Review - Chub Lounger Reclining Chair

Overview This chair seems to be designed for those of us who are now in our more mature years. Well, yes, call us 'old farts' if you like, but everyone of us will get there eventually and we very often need a chair that's a little further off the ground to prevent us from bending our knees too much. This new breed of longer-legged chair provides that support. Many of us are also more well built in physique (fat b******s) than we once were and again this is an attribute of growing a little older, particularly as we exercise less. So the chair we require must therefore be strong enough to take the additional weight of all those years of eating pies and bacon butties. This Lounger reclining chair from Chub is strong, believe me, perhaps the strongest I have seen. Because of the strength and extra cross bracing on the legs this is not a lightweight chair at 17½lbs, so not for the stalkers, but what do you expect with all that comfort built in? The material covering the seat and back is of extremely good quality and should last years. It is also well padded for the most part although I would like to see some small changes to the front of the seat, which I'll explain later. The back reclines by way of a toothed locking device which is secured by screwing down the large wheel on the side of the chair. Again, this being a large wheel will help any angler who suffers from arthritis in his/her hands. I don't know if that was part of the design plan, but it is useful to know. This gives the chair four positions of recline including bolt upright, but you seem to lose your lumber support the more it reclines. The legs, like on most chairs, extend to provide height for even the tallest anglers and lock by means of a small tab that is pushed down to extend the leg and then released. Each foot is quite sizeable thereby preventing the leg from sinking in all but the softest of mud. Another nice feature is the small feet on the back of the seat rails that will prevent dents on the house carpet (mine will be kept in the hallway at the ready most of the time). In use, I find the chair is extremely comfortable indeed, particularly when only slightly reclined from the bolt upright (that would be uncomfortable anyway). The length of the seat is superb too, coming to just before my knee. The cross bracing on the front legs must add tremendous strength to the chair making it suitable for the larger, more rotund angler (FB's). The chair retails at a very modest £49.99.

Verdict OK, everything seems fine with this chair, but here are the minor quibbles and points I would address in a Mark II, if there is to be one. I've just mentioned that the length of the seat is perfect and here's why. I read a report many years ago by a doctor (yes, a doctor) who advised on the design of Saab's car seats. He stressed how important it was to have proper support directly beneath the knee as this helped to relieve pressure on the lower back. With this Chub chair you get that as I've already mentioned, but the padding near the front edge could be placed directly along the edge and for the full 16” width of the seat instead of just the centre 12”. This would improve the comfort under your knees immeasurably. Another point is the weight factor. It is without doubt a very heavy chair and unless I have my carp barrow I do not intend taking it to any venues where I have to walk much more than a couple of hundred yards. Could it be made lighter by getting rid of the reclining mechanism? I haven't as yet used it in anything but an almost upright position so I am now beginning to question that feature. The arms are metal and get cold in the evening/night-time and this can penetrate your clothing even. It might be an idea to make the arms of some other warmer material or sell as an option, some sort of foam padded arm covers. Does that sound unreasonable? I doubt that you would ever find a chair that you were happy with 100%; it would be a very rare item indeed and probably wouldn't suit other anglers. Overall I do like this chair, but I would love to see a lighter version made from aluminium tubing to make it easier to carry. Chub do make a much lighter chair, but it has a non-padded seat and back so perhaps a compromise between the two is required. For me, it's a chair that I'm not going to carry too far, if at all. It will probably be lumped on top of my barrow, or I'll just use it in a near swim. I'll keep my smaller, lighter chair for the time being just in case I do want to rove around, but situations like that are becoming more and more rare these days. Would I recommend it? Definitely, particularly for its strength and Chub's quality and reliability. Rating: 8/10