If you want your hands free, the side pockets work nicely to store your book, magazine or some snacks. When the fun is done, the chair easily folds up into a carry bag for easy transport and storage. These highly-rated camping chairs are perfect to take with you to kids’ sports games, camping trips, and more!
We did select our favorite upright chair for car camping and tailgating, and then additional low-to-the-ground, ultra-lightweight, and canopy picks, as well as a great chair for kids. The Renetto Original Canopy Chair, a cleverly designed specialty seat, is ideal for anyone who wants sun protection and doesn’t mind coleman cooler a heavier, bulkier chair. Despite the Renetto’s weight, our testers found it easy to carry and simple to set up and adjust. We discovered that even though most testers had not previously considered a shade-equipped camp chair, once they used one they appreciated the comfort and convenience of built-in sun blocking.
We later found, after six months of frequent use, that the stitching along one arm had come unravelled and that the small straps holding up the back of the armrests had both ripped in half. Camping trips, beach days, picnics in the park, outdoor movies and theater performances, a fresh-air get-together with friends—there are countless occasions when you might use a camp chair. The cooler itself is an easy-access zippered pouch that hangs from the bottom of the left armrest.
Mold is always a killer when it comes to things like camp chairs, but UV light may be the biggest cause for concern. Tempting as it may be, don’t leave your chair set up on a nice day with the intention of coming back in a few hours. It takes a couple of minutes to store but will significantly extend the lifetime. When you need a chair that fully reclines, like for napping or laying on the beach, we like the GCI Outdoors Zero Gravity chair. The chair unfolds into a full supportive sling that goes from upright seated to fully reclined without much effort. Our testers found the locking mechanism easy to use, so you won’t struggle to sit back up or fully recline.
All our recommended picks have weight capacities, which are worth considering if you’re larger-bodied, or if you plan to camp with children or pets who might end up in your lap. Chairs that are rated for less weight can sometimes feel unstable, while heftier seats tend to feel more durable and stable. A chair’s height from the ground will impact how comfortable it is to sit in, as well as how easy it is to sit and stand.
Testers noted that the armrests in particular were stiffer and more supportive than others they tried out. At just under 10 pounds, it’s a midweight chair good for car camping and other activities that don’t require a lot of walking and schlepping. There are some people for whom camping is simply the perfect backdrop for drinking. We understand those people, and for them, we recommend this Coleman Camping chair with a built-in cooler that keeps your backup drinks very close and very cold for hours.
REI’s Flexlite Chair has been replaced by an entire flock of Flexlite chairs; the one that is the closest to replacing the original Flexlite in the lineup is the Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair. The design, size, and weight is nearly identical, but the nylon fabric has been replaced with polyester. We found the Coleman Kickback Breeze Chair to be a simple yet very comfortable seat, though women liked it more than men did (many of them judged it to be too snug). Anecdotally, we found that this chair category in general is more popular among women than among men, who generally prefer a higher, upright seat. The Ozark Trail Oversized Mesh Chair from Walmart, although similar to our pick in size, was far less comfortable, with rough-feeling material that was obviously of lower quality.
But if you want something comfortable enough to watch an all-day soccer tournament and durable enough to bring back every season, we don’t think this one is a winner. Nothing broke during our testing, but we have some serious doubts about this chair’s ability to last for years. The poles are quite thin, and despite having a steel frame, everything feels rather rickety. Ours also came with some sloppy seams, and the carry bag is very thin and fragile. Again, nothing broke on this chair during our few months of testing, but we are skeptical of its longevity.