Made from an easy-to-clean polyester fabric and metal frame. We also let two boys, ages 1 and 5, play with them and sit on them in the backyard for six months. After all that, we concluded that the REI Co-op Camp Chair – Kids’ is the best choice for anyone who wants to buy a practical, portable outdoor chair for a small child. The Helinox Chair One weighs about 2 pounds, compresses smaller than a 2-liter bottle of soda, and is the most comfortable and easy to stow of the three top backpacking chairs we tested.
Walk around any campground or tailgate party, and you’ll notice the popularity of this variety of accordion-style seat. You can pick one up at just about any big-box store (sometimes for as little as $10), order one with your favorite sports team’s logo, or pay a premium for a similar model from Cabela’s or REI. The Renetto’s big, heavy canopy provides ample sun protection at a campsite or cookout and doubles as a backpack-strap-equipped carrying case. Reading the reviews people love that it is so roomy and that it’s so comfortable.
We recommend buying this type only if you intend to carry your chair long distances, whether you’re backpacking or trekking across Central Park. If you do need a fits-in-a-knapsack chair, we recommend the Helinox Chair One. We found this model to be slightly more comfortable and easier to pack than other, similar chairs. A low-to-the-ground chair can be ideal for outdoor movies, concerts, theater performances, and other events where you want to avoid blocking other people’s view. Our testers liked the comfort and back support of the GCI Outdoor Everywhere Chair, as well as the ability to adjust it to sit on uneven ground. They also appreciated its cupholder (rare in chairs of this sort) and its quick close-up-and-carry design.
Nothing about the XXL Director chair by Ozark Trail is adjustable. Also, it is marginally above average, where camp chairs are concerned as far as comfort goes. The seatback has some slightly padded sections that do at least a little something to enhance comfort, and the armrests are nominally padded too. But, this isn’t the kind of chair you’re going to want to spend most of the day in. Simply put, it can be notoriously difficult to find furniture that’s big and robust enough to support you properly. That’s as true for camp chairs as it is for recliners and the like.
But the price difference is significant—and after six months of near-constant outdoor use, the Walmart chair was still in decent shape. If you are looking for an ultracheap choice, the Walmart chair is one. They are SUPER comfortable, one can sit in them all day and your back will not hurt, and we loved the head support. Overall, it’s a well-designed tent with many convenient features for those who want to get out and enjoy nature. Note that the seat is not low, the height is 19.3 in (49 cm).
The Ozark Trail XXL Director chair’s metal frame has an all-business look about it too, which clearly sends the message that this is a go-anywhere chair. We found the Coleman Kickback Breeze Chair to be a simple yet very comfortable seat, ozark trail chairs 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.
Comes with the same compact bag with a shoulder strap for carrying. Convenient carrying bag makes is easy to keep in the trunk. Made with a steel frame ozark trail chairs and rated for up to 300 pounds. But this is also a rocking chair as you realize from the name. The rocking rails simply fold when you pack the chair.
After a couple of camping trips, we concluded that a strap is more convenient than a bag—quicker and easier for a kid to grab the chair and go, without parental help. The REI chair is rated to hold up to 150 pounds, the same as the L.L.Bean and Walmart chairs. We think the REI chair is most appropriate for toddlers and kids up to about 7 or 8 years old, though reviews reveal that some small adults have found this to be their favorite seat. It comes in gray or blue, and as of this update it gets 4.7 out of five stars from reviewers on the REI site. Each comes with a convenient carrying bag that you can sling over your shoulder.
They also love that it’s easy to fold and easy to open and set up. If you want something a bit easier to access, you could always drill a small hole in one corner of the tray table and affix the D-Ring there, but many people will balk at the idea of defacing their chair. Either way, it’s easy to add a bit of storage if you want or need it. As you can see, just by looking at the numbers, this is a big chair. 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. 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.