Traditional camping chairs
Similar to the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair in size, the Ozark Trail Oversized Mesh Camp Chair with Cooler was far less comfortable, with rough-feeling polyester that was obviously of lower quality. After six months of frequent use, the stitching along one arm had come unraveled, and the small straps holding up the back of the armrests had both ripped in half.
The Kuma Off Grid Chair was comfortable on the first sit, and I enjoyed its reclining feature. But after 15–20 minutes, the seat felt too firm, and beyond that I was even less comfortable. It’s also bulky and awkward to carry.
The Kelty Deluxe Lounge Chair has the build of a classic camping chair (like our top pick) but it reclines too. When upright, it didn’t feel much more comfortable than our picks, but the reclining feature adds a welcome dimension. The problem is that in order to recline, you have to get out of the chair and adjust the legs, which raises the seat slightly.
Low-to-the-ground chairs
The GCI Outdoor Everywhere Chair was once our low-to-the-ground pick, but it was more difficult to get in and out of than the REI Co-op Camp Low chair, and its lightweight design sacrificed a good deal of solidity and durability. GCI has since released the Everywhere Chair 2, which we plan to look at.
The ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous chair supports 300 pounds (more than its competitors support), and its armrests can double as supports for getting in and out of the chair. But our testers said this was the least comfortable low model.
Packable and lightweight camping chairs
The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair and the Flexlite Air (its featherweight sibling, which Kyle owns and used to use fairly regularly) are lighter than any other chairs in their category, but they feel less steady than the rest. We blame the crossbar design, which runs front to back rather than side to side; this creates a lot of wobble from right to left, especially if the chair is not on perfectly even ground.
Although the Helinox Chair Zero is lighter than our lightweight pick, the Helinox Chair One, most testers thought it was less comfortable. For many, it squished their hips too much.
Many testers found other chairs more comfortable and easier to put together than the Nemo Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair. This is also the most expensive lightweight chair we tested, and we think the Chair One is a better value.
Foldable stadium chairs
The Coleman Stadium Seat with Arms is budget-friendly, but it was the least comfortable of this style of chair. The ALPS Mountaineering Weekender is worth spending extra.
Similarly, Ozark Trail’s Stadium Seat was cheap but especially uncomfortable.
GCI Outdoor makes two stadium chairs: the Big Comfort Stadium Chair with Armrests and the Stadium Rock-Cliner. The Big Comfort was as comfortable as the Kijaro Dual Lock Stadium Seat with Arms, but it weighs over a pound more, and the hook on its underside was not as easy to attach to bleachers. The Stadium Rock-Cliner was notably comfortable, but it weighs almost as much as our top pick (8-plus pounds), so it’s annoying to carry into and through a crowded stadium.
The Crazy Creek Original Chair fell short of the ALPS Mountaineering Weekender in several ways. Its padding was stiffer and less cushy than the Weekender’s, and its straps (and thus, the backrest) were more difficult to adjust when I was seated. Plus, it doesn’t have a pocket.
Rocking chairs
Testers close to 6 feet tall complained that the GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker seat was too shallow, hitting the underside of their thighs. They also said the top of the seat back pressed awkwardly on their shoulder blades and upper back. In addition, this chair is not easy to carry.
Kids’ chairs
The material on our kids’ chair pick feels both more forgiving and more durable than the stiffer material on the Coleman Kids Quad Chair. The cheaply constructed Walmart chair had a cupholder that was too small for a soda can or a hard-plastic or metal water bottle.
The cupholders on the L.L.Bean Kids’ Base Camp Chair aren’t as roomy as those on our picks, and they’re not as adept at holding stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate.
