HEST

Camp Chair

Product Design
Design Strategy
Concept Prototyping
Material Development
Design Documentation
Manufacturing Transfer

What began as a mission to improve sleep and recovery in the outdoors, HEST has evolved that idea with the launch of the camp chair. With the belief that time outdoors should feel as restorative as it is inspiring, we helped develop the design to make camp fire chats and weekends on the road as comfortable as possible. With Adirondack-inspired geometry and an enhanced memory foam cushion, the chair blurs the lines between home comfort and adventure-ready design.

Two people sitting in camping chairs outside next to a gray camper van, with a wooden table in front of them holding a kettle and cups. They are smiling, wearing winter clothes including beanies, and a dog is in the foreground.
A man sitting on a beach chair, wearing a beige cap, dark t-shirt, and khaki shorts, looking through binoculars towards the water.
Four friends enjoying a picnic outdoors, sitting around a table with food and drinks, with trees in the background on a sunny day.

Adventure-ready design built with the comforts of home.

Comfort was a guiding principle behind every design decision. Drawing inspiration from the relaxed posture of an Adirondack chair, the design creates a more lounge-like seating position compared to the upright geometry most common in portable camp furniture. Leveraging the same supportive foam structure found across the HEST product lineup, the chair creates a seating experience that feels more like lounging around in your family room than hanging around your camp site. It encourages lingering conversations, longer meals, and slower evenings outdoors.

Man sitting in camping chair wearing a red beanie, brown Patagonian shirt, black pants, and tan boots, looking to his left against a white background. 
"HEST figured out how to bring home-level comfort to the campfire."

Tanya HEST Customer

Developing the architecture.

The challenge was very straightforward to describe yet surprisingly difficult to solve. Most camp chairs prioritize portability at the expense of comfort. Traditional lounge furniture does the opposite. The added comfort brings added bulk. We needed to bridge that gap. Creating comfort while maintaining portability required balancing soft goods details with structure and mechanical design elements. The frame needed to be robust without becoming cumbersome. The seating system needed to feel substantial without sacrificing packability. All of these details needed to come together in a solution that felt warm and familiar.

A woman wearing glasses, a hat, and a dark jacket arranging miniature chairs on a wooden table in a store setting with shelves in the background.
Person assembling a wooden geometric structure with small nails or pins, sitting at a wooden table in a workshop or studio. 
No detail was too small to consider.

Sweating the small stuff.

Beyond comfort and performance, the project emphasized thoughtful material selection and detail refinement. Every element was developed from the ground up. We worked closely with the HEST team to identify materials that balanced durability and weight with manufacturability and environmental considerations. Whether it was nuancing the cup holder shape or dialing in the packability, the final design details ensured the chair could withstand years of use while minimizing unnecessary complexity.

A person arranging various fabric pouches and bags on a cutting mat in a workshop or studio. The pouches are in different colors including yellow, gray, beige, and green, with some having black straps or zippers. In the background, there are sewing machines and shelves with spools of thread.
Close-up of a canned beverage in a yellow fabric sleeve holder with black tag, placed on a black chair, with a gray item on top.
A worktable with various fabric samples and leather straps arranged in a row, with a cutting mat and grid paper on the right side. Rolls of fabric and material tubes are stored underneath the table.
A person in a gray jacket lying face down on a gray table in a room with fluorescent lighting, with a person in a black sweater standing next to them.
Person holding a backpack with a hand, standing on a gray floor, wearing black jeans and black sneakers with white laces.
Person using a handheld power saw to cut a piece of foam or insulation material, with a background of rolled-up cardboard tubes. 
"We put a lot of energy into making sure the materials were resource responsible and would work well together."
Multiple fabric swatches, each with various stains and markings, arranged on a wooden surface. Some swatches have handwritten labels.

Validating the details.

Throughout the design development, extensive prototyping and evaluation helped validate the countless small details that ultimately defined the user experience. From fabric behavior and foam performance to structural interfaces, packability, and long-term durability, this process of testing, learning, and refining allowed the final product to deliver on its promise. We were able to achieve a truly superior level of comfort while also feeling confident in our design choices moving into production. This significantly reduced the amount of sampling and factory-level iteration resulting in a more considered and sustainable approach to product development.

A stack of white and pale yellow rectangular soap bars wrapped in clear plastic.
A woman is working on making clothing in a studio surrounded by fabric and sewing supplies, with fabric cutting mats on the table.
A gray reclined chair in a workshop with shelves of tools and supplies in the background, next to a black work table.
Six fabric straps with metal buckles hanging from a metal bar, with weights attached on the bottom, arranged below a red surface and black flooring.

Made to roll and go.

A major design challenge was packability. We knew we achieved the comfort, but we also needed to meet the expectations for how camp furniture packs into the car and transports to the campsite. If the system became too bulky we would not have a successful product. The frame of the chair went through many rounds of nuanced geometry tweaks to ensure we could get the smallest footprint possible. The size and shape of the cushion saw a similar level of iteration in foam shaping and fabric patterning. This attention to detail is what allowed the design to work. The chair and cushion neatly pack into a travel bag that provides protection, while also making it easy to carry to the campsite.

Man in pink t-shirt and beige hat preparing a kayak outdoors in a wooded area.
A person standing outdoors near a camping tent holding a foldable chair with a logo that reads 'HEST' on the fabric.
Three people hiking through a lush green forest, carrying large bags, with a pig on the trail. 
"We believe time outdoors should feel as restorative as it is inspiring."

Aaron Ambuske - HEST Founder

At home on the road and the front porch.

While the camp chair was designed to elevate your comfort in the outdoors, we wanted to develop a solution that felt equally at home on the deck or front porch of the cabin. The design uses warmer tones and softer elements that feel more approachable and less like technical outdoor gear. We’ve heard it makes for a great seat at weekend soccer game as well.

A man sitting on a wooden porch with a dog, wearing a yellow beanie and outdoor clothing, with a forested landscape in the background.
Three friends sitting at a picnic table outdoors in a forested area, laughing and chatting, with camping gear and food on the table.
View from inside a camping tent overlooking a river, with two people relaxing in chairs near the water, trees surrounding the area, and a resting dog inside the tent.
Logo with a mountain, sun, and horizontal lines, next to the word "HEST" in bold white letters.
A man underwater wearing a blue wetsuit and diving mask, surrounded by bubbles.

HEST Sleep Systems