Reserving a Spot on the Street - Camp Style

These are popular on busy streets where on-street parking is at a premium, or when there’s to be a parade, or other special event. Many a driver has simply wanted a place to park their vehicle only to approach a residential street & see the one or two remaining spaces taken up by one. A back-of-the-mind eye roll, a squinting of the eyes, & a shrug of the shoulders 😖, knowing it's hopeless to consider moving them (neighborhood trouble could ensue), & then it's time to move along & try for a spot in the next block or two.

Our family used them for additional seating whenever we’d have backyard gatherings, & we’d use them whenever we’d be camping. Sometimes they’d accompany us as the final item we’d be smooshing inside the minivan’s rear door as we pulled the door down from up above. Other times we’d place them right inside the slider door. In those days minivans only had a slider door on the passenger side. Our cooler for the trip would also be wedged in right in this same space.

In some ways having these there was super convenient. If we’d need to make a pit stop & needed to sit down somewhere without concern that our clothes would be dirtied by an unkempt appearing bench, we’d be able to quickly pull out one of these & we’d all set.

Once we’d be at camp they’d become super handy; we’d otherwise be stuck constantly wedging ourselves onto the picnic table’s benches, & oftentimes they’re all attached – that is, the table’s benches right to the table. Then the benches cannot be moved or shifted, & swinging one’s legs around & under can require, well, work. And who wants any of that while they’re on their vacation! 😂

We'd sprinkle about those which we'd brought with us, about four or five, & whichever of us would be looking to relax while outside the camper would have first dibs on which they'd prefer to open up & plop down in. (Some might say that's the only way to be sitting in one of these [this link is directly to that which closest matches the design our family used] - having plopped down in it. 😂) We knew which was which because each had a different pattern on it & one or two were far more worn than the others. We'd typically not use those unless necessary, which meant that we'd had a guest arrive, or had more people with us on our trip than we normally did. In those cases Mom would designate someone smaller, or much lighter weight to take the troubled chairs & allow the others to use the reliable ones.

Incidentally I hardly ever used one as, unless we'd all be outside, I typically didn't do much sitting out there. Though being the low-man-on-the-totem-pole [read: youngest & smallest] on the trip, it would've been me getting booted from the stronger, more durable ones & into those which were sketchy & untrustworthy. I'd use it most as described here. When we'd eat our meals outside, we'd use the campground provided picnic table & benches. When I was most frequently outside the camper, I was on-the-move, or on a mission (for example as I wrote about here); I'd be out-&-about, or inside the fabric walls.

We used ours for years & years, &, as written about here, Mom would pull out her Bag of Talents 😊 & repair the existing paneling. This cycle repeated itself at least once.

Now-a-days these seem to have become much more popular. They’re easier to carry & each comes with a bag where the handle straddles conveniently over its back while in use in so that everything is kept together for when the user is ready to go, & put everything away, & back in their vehicle for the next event.

These links are affiliate links to Amazon as well as the image link in the top left. Tailgate chair used in image link meant as humor.