There’s no reinventing the wheel here, just a few decades of practice that have culminated in a really good product. The Everywhere Chair keeps your bottom about 4 inches off the ground. 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.
Artful employment of padding along the seat makes the Cooler Quad a little more than just an oversized camp chair. “We use these every week for our kids’ games and practices,” wrote one five-star reviewer. They went on to coleman screen tent share that “the carrying pouch is sturdy, the chairs are wide and comfy, and the cup holder [and] side cooler [are] so convenient.” It comes with a bag that has a shoulder strap to cart it around and weighs 8 pounds.
It takes a couple of minutes to store but will significantly extend the lifetime. A close-to-the-ground chair is often the ideal choice for outdoor concerts, movies, theater performances, and other events where you will be concerned about blocking other people’s view. The canopy quickly and easily transforms into a carrying case—just wrap it around the chair and snap it closed with two plastic buckles, and you can carry the whole thing on your back like an oblong backpack. We brought this chair to a dense Los Angeles neighborhood to watch Fourth of July fireworks. We got some admiring nods en route to the celebration—and we had one of the more comfy seats at the show. After six months of regularly using the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair, we think it’s the best choice for most people who are seeking an upright chair for car camping, tailgating, and outdoor gatherings.
But after half a dozen excursions, we found—as we had with the Renetto Original Canopy Chair—that having a chair you can easily carry without a bag is preferable. In real-world conditions, you’re often coleman screen tent packing up fast to try to get ahead of crowds or traffic. So you can easily misplace a carry sack on a dark night in a crowded field, especially if you’re in a large group or have a lot of stuff.
If you’re in the market for a new camp chair and aren’t sure where to start, our buyer’s guide has a ton of resources to help you get started. To see our favorite picks from Coleman and more, take a look at our top camp chairs article to see what else is out there. 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. 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.
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. The Renetto chair coleman canopy usually comes in between 8 and 10 colors and is rated to hold up to 350 pounds. Walk around any campground or tailgate party, and you’ll notice the popularity of this variety of accordion-style seat.
Between the cooler, the reinforced cup holder, and the side pocket, the Cooler Quad is designed to keep you right where you are. In total, it’s a pretty great deal for anyone looking to invest in a mid-tier camp chair that offers competitive comfort and all the features you could want. The makings of great camping chairs aren’t all that complicated, and Coleman’s Cooler Quad hits the nail on the head. The tall back, wide seat, and subtle-yet-serviceable padding let me feel like I could really relax and forget momentarily that I was supposed to find things to criticize.
I found that the hardest part about using the chair was deciding how I wanted to stock the cooler. This Coleman camping chair also did a great job staying dry when the sun came out, and I started to sweat. It never managed to soak through, though I doubt that would be the case in any kind of rain. 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. Coleman recalls an era of bold retro lines and geometric forms, featuring an outstanding functional design infused with savoir fair.
In addition to the cooler, the chair has a mesh cup holder, two mesh pockets, and a roomy seat that’s 24 inches wide. It easily folds up and slips into its shoulder-strap carrying bag and is lightweight enough to carry to a picnic. While the padded seat and armrests are great for campers who like a cushioned feel, some may find the chair lacking in back support.