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. 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). Today’s specialty backpacking chairs are impressively small and light.
If you would like to have an indication of the shipping charges, please feel free to ask for a quote. 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. We think the REI chair functions better and will last much longer than the similar chair from Walmart. But the price difference is significant—and after six months of near-constant outdoor use, the Walmart chair was still in decent shape.
For all of the features and the size of the Cooler Quad, setting it up is just as easy as any other basic camp chair. There are no moving parts, coleman canopy footrests to avoid, or sunshades to deploy. The only thing between you and an afternoon of grilling is getting it out of the sleeve.
If you’re wondering what all goes into the perfect camp chair, our buyer’s guide can answer similar questions and more. Those in the market for a new chair can head our top picks of the season for side-by-side comparisons of the latest and greatest models available. Folding up a Coleman camp chair is easier than you might coleman canopy think, regardless of how many pockets, coolers, or other fancy features they may have. All you need to do is grab onto the armrests and draw them towards the center, and the rest of the chair should collapse. After this, you’ll want to slide the folded chair into the carrying sling, and then you can be on your way.
If there’s anything exceptional about the Cooler Quad chair, it’s the size. With the exception of REI’s Camp Xtra, it has the undisputed largest seat of any of the camping chairs we’ve tested. I harp on being tall a lot in these reviews, but it’s not often that I come across a product that feels like it was built for big people.
They’re also far more expensive and significantly less comfortable than typical full-size camp chairs. 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.