Crazy Creek | The Story

On the face of it, spending 37 years perfecting essentially the same product doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. But in an outdoor industry obsessed with seasonal reinvention, Crazy Creek has quietly stuck to its guns, refining and improving what is fundamentally a brilliant but simple idea: a chair that doesn’t need legs but still has your back. It all began with a eureka moment in the Colorado wilderness...  

When logs just won’t do

It’s a stormy week in the Colorado backcountry in the mid-1980s. Rob Hart, an experienced Outward Bound instructor, is leading a group of students through challenging terrain when the weather turns properly grim. Soaked through on yet another miserable evening, perched on a sodden log, Hart found himself asking the eternal outdoor question: why is there never anywhere decent to sit when you actually need it?

Rather than simply grumbling and shifting to another uncomfortable stump, Hart decided to do something about it. ‘I was a mountain guide who wanted more comfort in the wilderness, so I bought a sewing machine, and I had an idea, and one thing led to another,’ he later explained. Using memories of his grandfather’s old wooden canoe chair as inspiration, he and his girlfriend, Louise ‘Weezie’ Chandler, began the long process of creating something better – months of prototyping and refinement in their Red Lodge, Montana base. The breakthrough was realising that legs weren’t essential; what mattered was back support, comfort, and the ability to work on any terrain.

From a Montana basement to Everest base camp

Crazy Creek Products officially launched in 1987 from a basement at the foot of Montana’s Beartooth Mountains – a location that wasn’t accidental, since testing gear in genuine wilderness conditions was part of daily life in Red Lodge. Word of mouth in the outdoor community is powerful, and before long the Original Chair was turning up in expedition camps from Alaska to the Australian outback, then onto Everest base camps and Antarctic expeditions. If a chair could survive the brutal temperature swings of a Montana winter – Red Lodge averages 150 inches of snow a year – it could survive more or less anywhere.

Current company president Forrest Rogers puts the legacy simply: ‘We invented an entire category of outdoor products – the legless chair! Over the years there were at least a dozen other brands knocking off the Original Crazy Creek, but all but one have faded away. Why? Our brand is strong and the warranty and construction are stronger.’

Tragedy and continuity

Rob Hart’s story took a tragic turn in February 2009, when he died in a skiing accident on Red Lodge Mountain, aged 51. An accomplished climber and mountaineer who’d taken his adventures to every continent, his death was a huge loss to both the outdoor community and the company he’d built.

Outdoor industry veteran Michael Hodgson wrote a tribute at the time, urging people to grab an old Crazy Creek chair, gather the people they loved, and: ‘just sit. Talk about love and life and living… and know that somewhere, Rob will be smiling with the knowledge that because of him, you are all together, sharing, taking time to slow down.’

The company continued under new ownership, first with the Elsberry family – Red Lodge locals who’d known Rob personally – and then in 2020 with current owners Forrest Rogers and his brother-in-law, Karson Bagby. It speaks to something special about brands rooted in genuine passion that they can survive their founders, because the mission is bigger than any individual.

If it ain’t broke…

What strikes you about Crazy Creek is their resistance to change for change’s sake. While competitors have chased trends with elaborate mechanisms, cup holders and gadgetry, Crazy Creek has focused on perfecting the fundamentals: durability, comfort and packability.

The current lineup still centres on the Original Chair that started it all, now joined by refined variants like the lighter, more packable Hex 2.0 and specialised models for activities like canoeing. The core design remains unchanged – closed-cell EVA foam for cushioning, durable ripstop nylon construction, and carbon fibre stays that provide back support without needing legs.

It’s a philosophy that resonates with anyone who’s ever had a piece of gear become genuinely indispensable. As one embittered but devoted customer put it: ‘I got my first Crazy Creek Original in the late ’90s. Then I got divorced and all she wanted was my chair.’ This is gear that outlasts some marriages. Or, as Rogers puts it: ‘There are over 6 billion butts in this world, they all gotta sit somewhere!’

More than just a chair

What makes Crazy Creek special isn’t just the product – it’s an understanding of how and why people use it. Hart’s passion for his products was infectious; he understood that great outdoor gear isn’t just about technical specifications, it’s about enabling experiences. ‘We try to make things at Crazy Creek comfortable and user friendly,’ he once explained.

That philosophy extended beyond the original chair to hammocks, paddle seats and other comfort solutions – and it’s still visible in how low these chairs sit. You’re not perched above the landscape in some elevated throne; you’re part of it, close enough to feel the ground’s warmth, scratch the ears of passing camp dogs, and engage with your surroundings rather than simply observe them.

Still based in Red Lodge with just a handful of full-time employees, Rogers and his team aren’t trying to become the next outdoor megabrand. They’re focused on what they do best: creating comfort for adventurers wherever adventure takes them.

Here at WildBounds, we’re particular fans of US outdoor brands with cult followings, and Crazy Creek is the perfect example of why they’ve earned such devoted loyalty. In a world of increasingly complex camping gear, there’s something refreshing about a product that solves a fundamental problem with elegant simplicity. Whether you’re planning a multi-day backpacking trip through the Scottish Highlands or just want a seat to watch a Sunday evening sunset on the beach, a Crazy Creek chair delivers exactly what it promises: the perfect way to ‘just sit there,’ wherever ‘there’ might be.