Look for chairs with removable and washable fabric, as well as materials that are resistant to stains, dirt, and mildew. In our experience, less expensive chairs are more susceptible to rust. Better-made chairs will require less maintenance in the long-run because they’ll be made of higher quality rust-proof materials. Are you planning to use it for camping trips only, or do you also want a chair that can be used for other outdoor activities like picnics, fishing, or sports events?
If you’re spending a lot of time at the ball field, you may want a camp chair you can carry hands-free. Many of our top choices for camp chairs come with an included carry case for convenience. Most of those bags have a single strap to sling over your shoulder, but the ALPS Mountaineering King Kong carry-case has two backpack straps for even more aid.
Artful employment of padding along the seat makes the Cooler Quad a little more than just an oversized camp chair. Just a thin layer of foam that adds something to the polyester does the job without making it feel like you’re sitting in a pile of mashed potatoes. 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.
Look for chairs that use recycled materials or are designed with minimal environmental footprint. For example, you can look at Nemo’s sustainability report to look at their impact as a brand, including carbon accountability. If you plan to camp somewhere it rains or is humid, consider chairs that are weather-resistant. Look for chairs with water-resistant or quick-drying fabrics that can withstand rain or moisture. If you expect a lot of sun exposure, be aware that some fabrics deteriorate much faster when exposed to UV rays. The Helinox folding camping chair folds down to 4”x 4″x 14″ in its stuff sack — about the size of a Nalgene water bottle.
There are plenty of draws to the Cooler Quad, but by my figuring, none are more compelling than the price tag. I’d place the Cooler Quad at the top end of our best budget options. But generally speaking, you can have one of our favorite chairs coleman canopy for less than 40 dollars. The mesh cup holder has a soft plastic grommet stitched into the armrest fabric, reinforcing the mesh and helping the cup holder retain its shape so you have effortless access to your beverage of choice.
We also liked the low height, which made it feel more stable on sand and it was easier to reach down to grab the beach towel or the sandwiches on the picnic blanket. The Helinox Chair Zero is easy to assemble with a single shock-cord pole that locks into place once it’s unfolded. The frame is made of lightweight (but still sturdy) aluminum, and the seat is made out of ripstop polyester fabric for durability. Some chairs are more suited to reclining, which while the ideal angle for star gazing, likely isn’t going to work great for roasting marshmallows. A chair like the ENO Lounger DL Chair is certainly among this camp, while the ALPS King Kong offers a more upright position.
But if you’re a sucker for the OG, the Dometic Go Compact has all the style you’ll need. Inflating is a cinch, and while the recommended max PSI of 10 was a bit too firm when we initially sat down, the lower end of 7 PSI provided the slight cushion that won us over. The seat is low-slung with a seating position that’s ideal for digging your toes in, and because the legs are really rails, there’s little-to-no awkward tipping when the ground isn’t perfectly level. We also dragged this chair from the beach to the forest and didn’t have any concerns with punctures. When we sit in this chair, it’s one of the most supportive, stiff options out there, which is great if your back is achy or for folks who prefer an upright brace. The King Kong chair back is also relatively high, and we really appreciate that extra backing when we’re feeling tired — plus the seat is deep, reinforcing our hamstrings.
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. Before we tried the Renetto Original Canopy Chair, we had never considered buying a shade-equipped camp chair. The shaded Renetto chairs were consistently the first seats snagged at a beautiful but harshly exposed Indian Grove group campsite.