The Coleman name has withstood the test of time, much in the same way that their products weather yearly camping trips season after season. After so many decades of outdoor excellence, they’ve brought their A-game to this affordable and feature-rich piece of folding furniture. 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. Like competing chairs, the Chair One has a nylon and mesh seat and aluminum legs, which are linked with shock cord (the chair legs are made out of the same material as high-end tent poles).
Thoughtful features like a zippered pocket for securing valuables, a mesh cell phone pouch, and two cup holders make the Kijaro exceptionally convenient for everything from tailgates to beach days. It’s available in 11 colors, many of which are unique in the outdoor product coleman canopy space. The chair comes with a carrying bag but also has a shoulder strap attached directly to its frame in case you want to ditch the sack. All this at a good price, making it an incredible value for a comfy camp chair that’s built to last through countless seasons.
At a fireworks show and at the beach, we appreciated a chair that was ready to go without even 30 seconds of hassle. The Everywhere Chair closes like a book—simply lift the padded strap and go. “This is the Platonic ideal of your camp chair,” one of our campers gushed. Portable outdoor chairs are also helpful for anyone who doesn’t have the room or budget for permanent backyard furniture. And they can save your back, make it easier to juggle a picnic plate and a cold beverage, and generally help you to relax comfortably outdoors.
The right arm has a built-in mesh cup holder, and the chair has another pocket at the side for your personal items. Coleman is among the top makers of high-quality camping goods, and their chairs are unbeatable. They have a chair that matches the needs of everyone, whether you need something sturdy, lightweight, or full of pockets and features. Several of our selections have additional features like cup holders, side tables, and coolers attached to them.
You may doubt a chair this light and compact could also be sturdy, but it held up beautifully to all the plopping, dropping, and throwing they could put it through. Those curious should head over to our buyer’s guide for everything you need to know about what your criteria should be. From there, our best camp chairs of the season can give you side-by-side comparisons of some of the top picks across the industry. Folding up a Coleman camp chair is easier than you might think, regardless of how many pockets, coolers, or other fancy features they may have.
When we set up a dozen chairs around the campfire without comment, people consistently claimed them from largest to smallest. 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.
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. Our panel of testers at the Wheeler Gorge Campground deemed the Everywhere Chair to be the most comfortable of the three low-to-the-ground chairs we tested. The Coleman camping chair is big and durable, and of all the upright chairs that our panel of campers tested, it was the most comfortable. The Coleman Kids Quad Chair comes in a variety of colourful and fun designs and is sized perfectly for children. They’re just as sturdy as a full-size Coleman chair, and a breeze to set up and carry with you whether you’re camping locally or making a trip to Australia.
I found that the hardest part about using the chair was deciding how I wanted to stock the cooler. Comfort is often something that gets overlooked at the behest of cool features. 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.
We love that setup is quick and easy, because no one needs to struggle with poles after sweating it out on the trails. Its light weight also impressed — when we threw it around to assess its durability, the chair basically sailed like a feather. There’s nothing like spending an afternoon sitting outside and basking in the sun on a warm day, whether it’s on a beach, at a sports game, or even just in the backyard. Always have a cold drink within easy reach at the campsite, tailgate, or kids’ ball game thanks to the cooler built into the armrest of the Coleman® Camping Chair with Built-In 4-Can Cooler. The fully cushioned seat and back mean you’ll enjoy hours of relaxing comfort. For more details on what to look for in your next camp chair, head over to our buyer’s guide.
It’s set higher up than most chairs in its price range, made for the comfort of taller campers. It provides great back support, a mesh cup holder and side pocket for storing snacks or other go-to items, and — the ultimate feature — a cooler that accommodates up to four cans at once. You’ll never get thirsty when sitting in this Coleman chair, whether you find yourself kicking back on the beach, at a tailgate party, or in the deep woods. Don’t worry about transporting this item — it comes with a carry bag that makes storage and transport a breeze. Transform your deck in the back yard into a living room with the Coleman Deck Chair. The side table with an integrated cup holder makes outdoor meals easy, and it flips down out of the way when you’re finished eating.