big rocks like having a cooler that works on solar power and a platform bed that fits both of us are important, but so are the smaller things that make the van feel as comfortable as being at home—just outside in nature!
So, if you’re in the market for some camp furniture, I can’t recommend this enough. It also looks pretty nice, so if you’re in a small place and want something that can also be used as patio furniture, this is a great option.
