GCI Outdoor Brute Force Portable Camping Chair

This was a gift

GCI advertises this chair as the "Brute Force" camping chair. I'm not sure what I"m supposed to take away from that, but their big advertisement on this is that the chair can withstand up to 400lbs of weight (or more?) on it. I really can't test that myself as I only weigh 180lbs on a "good" day. The chair itself is indeed extremely sturdy. It's quite heavy as well, so not something you're going to take on a backpacking trip. This is strictly car camping, maybe to the beach, or whatever is the shortest walk from your car to your spot. It's definitely not compact. Folded up and in the nicely branded canvas carrying bag, the chair is almost 4 feet tall! (46 inches to be exact) It's so tall that it may not fit in some car trunks. Suffice to say, if you're over 6'2" and 220+ lbs., this is definitely the comfy folding chair you're looking for. It's tall, wide, and extremely sturdy and it will give you taller folks the comfort of being in a regular chair instead of feeling like you're sitting on the ground in a "regular" portable folding chair. Recommended for big and tall folks.

This is a review of the “GCI Outdoor Brute Force Portable Camping Chair”. I’m mentioning the item name as a defensive measure against potential future review hijacking.This is a heavy-duty folding chair that’s up to the task of accommodating big-and-tall users. Each of the parts used in its construction is noticeably sturdier than the corresponding part on a standard folding chair of this type. From the standpoint of product longevity this is great news, as it means the chair is built to last in the way that most consumer products simply haven’t been for quite a while.The ergonomics of this chair make it best suited to the big-and-tall crowd. Whether this is a boon or a curse very much depends on who you are, but those with shorter legs will find that their feet don’t touch the ground and their knees don’t reach the edge of the seat. If you have an average or smaller-than-average frame, I think it’s worth working around the ergonomic issues with seat cushions and a footstool, but that does come at a cost to real-world portability.While the chair’s weight of 10 pounds isn’t that bad, even when folded for transport it’s one of those items that feels much heavier than it actually is due to its bulk. A carrying bag is included, but unfortunately it doesn’t feel as sturdy as the chair itself. In my case the strap has already started to come unstitched, and I noticed another reviewer managed to tear a large gash in the bag just by trying to remove the label. Considering how weak the bag is in comparison to the rest of the package, it kind of feels like they dropped the ball at the last minute. It’s too bad, but it’s also low-hanging fruit for improvement in a future iteration of the product.Note that my five-star rating is rounded up from the 4.5 stars I’d give when evaluating this chair from the perspective of a big-and-tall customer (the bag is worth a half-star penalty). If you’re among the significant proportion of the population that will have ergonomic issues with this chair, consider this a 4-star product and keep in mind that you aren’t part of the target market in order to make an informed purchase decision.

I was hesitant to get this chair... I mean, how many of these "camp chairs" does one need? But then a 6"5" friend who was helping us fell some trees on our place last week sat in one of our existing chairs and promptly wound up on the ground as the seat ripped out from under him... It was kind of funny to see his large frame trapped inside the aluminum chair frame... He wasn't amused, and we didn't laugh! Extricating him took some work! Fortunately, he wasn't injured, his spirits recovered quickly, and we're still friends! But this will be the chair he gets from now on!This one is much heavier duty. The frame is strong and the fabric sling is thoroughly stitched from heavier denier nylon fabric. There is a mesh insert in the chair back for breathability... a really welcome feature in our sweltering Texas heat. The height of the chair enables easier sitting down and getting up... as do the hard plastic armrests. and the angle of the chair back makes for greater comfort. I could wish that the seat extended a couple of inches farther under the backs of my thighs, but ah, well.There is an attached pocket for a cell phone on the left hand side of the chair and a pocket to hold a drinking glass or bottle on the right hand side. The frame is easy to fold and unfold and fits into a sturdy well made sling bag (with a heavy webbing shoulder strap) for transport.The cost of this better quality chair is understandably a bit higher as well, but I think you'll find the cost increase is commensurate with the improvements in comfort, strength, stability, and overall value. As outside nylon "camp" type chairs go, this one seems made to last, so I want to replace my other "cheapies" with a several more of these. No more endangered friends!

This is a big chair, much bigger than most foldable camping chairs I'm used to. It is a bit wider and is really made for those big and wide individuals. The chair is heavy because of this, so it isn't my first choice to take somewhere that has a hike to get where I'm going. Once you are where you need it though it is comfortable to sit in and seems like the chair itself will hold up a long time, especially considering it can hold over twice my weight. It comes with a storage bag as well, and while I don't normally use these it seems it's good because that part is lower quality and it already ripped just taking the chair out the first time. Other than the bag and the extra weight the chair is a nice solid option.