Camping Bean Bags – Which to Use and How to Fill Them

Looking for a campaign bean bag has never been easier. Especially with what is on offer today.

The best camping bean bag is one that can be “folded” to fit in a car, or in any other tight spaces when travelling. It should be low enough to the ground for sitting at a camp fire. And be fire retardant and waterproof, due to dampness overnight, especially in colder climates.

I cover a few things to consider before making any purchase below.

Including uncommon filling you can use to save a ton of space when travelling.

Finding Outdoor Tested Bean Bags

 

There are a huge range of bean bags available in Australia, and I think a lot of them are really great.

Speaking from personal experience only, I have tested a decent range of bean bags and bean bag fabric over the years.

And I have found that for camping some products simply do better than others.

Being in the outdoors, you have to protect your bean bag from fire, water and dampness which can lead to mould issues.

There are simple things to avoid when it comes to these issues above.

1. Try to avoid a “weave” fabric. The weave creates tiny pockets across the fabric which is the perfect breading ground for mould spoors to start growing.
2. Source a flame-retardant fabric. It does wonders near a camp fire and can also prevent any damage to the bean bag if flames get a little too close.
3. Bean bags with a waterproof fabric and outdoor rated zippers will make all the difference. This is especially true when it comes to preventing zippers from ceasing up.

 

It is also great to try and find a stain resistant fabric for food, charcoal, dirt and the inevitable stains that come with any time camping outdoors.

 

A great trick for the bean bags we use, is to use eucalyptus oil to wipe off really tough stains.

Although water is sufficient for most stains 90% of the time with the outdoor fabric ours are made of.

Light Weight Bean Bag Chairs

 

The main benefit for taking bean bags camping is their light weight.

As they are really simple to carry to your camp site and move around.

The smaller the bag, obviously the lighter it will be.

Some of our clients have a concern that they may be too light and can blow away if the wind picks up.

This is probably more of an issue when using your bean bags on the open sea. (On a boat for instance).

However, the simple way to solve this is to put a brick, rock or sandbag into the bean bag itself.

The zippers on our bean bags are quite large, so opening them up to place a heavy object in them is simple enough.

When you turn it over, to put the weight in. It is as simple as just flipping it back again to sit on.

You want to make sure the heavy weight you use is as flat as possible. That is why a brick or smaller sandbag is great.

Just so you don’t feel it on your bottom when resting in it.

How To Easily Fold a Bean Bag

 

It’s always a full car going to a camping site, especially if filled with kids.

Therefore, room might be a little tight.

The great thing about the “L” shaped bean bag chairs, is you can ‘underfill’ them and this allows you to fold the top section of the bean bag onto the bottom section.

 

Even though the bean bag will be slightly under filled to allow you to do this, it will still be comfortable.

When you raise the backrest back up again it will still be soft and comfy. And is certainly worth it to fit more in the car.

Bean Bag Filling Options for Camping

 

Traditional filling is the small white beans we are all used to.

However, there are a lot of other options you can use and the one I share below can actually save you space.

When packing a car or backpack the last thing you want to do it try and fit in a filled bean bag.

But you will be already be carrying a lot of other soft furnishings such as, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags and jackets etc…

 

All of these items can be used as your bean bag filling, and when you need them, just open up the bag.

Take what you need and leave the rest.

As mentioned earlier the great thing about bean bags is even if they aren’t fully filled up fully, you can still use them.

Bean Bag Options for Camping

 

There are many different styles of bean bags and one design you may not have thought about are bean bag ottomans.

They can be used as a chair either sitting directly on top (which isn’t great for your back to be honest).

Or they can be sat on, (on the side). Which provides a lot more back support and gives you that cocooned feeling.

 

Of course, simply using them as a table to rest snacks or dinner on is the popular choice.

 

The circular ottoman is the most popular for these reasons. As they look like a giant hockey puck that can be stacked on top of each other to keep them out of the way.

Bean Bags for Sleeping

 

When I was younger I went camping and picked the last straw.

A huge tent was already set up and the only spot left to sleep was directly over a huge tree root.

It was horrible! Decades later (and I have been camping a lot of time since) I still don’t forget that trip.

One option (if you have the room of course) is to try a large flat bean bag which you can take with you to rest and sleep on as well.

Just throw a sleeping bag on top and you will be fine.

Whether you are sleeping on rocks, roots or anything else really.

 

These bean bags above might just work for you next camping trip.

Also, it is worth mentioning. Be sure to measure the dimensions of your tent and compare them to the dimensions of the large bean bags above.

Conclusion

 

Bean bags aren’t just for home and office use any more.

They can be taken just about anywhere and that includes leaving them out under the stars.

If you use camping gear as their filling, you will save space and have a better use for your gear when not in use.

This is compared to traditional fold-away chairs.

There are bean bags options that are fit for king’s and Queen’s. Ones that act as a bed and ones which can be used as a chair and/or folded out.

Buying a bean bag made for the outdoors is pretty easy these days so you won’t have to struggle finding the perfect one that fits a range of environments.

If you have specific questions about camping or using your bean bags outdoors please reach out at any time.

The team here are more than happy to help.