Whether you’re heading to the campsite or packing up your vehicle for a relaxing day down by the water, you’ll be able to provide comfortable seating options with foldable chairs. If you host a lot of outdoor parties, look for folding chairs with durable designs to give your guests a comfortable place to take a seat. Foldable armchairs with mesh cup holders and travel bags are great for bringing with you during outdoor sporting events and camping trips.
However, they don’t have all of the same features. There are also chairs that are hybrids between categories, such as the Nemo Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair, which comes highly rated and recommended. We’re planning to look at all of these chairs. The 4-pound, steel-framed REI chair has an attached carry strap, rather than a carry bag (which the other chairs have).
GCI Outdoor makes several rocking chairs, and we plan to try more of them to see if they’re any better than the Freestyle Rocker, which we weren’t enthusiastic about. After eight years of consistent use by senior editor Kalee Thompson’s two young boys, the REI Co-op Camp Chair is, she reports, faded and worn but still holding up. The Renetto Original Canopy Chair is the best chair with a built-in canopy.
Higher back and a head rest that make it more comfortable. Good design with a small pocket to place your cell phone or snacks near the cup holder. Sturdy arm rests and sits a little higher from the ground, making it a great choice for taller people.
Weighing about 8 pounds, the Coleman chair is lighter than most traditional models, so it’s easier to grab from deep in a car trunk or to carry for long distances. Like others in its category, this chair comes with an over-the-shoulder carry bag, but some testers found it was light and compact enough to carry without the case. It’s as simple to set up as any chair ozark trail backpack we tested. Kalee Thompson is the senior editor heading up Wirecutter’s kid coverage. When she wrote the first version of this guide, Kalee lived in Southern California, where she tested chairs on three group camping trips. The REI Co-op chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on many other kids’ chairs.
Stumps, stools, boulders, and picnic tables are fine for sitting briefly outdoors. But if you want to kick back and stay comfy, the right camping chair can make all the difference. “I was so surprised how well it’s built and the packaging is awesome as I got two and it came with a bag. Very comfy chairs and sleek design.” The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair and the Flexlite Air (its featherweight sibling) are lighter than any other chairs in their category, but they felt less steady.
But we also have picks offering better support, higher weight capacity, and greater portability. Closed sides keep the wind from blowing through. Each arm rest has a built-in insulated hand rest.