Since the chair weighs just under 5 pounds, transport is almost as stress-free as snoozing in this crowd-pleaser. Since the breathable mesh is also quick-drying, you can feel free to plop down in a wet bathing suit and leave the chair out during afternoon rain showers. And although its thinness may cause you concern, it has proved to be durably and sturdy after months of use.
A wider leg base provides extra stability but often comes at the cost of weight and pack size. Some simply fold open, whereas others take a couple coleman cooler of minutes to assemble. But we were able to do it without reading the directions, and the tradeoff for the fun, rocking chair feature is worth it.
I haven’t experienced any issues with mine despite pushing the weight limit and the cooler capacity up to the limit, but there is enough evidence floating around to question the integrity of the joints. REI’s Flexlite Chair has been replaced by an entire flock of Flexlite chairs; the one that is the closest to replacing the original Flexlite in the lineup is the Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair.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. 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.
And it’s no one-trick pony either, as the impressive storage pockets will attest to. It proved impressively sturdy and stable as well, even as a 3-year-old repeatedly climbed in and out. We found that it was best for kids under 9 years old, but that will depend on the height and weight of each kid. While the armrest does sport an integrated cup holder, your drinks will have to go koozie-less to be able to fit, which was a small price to pay considering the budget buy-in this chair commands. At $30, you very well could snag a cheap cooler to go along with the chair!
Weighing in at a negligible 8lbs 2oz, the Cooler Quad won’t punish you for parking a little ways away from your intended destination. When you consider this in tandem with the carrying sleeve, the Cooler Quad lies somewhere on the more portable end of the full-sized camp chair spectrum. A camping chair with such a high-grade integrated cooler wouldn’t be much without a cup holder to match. The makings of great camping chairs aren’t all that complicated, and Coleman’s Cooler Quad hits the nail on the head.