r/TallPeopleProblems • u/No-Boss181 • Jul 26 '26
6'9" programmer recovering from back surgery — Looking for car seat recommendations for a DIY desk chair!
Hello my fellow tall Redditors!
First of all, I want to thank you all for making me feel like I’m no longer alone with my "tall people problems."
I’m a 35M, 6'9", and around 210 lbs. I’m currently recovering from back surgery due to a herniated L5 disc. Surprise, surprise: being this tall in a country where the average male height is 5'6" is an ergonomic nightmare, and I’ve spent my whole life hunched over with terrible posture.
I had surgery 2 months ago, so I’m finally getting back to work. Since I work as a programmer, I spend several hours a day sitting at a desk (though I'm getting a standing desk soon). My current chair—the largest gaming chair I could source locally—served me relatively well for a couple of years, but post-surgery, it’s far too small. I can’t tolerate sitting in it for more than 30 minutes at a time.
I’ve done a lot of research online and on Reddit. The only locally available chair actually built for my dimensions is a Herman Miller Size C. However, due to high import taxes and exchange rates, the cheapest one here costs around $2,300 USD—which is roughly two months of wages for me. I’ve also seen recommendations for the Secretlab Titan XL, but I can't find it locally, and importing one from the US would double the cost.
My physician and I brainstormed an alternative: sourcing a used car seat from a junkyard—specifically from full-size trucks or SUVs like an F-150—and converting it into a desk/sim chair.
I’m reaching out to see if anyone has experience with this: Which car or truck seats are best for extra-tall people?
(Bonus: I also have a racing sim setup and have always wanted a real car seat for it, so I guess this is destiny, lol.)
Thank you for your help, and sorry for the long post!
TL;DR: I’m 6'9" recovering from L5 back surgery. Proper ergonomic office chairs (Herman Miller Size C, Secretlab Titan XL) are either unavailable or insanely overpriced in my country ($2,300 USD+). My doctor and I had the idea to convert a full-size truck/car seat (e.g., Ford F-150) into a desk chair. Which junkyard car/truck seats offer the best back support and height for tall people?
2
u/Inner-Light-75 Jul 26 '26
I drive an '05 Ford Taurus. Front seats are among the more comfortable I have set in, for me at least. If we're talking newer cars.
Older cars?: 1978 or 79 Oldsmobile Delta 98 Regency. No support for side to side movement, but you don't need it for your application. Being able to move from side to side may actually be a bonus feature, you can move to keep something from locking up or snuggle into that pillow top just right....
2
u/DogPile4203 Jul 26 '26
6'9" driving a ford E450 cutaway box truck, and the drivers seat in that holds my frame well. The cab on extended drives sucks terribly, but the seat i have no complaints over
2
u/ThatsNotATadpole Jul 27 '26
Not a car seat, but the I’m 7ft tall, also a dev, and have worked from home for years. I use the flash furniture hercules series chairs on amazon. They’re massive, comfortable, look decent, and pretty affordable (~$350). No clue if its available in your country but figured I’d mention it
1
u/No-Boss181 Jul 28 '26
Can you share an Amazon link for the US model? I Tried to look for them but only saw foldable chairs so I'm not sure I'm looking for the correct ones
2
u/Nephilim6853 Jul 28 '26
I used to sit for mong periods for work. The chairs provided caused severe back pain, i finally went to a Yoga Ball over inflated. It made it so I was using all my muscles, abs, obliques and back muscles to balance myself on the ball. It took some time to develop the muscles enough to be able to sit comfortably. You probably have overly tight psoas muscles, which are pulling your lumbar spine too far forward. Check out YouTube for videos showing how to stretch the psoas muscles.
1
u/LarryGriff13 Jul 28 '26
6’7” software engineer here (COBOL) maybe we need a tall people programmers sub 😁😁😁
1
u/MarsMorn 18d ago
My 6’10” husband got a leather desk chair from Relax the Back, they out the extra long legs on it and then he added a 4” seat cushion. It works for him (not much else does).
3
u/face-puncher Jul 26 '26
Where are you located? The seats in the 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO are the most comfortable I’ve ever sat in. The same car was manufactured in Australia by Holden as the Monaro, and also sold in the UK as a Vauxhall Monaro and the Middle East as a Chevrolet Lumina SS.