Randomalia [American consumerism]

[rebeccmeister]

We got a mailer from REI this past week for sale items. I opened it up (no! Bad idea! No! Throw all catalogues immediately in the recycling!) and the first page says something about "30% off all REI Co-Op Brand Furniture"

...which got me thinking, hmm. Why do I even bother owning regular furniture, anyway, when I could just own the camping version of everything and be camping all the time?

Comments

[threemeninaboat]

For many years all our furniture was outdoor furniture since it was washable and mostly flame resistant.

[ivy]

These are important qualities in furniture!

[shalpacafarm]

I bought a cot from Dick’s to support them when they stopped selling assault weapons. It’s better than a regular bed frame.

[rebeccmeister]

I bought a roll-up futon some time ago. I do have a full Japanese tatami mat futon bed now, but it still has a roll-up futon on it.

[rebeccmeister]

Also I feel like Dick's sells more reasonable camping gear than REI. REI got too tech-heavy with too much emphasis on ultra-lightweight garbage junk for extreme backpackers.

...I might be biased because my Dad used to go backpacking back when a backpacking frame was made from some sticks you lashed together with rope. He did eventually get some external frame packs, but still. Sheesh.

[twoeleven]

I glanced at their web site. You probably don't want camp chairs; they're heavily optimized for storage, and typically not very comfortable. I have doubts about how well they and the camp tables will hold up under heavy (that is, routine at-home) use. Equipment meant to be light and portable often loses durability. YMMV, of course.

[rebeccmeister]

Those are the issues that I have with camping furniture! The rowers all think I'm kind of crazy because I just bring along a foam camping pad instead of a chair. Ages ago, when they first came out, I bought a couple of the folding chairs. They were poorly designed (prone to tipping over backwards) and eventually disintegrated. By now I think I could figure out how to repair them but at the time that wasn't at the top of my list of priorities.

[twoeleven]

Those are the issues that I have with camping furniture!
Then why ask? :)

I think buying camping chairs for routine use and then trying to patch them as they come apart is just a recipe for frustration and bruised butts (serves two, season to taste).

The problems being solved by camping furniture and household furniture are just too different to try to solve with one object, barring a few edge cases. It's like trying to hold your pants up with a bicycle chain: sure, you *can* use it as a belt, but it'll never work as well as the real thing, and it'll chew up the belt loops on your pants.

Edit to add: I suspect there's an engineering triad add work: lightweight, durable, economical; pick at most two of the three. I'm sure the aerospace industry could build you a lightweight, durable camp table. It would outlast human civilization, weight just a few grams, and cost the national debt. :)

[rebeccmeister]

I think what appeals more to me are the methods used by traditionally nomadic societies that have devised ways of living that relied on both reasonably durable and packable materials.

Culturally, like picnicking, camping is...interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camping

[twoeleven]

traditionally nomadic societies [...] relied on both reasonably durable and packable materials.

If your notion of camping involves bringing pack animals with you, go for it. :)

There is, of course, a big difference between things that can be set up and taken down for a weekend trip, and those that can be set up for a season or two. I mean, nothing stops you from acquiring a bunch of Ikea flat-pack furniture, breaking it down for the trip to camping, setting it up at your campsite, and reversing the process when you come home.

Foam and vinyl sit-a-pons made by scouts

[shalpacafarm]

I only watched the first two seasons of survivor (TM) and I had vague happy memories of some buff guy making furniture. Then I remembered that this annoyed all the people who were starving. They voted him out really quickly.

Those longhorned korean beetles are everywhere, now, in BKLN, stay away from using wood. Pool noodles last a really long time.

Stream of consciousness comments always sound great as you’re typing them in a melatonin haze, but when you read them the next morning? Not so profound.