Trail Falcon Padded Camping Chair: a great value seat for comfortable campouts

Trail, or Trail Outdoor Leisure, to give it its full, less-catchy title, is a relatively new entrant to the British camping scene, having been founded in 2017. Based on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Southwest England, it crafts the full gamut of camping gear, from tents through to camping kitchens, as well as inflatable SUPs.

The brand highlights quality, affordability and industry knowledge as its selling points. A look at its products reveals some great-value options, as well as mid-range gear. If you’re a Brit looking to purchase decent camping kit without massive price tags, this brand appears to be a good choice.

I was new to Trail when I set out to test several of its products, including its Falcon Padded Camping Chair, which comes as part of a two-piece set, ideal for camping couples or trips with mates. I loaded the car, invited another two generations of my family along and headed for North Wales’ Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park to test it out.

First impressions

When I liberated the Falcon from its carry bag and opened it up, the first thing that struck me was the high backrest. A veritable throne! With its wide arm rests and padded back support, it was immediately inviting. First sit revealed a very comfortable chair indeed.

The curved apex of the backrest is more for show than support however, as it sits above the steel frame and simply folds over if any weight is applied to it. So, it’s not a chair you can rest your head back into, unless you want neck ache. Nevertheless, the height of the frame means that the upper back is well supported, making it a comfortable place to sit and read, enjoy a brew or simply take in the views.

The chair isn't particularly spectacular to look at. It has a standard camping chair design and aesthetic, like the folding-frame options that fly off the supermarket shelves in the lead up to Glastonbury festival. However, comparing it to a bargain bucket chair is a little unfair, as it’s solid quality and a closer inspection reveals strong components.

Features

As with many such camping chairs, the Falcon comprises a padded fabric seat that arcs up into a backrest, with twin arm rests and a folding frame beneath. The right arm rest has a can-sized cup holder for beers or a flask, which will suit festival goers and family campers down to a T – or a tea, as it may be. The holder is lightly insulated and made from a black fabric, so provides a little extra insulation for both cold and warm drinks. Hanging down from the right side of the seat is a large compartment for storing a book or magazine. A nice touch.

The main fabric is a hardwearing 600-denier polyester that’s treated with a water-resistant PVC coating. It’s not exactly soft against the skin but then I wouldn’t describe it as rough either. The interior padding is held in rectangular baffles and is subtle but effective. It’s obviously not as plush as your armchair at home but it’s cozier than most lightweight camping chairs.

It folds down courtesy of its durable tubular steel frame, which is powder-coated to shield against wear and rust. It’s scissor-style legs fold inwards, creating a relatively compact unit when packed down.

In storage, it stretches to 38.5in (98cm), making it quite long, perhaps due to its high backrest. It’ll fit lengthways in a car’s trunk or along the footwell in the back, but it’s perhaps still a little longer than I’d have liked. The chairs come with their own carry bags that have a rudimentary carry strap and drawstring closure.

On the campsite

I’ve been testing the Falcon throughout the summer, on a beach break to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and a car camping trip to Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.

The headlines are that it’s a perfectly good, comfortable chair that’s about as fancy as you’d expect considering its price point. The original price of the Falcon 2-piece set was £99.99 but it’s currently available at £49.99 on Trail’s website. That’s just £25 per chair, making the set extremely good value. Sure, there are much lighter options on the market and there are also more luxurious options too, but these are markedly more expensive.

It's very easy to fold away when not in use and I was also able to adjust the height of the arm rests by sliding them up and down the side steel supports. The way the slider stays in place during use is a clever design touch, maintaining your desired height.

It took me a while to notice I had a handy side storage space for stashing items such as a magazine or book. As someone who likes to kick back and lose myself in a novel while on vacation, I found it a nice touch.

I can happily report that I made full use of the insulated cup holder too, while enjoying a craft beer or two with my father. This tended to be in the evening, when temps were beginning to drop, so I can’t totally put it down to the holder’s insulation that my brew remained relatively chilled as I set about draining cans sup by sup.

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