Suitablity of Bean Bag in Hot Climate

[Konini]

Google doesn't understand my question and I can't find the answer in TV search, so hoping another aficionado will help.

I'm finding it really hard to get myself comfortable lately, and have been having happy flashbacks to my old bean bag days. I'm a little concerned however - my husband's problems with sinuses means no airconditioning is possible, although I have fans running day and night. I really don't want to be lounging in a puddle of sweat, no matter how comfortable I may be.

Are these beasties viable in the hot weather we have here?

[hellodolly]

I don't and never have used a bean bag.

But I did find a chair that is covered with cloth rather than the leather or synthetic leathers that left me sitting in a puddle of sweat in the heat.

See if you can find one cloth covered. After all it is your personal use not for public use.

[masuk]

I've always avoided the clingy, artificial leather seating that the Asians seem to love.

We chose ratttan/cane for furniture years ago for tropical living, and the owner was horrified, and said 'that's for poor people'.

Maybe so, but they allow some air to circulate, and I just use a cotton back and a small cushion to sit on.

[itchybum]

We have 3.

We also have no aircon and we love them, kids especially.

One of them is like a big chair of sorts, rather than the normal bag and it is made out of a different material, not sure how to describe it, but not the vinyl or leathery type of the other 2.

[Konini]

Thank you all for the replies. The obsession with pretend leather here is something I always shake my head about. We've been in furnished accommodation here, so my first job has always been to go to Warrorat market and buy some heavy Indian cloth for a full size throw, but you're still sitting on it and will end up somewhat damp if you don't move for a long time. We have a rattan chair and I've made enough cushions and seat pads to make it comfortable, but it's the dining chair type so not good for curling up and reading a book or watching a film. The floor with a yoga mat is popular at the moment but I really need some support for my back. We lived in Melbourne for 20 years, but it was only really in the winter that I would drag the bean bags out of their corner and position them closer to the woodburner than I would risk with big furniture. If I used them in the summer, I really can't remember - thinking about it I must have, and therefore must be having another 'senior' moment. God help me later this year when I turn 50 and will be prone to even more senior moments than I have now I've always been able to amaze people with my memory (which has been correctly named as outstanding), but now I'm not studying or working I seem to remember only trivial things. The Magna Carta was signed at Runnymeade on 5th June 1215. See. I'm always made to read the questions out at organised or spontaneous quiz nights or am excluded from participating. (Not that the Magna Carta was trivial of course, but that's another discussion).

I can imagine the response of rattan being for 'poor people'. Hi-so (and hi-so wannabe's, which I think is gaining very rapidly in numbers) need to be different from the masses. It's very sensible really, allows good air flow as you pointed out and was used by people in the tropical Far East for that very reason I imagine. Rattan furniture was a bit exotic when I was young in the north east of England, my nan had a rattan chair which was admired by all and called the wicker chair as I recall.

I was worried about the squashed beans retaining or conducting body heat, but it certainly seems like it's worth a try. I have a sewing machine so can whip one up easily enough as an experiment, so it won't cost a lot.. Itchybum's larger chair seems interesting, I've often seen them and wondered how comfortable they are. If OK, I can download a pattern from the net for one, but it obviously is a much bigger project than a basic tear drop shaped bag, so needs a further question. May I ask if you find it comfortable for an hour or two of loafing on, or if it's better for short periods?

I've never looked, but assume the polystyrene beans will be somewhere at Warrorat. I imagine they have to be, I seem to have found everything else imaginable there. We're really lucky to have such a big 'junk shop' in town; my husband hates it, but I love poking around that place and the shops surrounding it, finding things so discoloured and dirty or even rusty that must have been on the shelves for years, but usually finding what I want eventually with my lack of Thai and primitive sketches of components needed to make my current experimental project (which bewilder native English speakers sometimes). It really is a wonderful place, exactly like an old fashioned junk shop.

[itchybum]

Beans available in chinatown, think 180baht for a big bag, cannot remember how many kilos, yeah they sell them by the kilo also.

The armchair type bag is very comfy, but I prefer to put my feet up on a stool or such in front of it, then very comfy.

[masuk]

Beans available in chinatown, think 180baht for a big bag, cannot remember how many kilos, yeah they sell them by the kilo also.

The armchair type bag is very comfy, but I prefer to put my feet up on a stool or such in front of it, then very comfy.

Thank you all for the replies. The obsession with pretend leather here is something I always shake my head about. We've been in furnished accommodation here, so my first job has always been to go to Warrorat market and buy some heavy Indian cloth for a full size throw, but you're still sitting on it and will end up somewhat damp if you don't move for a long time. We have a rattan chair and I've made enough cushions and seat pads to make it comfortable, but it's the dining chair type so not good for curling up and reading a book or watching a film. The floor with a yoga mat is popular at the moment but I really need some support for my back. We lived in Melbourne for 20 years, but it was only really in the winter that I would drag the bean bags out of their corner and position them closer to the woodburner than I would risk with big furniture. If I used them in the summer, I really can't remember - thinking about it I must have, and therefore must be having another 'senior' moment. God help me later this year when I turn 50 and will be prone to even more senior moments than I have now I've always been able to amaze people with my memory (which has been correctly named as outstanding), but now I'm not studying or working I seem to remember only trivial things. The Magna Carta was signed at Runnymeade on 5th June 1215. See. I'm always made to read the questions out at organised or spontaneous quiz nights or am excluded from participating. (Not that the Magna Carta was trivial of course, but that's another discussion).

I can imagine the response of rattan being for 'poor people'. Hi-so (and hi-so wannabe's, which I think is gaining very rapidly in numbers) need to be different from the masses. It's very sensible really, allows good air flow as you pointed out and was used by people in the tropical Far East for that very reason I imagine. Rattan furniture was a bit exotic when I was young in the north east of England, my nan had a rattan chair which was admired by all and called the wicker chair as I recall.

I was worried about the squashed beans retaining or conducting body heat, but it certainly seems like it's worth a try. I have a sewing machine so can whip one up easily enough as an experiment, so it won't cost a lot.. Itchybum's larger chair seems interesting, I've often seen them and wondered how comfortable they are. If OK, I can download a pattern from the net for one, but it obviously is a much bigger project than a basic tear drop shaped bag, so needs a further question. May I ask if you find it comfortable for an hour or two of loafing on, or if it's better for short periods?

I've never looked, but assume the polystyrene beans will be somewhere at Warrorat. I imagine they have to be, I seem to have found everything else imaginable there. We're really lucky to have such a big 'junk shop' in town; my husband hates it, but I love poking around that place and the shops surrounding it, finding things so discoloured and dirty or even rusty that must have been on the shelves for years, but usually finding what I want eventually with my lack of Thai and primitive sketches of components needed to make my current experimental project (which bewilder native English speakers sometimes). It really is a wonderful place, exactly like an old fashioned junk shop.

Well, I Iived in Hobart (TAS) for 30 odd years, and we used the polystyrene bean bags for some years, when the kids were too small to crawl even, they couldn't fall out, they were warm, and when they became more mobile, the labrador found them nice and cosy. Foam polystyrene is an excellent insulator, and were used for a while in the UK as ceiling tiles, until they were banned as they were extremely flammable.

Comfortable yes, but as I became older, found bean bags were too near the ground and more and more difficult to get out off, and of course, totally unsuitable for warmer climates.

In Indonesia, we went to a cane/rattan shop, and browsed through a well-worn Sears and Roebuck catalogue, and chose an entire dining and living room suite, made to order.

Certainly, the rear end needs something a bit soft for lounge chairs, and we had neat little 50mm thick (2 inches in the old language) cushions made, and cloth for the chair backs.

Is there a place in Chiang Mai where cane furniture is available?

[Rice60640]

I've had beanbags in Singapore and they were comfortable. However, like everyone has said, don't use the leather/vinyl cover. Get either cotton or silk covers for your bean bag and get those that have an inner bag to hold the beans and a washable outer bag that you can slip off and wash. I don't know how expensive mung beans are in Thailand but my cousin had a pillow made out of them and they were always cool to the touch. The styrofoam "beans" can get hot after prolonged sitting. Good luck.

By the way -- Papa San chairs are also very comfortable.

Also, I don't know the specifics but these are also very comfortable. I think I saw them at Baan Tawai when I was last in CM.

http://alameda-ca.showmethead.com/furniture/500teak-rattan-plantation-chair-ottoman_18691770.html

[jaideeguy]

Bean bag chairs and water beds were the greatest inventions to come out of the 60's. I've been on the lookout for a water bed for years and have searched all over google for a cheap simple vinyl bladder that we used to get for $20 in the old days, but all I can find are these hi tech bladders with baffels, heaters and other frills that I don't want.

My plan is to get 2 of them and place one in a sunny area to heat up during the day for cool winter nights and the other one would be placed in the shade to chill out on in the hot season. It would be like laying on a fat lady's belly..........

[Konini]

Bean bag chairs and water beds were the greatest inventions to come out of the 60's. I've been on the lookout for a water bed for years and have searched all over google for a cheap simple vinyl bladder that we used to get for $20 in the old days, but all I can find are these hi tech bladders with baffels, heaters and other frills that I don't want.

My plan is to get 2 of them and place one in a sunny area to heat up during the day for cool winter nights and the other one would be placed in the shade to chill out on in the hot season. It would be like laying on a fat lady's belly..........

I was surprised at how popular water beds still are in Australia. I looked into getting one but was recommended not to because it would be bad for my (already bad) back. The baffles are like giant scotch-brites sitting in the middle of the bladder (not technical, but the only way I can think of to describe what I saw in a showroom), but I would have thought the heaters were not optional - cold water, kidneys. Maybe not, but worth thinking about, unless they weren't heated in the 60's and it isn't a concern. And of course the bladder has to be rubber or a similar synthetic which would may leave you in a pool of sweat (while you're kidneys die of the cold ).

[Konini]

I've had beanbags in Singapore and they were comfortable. However, like everyone has said, don't use the leather/vinyl cover. Get either cotton or silk covers for your bean bag and get those that have an inner bag to hold the beans and a washable outer bag that you can slip off and wash. I don't know how expensive mung beans are in Thailand but my cousin had a pillow made out of them and they were always cool to the touch. The styrofoam "beans" can get hot after prolonged sitting. Good luck.

By the way -- Papa San chairs are also very comfortable.

Also, I don't know the specifics but these are also very comfortable. I think I saw them at Baan Tawai when I was last in CM.

http://alameda-ca.showmethead.com/furniture/500teak-rattan-plantation-chair-ottoman_18691770.html

Thank you, I love Papa san chairs. I am intrigued by the use of mung beans, I've never heard of them being used for this, and will certainly investigate this further. Wouldn't be expensive if you were to buy a sack full I imagine. They could well be too heavy for a bean bag, but I might try making a pillow as an experiment. If/when I get around to it, I'll report back to the CM forum.

[craigt3365]

We got fabric covered bean bag chairs from Index here in Pattaya. They are great, especially for parties outside where people can just move them around wherever they like. Some are quite big and a few are more like foot stools. We've had them 3 years, they are always outside, and they still look great.

I use to sit in them, but now I'm finding it harder and harder to get out of them!

[craigt3365]

I've had beanbags in Singapore and they were comfortable. However, like everyone has said, don't use the leather/vinyl cover. Get either cotton or silk covers for your bean bag and get those that have an inner bag to hold the beans and a washable outer bag that you can slip off and wash. I don't know how expensive mung beans are in Thailand but my cousin had a pillow made out of them and they were always cool to the touch. The styrofoam "beans" can get hot after prolonged sitting. Good luck.

By the way -- Papa San chairs are also very comfortable.

Also, I don't know the specifics but these are also very comfortable. I think I saw them at Baan Tawai when I was last in CM.

http://alameda-ca.showmethead.com/furniture/500teak-rattan-plantation-chair-ottoman_18691770.html

That's a beautiful chair. We had some rattan backed chairs in the US that needed repair. The cost was ridiculous. But here, it's quite reasonable.

[Konini]

We got fabric covered bean bag chairs from Index here in Pattaya. They are great, especially for parties outside where people can just move them around wherever they like. Some are quite big and a few are more like foot stools. We've had them 3 years, they are always outside, and they still look great.

I use to sit in them, but now I'm finding it harder and harder to get out of them!

The trick is to stack them - when my back was at it's worst, I put one of our jumbo bean bags on top of the other and it was almost chair height. Some times they would slip or fall but they only did this as soon as I sat down. Once you get it set properly, it doesn't move until you do. Give it a go, maybe use 3 as ours were really jumbo - they really are the most comfortable things to sit upright on. I've found a pattern on the net, so off to Worrorat on Monday to get the material and beans . Just need to convert 1.85 cubic meters of beans to kilograms, shouldn't be too difficult. Or I can do it by guestimation when I see the size of the bags on sale,. That's my project for next week.

Life is good, isn't it?

[DesertRose]

Very good to see this thread! I arrive in CM in a couple of weeks and will be in unfurnished house for a short while, I've been thinking that bean bags would be ideal till I move into a longer term place. Sadly, I'm not up to making my own, are they available to buy in CM, has anybody seen them lately? Is there an Index (as mentioned above) in CM?

Thanks.

[Rice60640]

I've had beanbags in Singapore and they were comfortable. However, like everyone has said, don't use the leather/vinyl cover. Get either cotton or silk covers for your bean bag and get those that have an inner bag to hold the beans and a washable outer bag that you can slip off and wash. I don't know how expensive mung beans are in Thailand but my cousin had a pillow made out of them and they were always cool to the touch. The styrofoam "beans" can get hot after prolonged sitting. Good luck.

By the way -- Papa San chairs are also very comfortable.

Also, I don't know the specifics but these are also very comfortable. I think I saw them at Baan Tawai when I was last in CM.

http://alameda-ca.showmethead.com/furniture/500teak-rattan-plantation-chair-ottoman_18691770.html

Thank you, I love Papa san chairs. I am intrigued by the use of mung beans, I've never heard of them being used for this, and will certainly investigate this further. Wouldn't be expensive if you were to buy a sack full I imagine. They could well be too heavy for a bean bag, but I might try making a pillow as an experiment. If/when I get around to it, I'll report back to the CM forum.

Make sure to do the double covers -- you don't want run away beans all over the house if the bag ever springs a leak.

[Rice60640]

I've had beanbags in Singapore and they were comfortable. However, like everyone has said, don't use the leather/vinyl cover. Get either cotton or silk covers for your bean bag and get those that have an inner bag to hold the beans and a washable outer bag that you can slip off and wash. I don't know how expensive mung beans are in Thailand but my cousin had a pillow made out of them and they were always cool to the touch. The styrofoam "beans" can get hot after prolonged sitting. Good luck.

By the way -- Papa San chairs are also very comfortable.

Also, I don't know the specifics but these are also very comfortable. I think I saw them at Baan Tawai when I was last in CM.

http://alameda-ca.showmethead.com/furniture/500teak-rattan-plantation-chair-ottoman_18691770.html

That's a beautiful chair. We had some rattan backed chairs in the US that needed repair. The cost was ridiculous. But here, it's quite reasonable.

They are so comfortable -- it hugs every curve in your body. Once you get in, you don't ever want to get out.

[Polanskiman]

Any ideas of where to buy quality bean bags in Bangkok? It's for interior use.

Thanks.

[eyecatcher]

Might be a good idea to ask on the Bangkok forum.

We are just luddites from Chiang Mai.

[Polanskiman]

Might be a good idea to ask on the Bangkok forum.

We are just luddites from Chiang Mai.

ooops... Was a bit careless there. Didn't noticed I was the in Chiang Main forum.

Anyways I found, in case some of you guys come down to Bkk, look for Layback. Seems to be a copy of the Fatboy USA brand but still seems to be of decent quality. His bean bags are also water proof. Here is his website (nothing in there) just his mobile phone and email if need be to contact him. He is located on Sathorn soi 13.

[thailandforumaddict]

Hello, any idea if 800 beanbags are already good enough or if we should invest more ?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/822845-bean-bags-for-pool-cheap-beanbags-ok-or-should-pay-more-for-real-better-quality/

Thank you.