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- Verified Buyer
I love these chairs! I've bought a couple of them over the years and they really last, but I'm figuring out that when I get up and sit down, if I put all my weight on the arm straps the lower joint (see photo) will not carry the full force of my weight. I've had a couple of chairs break in the same spot, and I think it's because I put too much weight on the arm straps. Other than that, I love. love, love this chair. I'm the envy of everyone when I go to the beach. Love the little pillow so I can nap without my head bobbing around.Love these chairs. Bought two of them about 8 years ago. Take them every where. One finally broke so I bought two more. They are great:)Great sturdy comfortable chairs!!These chairs replaced a set I bought about 7 years ago that I stored outside and the nylon webbing rotted on the armrests. The old chairs are more comfortable than the new ones. The new chairs seem more confined and not as ergonomical. Looking at the two chairs, they appear very similar but you feel the difference as soon as you sit in them. My girlfriend wants me to figure out how to replace the arm straps on the old ones because she does not like the new chairs.The second issue I have with these chairs is the materials build quality. The first time I got out of the chair, I leaned on the arm rests with my elbows and heard a rip. Upon examination, the nylon webbing is only attached at the front and the back of the blue armrest panel. It would be much better if the strong webbing was one continuous piece, supported the bottom of the armrest and prevented stretching and ripping out of the stitching. On my old chairs, I plan to buy some 2" nylon webbing and make new heavy duty armrests out of them. I bet I will need to do this on the new chairs soon too. The metal frames appear to be OK and my old chairs work fine without the armrests- but I still prefer having the armrests there.The adjustable back is a bit of a gimmick. The chair is only marginally comfortable in the upright position and you have to contort and really push to get it to lay back. I played with the bungee cord that controls this function so that the chair would more easily tilt back. As soon as I sit down, I push it in the tilted back position and the loosened bungees do not try to automatically make it return to the upright position anymore.Finally, price was clearly a factor in the design and construction of these chairs. I suspect they were trying to keep these in a specific price range to remain competitive with other beach chair designs. I must admit, these are very cool chairs for the price and I did want to replace the old chairs with the same product. Since I bought them on Amazon, I did not get to sit in them first though. I would rather pay more and have them be sturdier. The design will surely limit the useful life to 2-3 years. I plan to redesign my new chairs' armrests when they tear and become unusable, which could easily happen in the first season of use.As far as beach chairs go, I still think these are the nicest chairs out there and love the mesh material that keeps you cool and lets your bathing suit dry. It also prevents sand and water from building up in the bottom of the chair. I gave these chairs 3 stars because of the comfort, quality and design issues. I would give the older chairs 4 stars because they are more comfortable and I got a reasonable amount of use out of them and I still will be able to use them after I fix the arm rests. If the nylon did not rot on the old chairs, they would be good for 5 stars. The design clearly has a finite life. If you can find some of the older design chairs out there somewhere, buy those over the new ones. I recommend you find some of these in a local store and sit in them to make sure they fit you OK before buying them on Amazon.This is the third Kelsyus Mesh Backpack chair I have owned. The first two, I purchased from a camping store about 8 years ago and other than some expected wear and tear, they still function perfectly. My son is now a "big kid" so for a recent beach trip, it was time to add a chair. I found what I thought was my old faithful backpack chair on Amazon at a solid price so I ordered it. It arrived quickly and exactly as represented on the site. To my surprise, however, Kelsyus had made some improvements. The chair was just as light and compact as the older version, but better in almost all regards. The frame felt sturdier and the seating height had been increased- one of my annoyances with the older version- TOO LOW for a tall person. They have also done away with an extra set of guide-lines that used to connect the chair arms to the frame's feet. Even though it looks uncomfortably narrow- particularly at the shoulders, this chair was extremely comfortable for me (6'-1", 190 pounds with broad shoulders). The fabric -especially the mesh portions- are of very high quality as is the stitching and the hardware. The pillow is small, but relatively effective. The gray mesh and medium-blue panels do not get hot in the direct sun. I have only two complaints-1. the new model has done away with the mesh "sling" that used to reside under the chair when it was expanded. You could store sunscreen, a hat, towel, a book, whatever under the seat. It was small, but it worked.2. The mesh in the cup holder is fairly thin/cheap so it may not hold up, and it is a wide-mesh so sunglasses and things with pointy pieces and parts easily snag. It is also too small to accommodate even medium-sized refillable bottles.Aside from that- really nice, comfortable, portable, well-designed chair. I can throw three of these on one shoulder and still have a free arm for bags/coolers and then sit all day without any discomfort.I had the larger type of these chairs back in the day but prefer this size. Takes up less room in your vehicle and really there is no need for it to be bigger. You're sitting position is more laid back and chill....best part— your head is supported. I suppose if you are a big person you would not like the low position. The backpack feature is handy. I do wish it came with a storage bag. My friends who are sitting fully upright in their camp chairs are envious.Unfortunately the chair broke first time I used it !!!! Was amazed as I have had these chairs for years but thought I would treat myself to a new one. Waiting to hear from Cowshed to see what can be done.For the price I expexted them to last a season. These chairs seem to be good. I use them often one broke on the 2nd camping trip the other 2 are are holding up okay. I'm hoping the chair that broke was faulty and the other two will make it the rest of the seasonBroken chair replaced. Must of just been a bad one. I'm Happy with these. Giving 5 stars because they lasted and got lots of rugged use and held up.I bought two chairs. They both arrived with broken parts (caps on the end the arm pipes). 4 caps = 4 broken caps. I contacted the manufacturer and was told:"unfortunately the chairs are made in China and they are shipped as whole pieces. We do not have replacement parts for the chair. The plastic plugs do not stop the function of the chair."I agree with them, it is unfortunate. The pipes have sharp edges and when we put on or take off the "backpack" there is a decent chance of cutting yourself... it is a pretty minor problem, but I suspect it may be common since there were 4 caps and all 4 were broken. If you like to get what you pay for I suggest a different manufacturer.Poor quality. Heavy. The arm rests wouldn’t stay up (kept sliding down). The one I received seemed to have been sitting around for years. Had a musty smell and left grime on my hands after putting it together. Very disappointing, so I returned it.I’ve had the original versions since early 2004 and now my young girls use them for camping, parades etc. The newer ones ordered here are even stronger and more comfy for taller adults (I’m 6’ 1”). Love the tripod style so you don’t need flat ground to sit comfortably.
