Table of Contents
- Start With the Chair You Have
- How to Fold and Pack Camping Chairs by Mechanism
- Camping Gear Organisation Tips for the Boot
- Compact Camping Chairs for Road Trips
- How to Clean Camping Chairs Without Damaging the Fabric
- Storage Solutions for Small Spaces
- Protecting Chairs in Transit and Between Trips
- Repairing Damaged Chair Bags
- Common Mistakes That Waste Space
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: September 14, 2026
Start With the Chair You Have
Learning how to pack camping chairs efficiently starts with knowing your own chair, not buying a new one. Every folding chair has a mechanism, and that mechanism decides how small it will go and where it belongs in the car.
Here's the honest bit. Most people don't have a packing problem. They have a chair problem. A big padded chair that takes up half the boot is doing exactly what it was designed to do, and no amount of clever stacking will shrink it.
So before you reorganise anything, fold your chair and measure it. Length, width, weight. Write it down. That number tells you whether you're working with a chair that tucks into a gap or one that needs its own postcode.
At Old Mate Camping Co., we build one chair and we build it small: the Old Mate Original packs to 44cm by 8cm and weighs 1.8kg. That's the whole design brief. If your chair folds to something similar, the tips below will get you a tidy boot. If it doesn't, you'll still pack better after reading this, but you'll be working with a bigger footprint.
How to Fold and Pack Camping Chairs by Mechanism
The right folding method depends entirely on the frame type. Get the fold wrong and you'll fight the chair every time. Get it right and it collapses in one motion.
Before you start, work out which mechanism you own. Fold it once slowly and watch where the frame hinges, slides or flexes. That movement tells you the type. Most chairs fall into one of four families, and each one folds differently.
Quad-fold chairs
Quad-fold chairs have four hinge points and collapse into a long, flat bundle. They're the most common folding chair on the market and the easiest to get wrong because people pull the wrong part.
- Tip the chair forward onto its front legs so the seat fabric hangs down
- Push the seat fabric inward and down so it clears the frame rails
- Grab the two side handles and pull them toward each other until the frame clicks flat
- Check the legs are parallel, then slide the bundle into the bag
The mistake to avoid is pulling the handles before the fabric is clear. The seat catches on the hinge and the frame won't close. Push the fabric first, then pull.
Telescopic and slider frames
Telescopic frames slide inward on themselves. The legs retract rather than fold, so the chair collapses into a short, thick bundle rather than a long, flat one.
- Stand the chair upright and press the release clip on each leg
- Let the legs slide in, one at a time, until they stop
- Re-engage the locking clip on each leg so they don't creep back out
- Roll the frame into the bag and cinch it
The common failure here is leaving a clip loose. The chair then extends itself inside the boot and jams against the tailgate. Press each clip until it clicks.
Tension-based folding chairs
Tension-based chairs rely on the seat fabric pulling the frame into shape. To fold one, you release that tension by pushing the seat down and inward while pulling the frame legs together.
- Stand behind the chair and grip the top of the backrest
- Push the seat fabric down and toward the centre of the frame
- As the tension releases, pull the two frame sides together
- Fold the legs flat and secure with the strap or bag
These are the fiddliest of the lot. The trick is to push the fabric down before you pull the frame, not at the same time. Fighting both at once is why people end up wrestling a chair in a car park.
Director and armrest chairs
Director-style chairs have a flat seat, a backrest and often a side table. They fold on a scissor mechanism and collapse into a tall, narrow bundle.
- Remove anything from the side table or cup holder
- Lift the seat slightly and push the front and back legs toward each other
- Let the scissor hinge close, then fold the backrest down flat
- Slide into the bag and store upright, not flat, so the hinge doesn't take weight
Director chairs are the tallest when folded, so they suit the back of a wagon or the floor of a caravan rather than a tight boot shelf.
Matching the fold to the pack
Once you know your mechanism, you know your folded shape. Long and flat chairs lay across the top of hard gear. Short and thick chairs wedge into corners. Tall and narrow chairs stand against a wall or behind a seat.
If you're coming from a tension chair to a compact folding design, expect the fold to feel almost too easy. That's normal.
Camping Gear Organisation Tips for the Boot
Good camping gear organisation tips all come back to one idea: heavy low, light high, and nothing loose. A boot that's packed with intention holds far more than one that's packed in a hurry.
Start by pulling everything out. Yes, everything. You cannot organise a space you can't see. Group gear into three piles: chairs and seating, soft goods like bedding and clothing, and hard items like eskies, gas bottles and cookware.
Then load in this order:
- Hard, heavy items at the bottom and toward the back of the rear seats
- Chairs laid flat on top, using the natural shelf they create
- Soft goods stuffed into the gaps around and above
- Anything you'll need first, like the kettle or the kids' snacks, near the tailgate
Chairs are the perfect gap-filler because they're flat and light. Lay them across the top of your hard items rather than standing them upright in a corner.
Weight distribution in 4WD and SUV packing
Weight distribution matters more than most people realise. Keep heavy items low and centred, and keep the total load within your vehicle's rated capacity (nhvr.gov.au).
In a 4WD or SUV, the rear axle carries most of your load. Pushing heavy gear to the very back and up high makes the vehicle feel vague on the road, especially on corrugated dirt. Spread the weight forward where you can, and keep the roof clear of heavy items.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator guidance on load restraint is worth a read if you're towing or carrying a full load. It covers the basics of securing a load so it doesn't shift.
Chairs are light, so they're ideal for the upper layer. Just make sure they can't slide. A loose chair becomes a projectile under heavy braking.
Compact Camping Chairs for Road Trips
For road trips, the chair that earns its place is the one that disappears into the boot. Compact camping chairs for road trips aren't about compromise. They're about matching the chair to the trip.
A big padded chair is a great choice for a week at one campsite. You set it up once and you're comfortable for days. Nobody's arguing with that.
A compact chair suits a different job. If you're moving every day, stopping for lunch at a lookout, or squeezing four people and a dog into a wagon, you want seating that folds to the size of a drink bottle and sets up in seconds.
The Old Mate Original is built for exactly that. It packs to 44cm by 8cm, weighs 1.8kg, holds up to 150kg, and sets up in under 15 seconds with no instructions needed. Aluminium frame, ripstop nylon seat, black. It's Aussie owned and designed.
If your trip is one campsite for a fortnight and you've got the room, a larger chair is a fine call and we'd say so. If your trip is a big lap with gear stacked to the roof, small and light wins.
How to Clean Camping Chairs Without Damaging the Fabric
Cleaning a camping chair is mostly about restraint. Most fabric damage comes from harsh chemicals and scrubbing, not from dirt.
Start with the gentlest option:
- Brush off loose dirt with a soft brush while the chair is dry
- Mix a few drops of mild dish soap in warm water
- Wipe the fabric with a damp cloth, working with the weave
- Rinse with a clean damp cloth, no soaking
- Air dry fully in the shade before folding
Never machine wash a camping chair seat. Never soak the frame. Aluminium doesn't love prolonged moisture, and the hinges collect grit if you're careless.
For stains, treat them early. A damp cloth and mild soap handles most food and drink spills if you get to them within a day. Leave a stain for a month and it becomes part of the fabric.
Eco-friendly cleaning agents
Eco-friendly cleaning agents work well on camping chair fabric and are kinder to the places you camp. Biodegradable castile soap, vinegar diluted in water, and a simple bicarb paste all do the job.
Vinegar handles odour and light mildew. Bicarb lifts greasy marks. Castile soap is a solid all-rounder. Mix any of them with water, apply with a cloth, and rinse.
Skip bleach and skip anything with a strong solvent smell. They can strip the coating on the fabric and leave a residue that's unpleasant to sit on.
Storage Solutions for Small Spaces
Small-space storage comes down to going vertical. A chair on the floor takes up floor. A chair on a hook takes up nothing.
Before you buy anything, measure your folded chair and measure your wall. A chair that packs to 44cm by 8cm needs a hook, not a shelf. A chair that packs to a metre long needs a rack with a long arm.
Wall-mounted storage racks
Wall-mounted racks are the workhorse of garage storage. Look for a rack with arms spaced to hold a folded chair flat against the wall, at chest height so you can grab it without a ladder.
A few things to check before you drill:
- Arm spacing wide enough for your folded chair width
- A weight rating that comfortably exceeds your chair's weight
- Fixings suited to your wall, masonry anchors for brick, timber screws for studs
- Rubber or foam on the arms so the frame doesn't rub
Mount the rack at chest height. Higher than that and you're lifting overhead every trip. Lower and the chair sits in the way of everything else.
Vertical storage behind a door
A single hook or a strap behind a garage or shed door holds a folded chair flat and out of the way. This suits chairs that pack long and thin, like quad-fold and compact folding designs.
Use a hook with a wide throat so the frame doesn't pinch. A strap with a cam buckle works too and spreads the load across the frame rather than one point.
Under-bed and under-furniture storage
Chairs that fold flat enough to slide under a bed frame or a low shelf are the easiest to hide. Measure the gap first. Most bed frames leave 20cm to 30cm of clearance, which suits a flat-folded chair but not a thick bundle (How to buy the best adjustable bed for your needs).
Slide the chair in bag and all. The bag keeps dust off and stops the frame snagging on the bed base.
Ceiling hooks for the lightest items
Ceiling hooks in a shed or garage suit the lightest gear. A 1.8kg chair is fine on a single hook. Anything heavier and you want a proper rack with a fixing into a joist, not a plaster ceiling.
Keep ceiling storage for things you use less often. Anything you grab weekly belongs at chest height.
Storage in the vehicle between trips
If your chair lives in the car between trips, treat the boot like a small room. A folded chair laid flat on the floor takes up almost nothing. A chair standing upright in a corner wastes the space above it.
A simple cargo net or a couple of straps across the boot floor keeps the chair from sliding. That matters more than storage neatness. A loose chair becomes a projectile under heavy braking.
Protecting Chairs in Transit and Between Trips
Protection is about two things: keeping moisture out and keeping the frame from getting knocked around. A carry bag does most of that work.
Use the bag every time. It stops the chair snagging on other gear, keeps grit out of the hinges, and gives you a handle to grab. When you're not using the chair, store it in the bag, dry, somewhere out of direct sun.
Moisture is the quiet killer. A chair packed damp will grow mildew in the fabric and corrode the frame over time. If your chair got wet, dry it fully before it goes back in the bag. No shortcuts here.
For longer storage, hang the bag rather than stacking heavy gear on top. Weight on a folded frame for months at a time isn't doing it any favours.
Repairing Damaged Chair Bags
A torn carry bag doesn't mean the chair is done. Most bag damage is repairable in a few minutes with a needle and thread or a patch.
Here's how to fix the common failures:
- Split seam: turn the bag inside out, stitch the seam closed with a backstitch, then run a second row for strength
- Small tear in the fabric: iron-on patch on the inside, then a few stitches around the edge
- Broken drawstring: thread a new cord through the channel and knot the ends
- Snapped zip pull: a small cable tie through the zip slider works as a replacement pull
If the bag is genuinely past saving, a simple stuff sack or a drawstring bag of similar size does the same job. The chair doesn't care what's carrying it.
Common Mistakes That Waste Space
Most space is lost to a handful of repeat mistakes. Fix these and your boot gains room without buying anything.
| Mistake | What it costs you | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Chairs left unfolded or half-folded | Wastes the biggest gap in the boot | Fold fully every time, even for short stops |
| Gear packed loose with no plan | Air gaps everywhere, things shift | Load heavy first, fill gaps with soft goods |
| Chairs stored damp | Mildew and frame corrosion | Dry fully before bagging |
| No carry bag | Snags, grit in hinges, lost handles | Always use the bag |
| Heavy items stacked high | Poor handling, unsafe load | Keep weight low and centred |
| Chairs jammed upright in a corner | Wasted vertical space | Lay chairs flat on top of hard gear |
The biggest one is the first. A chair that's "mostly folded" takes up the same room as one that's fully open. Fold it properly, every single time.
Conclusion
Packing a car for a trip is a puzzle, and chairs are the pieces most people jam in last. Fold them properly, measure what you've got, and load heavy gear low. The rest falls into place.
If your chair is the thing eating your boot space, that's the problem worth solving. The Old Mate Original packs to 44cm by 8cm, weighs 1.8kg, holds up to 150kg, and sets up in seconds. It's Aussie owned and designed, comes with a 1 year manufacturing warranty and 30 day change-of-mind returns.
Get started with Old Mate Camping Co. and reclaim your boot for the gear that actually matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to store camping chairs in a 4WD?
In a 4WD, put the heaviest gear low and forward, then slot folded chairs down the sides of the cargo area or behind the front seats. Keep them out of the roof load if you can, since lifting chairs up and down gets old fast. A vertical storage rack or a strap against the cargo barrier keeps them from sliding around on corrugations, and it means you can grab one without unpacking the whole back.
Should camping chairs be stored in their original bags?
Yes, most of the time. The carry bag keeps dust off the fabric, stops the frame scratching other gear, and gives you something to grab when you are loading up. Let the chair dry completely before it goes back in, otherwise you are trapping moisture against the fabric. If the bag has torn, a simple repair with a needle and heavy thread will get you another few seasons out of it.
How do you fold camping chairs to save space?
Follow the mechanism rather than forcing it. Quad-fold chairs collapse along their hinge points, telescopic frames slide down into themselves, and tension-based chairs need the seat fabric relaxed before the frame will close. Once folded, stand the chair upright rather than laying it flat, and tuck it into gaps beside the esky or against the side of the boot. A chair that packs to 44cm by 8cm will slide into spots a padded chair simply cannot.
How do I protect camping chairs during transit?
Keep the chair in its carry bag, or wrap it in a towel if the bag is missing. Pack it away from sharp edges like gas bottles, tools and recovery gear, and avoid stacking heavy items directly on top of the frame. If you are carrying chairs on a roof rack, a protective cover keeps sun and road grime off the fabric. Strapping them upright against a cargo barrier also stops them bouncing around on rough roads.