All you need to do is grab onto the armrests and draw them towards the center, and the rest of the chair should collapse. After this, you’ll want to slide the folded chair into the carrying sling, and then you can be on your way. Within the realm of Coleman products, their Big-N-Tall Quad is a true beast of a chair. With a max capacity of 600lbs, cushioned back, and self-bailing seat, it’s one of the only models that can give the Cooler Quad a run for its money. We also really enjoyed their Aluminum Deck Chair, which brings the same wide seat and throws in a side table at the cost of easy transport. Our not-too-discriminating underage testers liked all the kids’ chairs, though over time we found several reasons to declare the REI Camp Chair the best of the bunch.
Between the integrity of its build and the wide, solid feet and base, you can throw the Cooler Quad on most any approximately level surface. I found that the hardest part about using the chair was deciding how I wanted to stock the cooler. These hanging pockets have quickly become the industry standard for folding chairs across a wide coleman camping chair range of types. Coleman’s take on the pocket is in line with the quality we see in the rest of their chair. The pocket is backed with the same high-tensile fabric that makes up the rest of the seat, and the mesh is divided into three separate compartments. Comfort is often something that gets overlooked at the behest of cool features.
The REI chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on the Ozark Trail Kids’ Folding Camp Chair from Walmart. The box-shaped cupholder is a little roomier than the round cupholders on the Coleman and the L.L.Bean Base Camp chairs—better for stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate around the campfire. We found that the cheaply constructed Walmart chair had a cupholder that was too small for a soda can, or any of the hard-plastic or metal water bottles that the kids we know brought on a camping trip. It will fit a Capri Sun pouch or a narrow, rectangular juice box, but that’s about it. The strap that supports the back (and doubles as a carry strap) allows adjustments to control your angle of recline, from upright to a stargazing-appropriate angle. Unlike other portable chairs, the Everywhere Chair is designed to sit on uneven slopes; this can be handy when space is limited at a fireworks show or an outdoor theater performance.
Tsudome has over 10 years of experience with testing outdoor equipment, and covers the California side of the equation, camping and adventuring around the Sierra Range for much of the year. Her search for the best camping chair out there has her testing new additions on a rolling basis. The steel frame is stable, and the polyester material is resistant to wind and light rain. The material isn’t very padded and feels rather rigid, but if staying warm is your priority, we recommend giving this heated camping chair a try. It doesn’t pack down particularly small or include a carrying case, but it’s easy enough to carry around the campsite or backyard.
Taller people also tend to prefer a chair with a bit more height to it. In general, those with knee issues or mobility concerns will have an easier time getting out of taller chairs. If you fall into that coleman instant tent category, consider something like the Coleman Broadband Mesh Quad Chair or the YETI Trailhead. The cotton canvas duck fabric feels nice against the skin and has proven durable over more than a year’s use.
Thankfully the Cooler Quad does a great job balancing robust construction with add-ons such as the titular 4-can cooler on the left armrest. You know you’re getting a quality chair with an integrated cooler rather than a carry cooler with a seat. Generally speaking, the lightest chairs out there won’t deliver as plush of a sitting experience as bulkier products that weren’t meant to accompany you on backpacking adventures.
It’s easy to pile on extra features, but annoying to have to extract yourself from a cocoon of cupholders, pockets, and straps. In general, one cupholder will do you, as well as a single accessory pocket to securely stash your keys. When considering the packed dimensions, also consider how exactly you’re going to be toting your favorite camp chair around. Many are familiar with the fabric sleeves that encase collapsable chairs for travel, but there are few other options available. Some of our editors have used their choice camp chair across every season for many years with no sign of deterioration or a desire to switch.
For this article, lifelong camper Lydia Price joined a group of other editors to put 29 outdoor chairs to the test in our New York City lab. They carefully evaluated the comfort, durability, portability, and value of each chair to put together this list of the best options for camping. While sturdy canvas chairs are great for keeping your back supported, no one wants to be engulfed in a thick fabric when the temperature rises. REI’s Co-op Camp X Chair brings the best of both worlds with a webbed nylon mesh that keeps you cozy and cool. The material is designed to evenly distribute your weight and maximize comfort, and we found the material was tense enough to feel supportive while letting them take advantage of the breeze.
Refunds are issued to the original form of payment, unless returned in store
where some exclusions may apply. Refunds are issued to the original form of payment, unless returned in store where some exclusions may apply. You can stow this featherlight, compressible chair in a backpack or even a work bag. Select a chair with a built-in canopy, which will give you a little patch of cool at any campsite or cookout. Are you a car camper or do you plan on socializing in friends’ backyards?
The Renetto chair usually comes in between 8 and 10 colors and is rated to hold up to 350 pounds. The Renetto’s big, heavy canopy provides ample sun protection at a campsite or cookout and doubles as a backpack-strap-equipped carrying case. The Yeti Trailhead Camp Chair is a rock-solid piece of outdoor furniture that’ll stay sturdy and supportive even under the toughest conditions. Yeti’s Flexgrid fabric is taut and durable with just the right amount of stretch to conform to your body and provide pressure relief where it’s most needed. We found it to be extremely supportive on the back and legs and marveled at how difficult it was to knock over during the durability test. The material is also resistant to damage from UV rays and breathable enough to prevent spills or rain from pooling in the seatbed.