The Moonlite weighs under two pounds, folds into a compact position, and comes with a zip-up carrying bag. A low-to-the-ground chair can be ideal for outdoor movies, concerts, theater performances, and other events where you want to avoid blocking other people’s view. Our testers liked the comfort and back support of the GCI Outdoor Everywhere Chair, as well as the ability to adjust it to sit on uneven ground. They also appreciated its cupholder (rare in chairs of this sort) and its quick close-up-and-carry design. On Alibaba.com, there are international wholesale suppliers for a variety of fancy and cheap beach chairs.
The Sunset Chair breaks down and folds into a surprisingly compact carry bag. Despite having a high back and being impressively durable, this model weighs just 3.24 pounds and is the lightest chair we tested. If that’s not enough, its carry bag can also double as a pillow for a personalized headrest. Once again, we really appreciate the features of the Timber Ridge and the Best Choice chairs.
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). 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. 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.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a reading chair or a sideline seat, we’ve found the right model for your needs and wallet. The camp-style chairs, like the ALPS Mountaineering King Kong, Coleman Cooler Quad, and Kijaro Dual Lock, generally score the highest as they all packed into their own included carrying bags. In the Kijaro’s case, you can skip the bag, as the chair itself has a shoulder strap on the frame that works well in conjunction with its namesake locking mechanism holding it closed in transit. However, its folded length is nearly 4 feet, which isn’t very compact nor convenient.
Each of our durable designs brings its own set of standout features, so there’s no wrong choice. Our assessments are chiefly based on four critical performance areas, including Comfort, Portability, Features, and Durability. Below, we discuss how each affects the overall performance of a quality lawn chair, and which models stood out as top performers in each area. On the downside, we wish that the drink tray was part of the chair, as when carting it around, it was easy for us to forget the tray in the car. We also would prefer that the powder-coated metal was a lighter color, because the black color gets super hot in the sun.
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. Unsurprisingly, the chairs rated to hold 500 pounds or more scored well here. After several months of testing, the steel frames and 600-denier nylon fabric construction of the King Kong (rated to 800 pounds!) and the Kelty Loveseat didn’t show any wear or tear.
The cords are ultra-breezy, they don’t get hot and they repel water, making this chair absolutely perfect for the hottest summer days. You can say that of most wire chairs, but the Acapulco Chair is especially well-ventilated. Lawn chairs live on your lawn when the weather is nice, but depending on where you live, you’re probably going to want to store them away during the off-season. Like most chairs of this type, the Coleman Oversized Quad comes with an over-the-shoulder carry bag. The Helinox Beach and Sunset, ENO Lounger, REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer, and Nemo Stargaze all have a separate frame and fabric seat that had to be assembled. Most of them aren’t difficult, but it’s more involved than setting up any of the traditional chairs.
If lumbar support is a must, it could be worth transporting a bit of extra weight to have a super sturdy chair on your site. These made-in-the-USA chairs are lightweight, foldable, stackable and durable, with rustproof aluminum and webbing that’s fade-, UV- and weather-resistant. They’re available in a wide variety of colors and sizes — from low-slung beach chairs up to the supersized “Magnum” lawn chairs. 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.
However, the convenience of the lock and shoulder strap combined with the height and support still make the Kijaro a chair we often reach for when heading to barbecues and backyard hangouts. The Quik Shade MAX Shade Chair might be the most unique chair we tested in this whole review. Its standout feature, the fairly large canopy hanging out over the seat, is the main reason to consider this chair. While it seems gimmicky at first, the canopy is actually pretty nice, especially as the day heats up and shade becomes increasingly necessary.
When we set up a dozen chairs around the campfire without comment, people consistently claimed them from largest to smallest. The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer is similarly lightweight, weighing just a few ounces more and packing away into a case nearly as small. It’s fairly lightweight, and though folding lawn chairs it doesn’t fit into a small compact package, it has backpack straps for hands-free carrying. While not as packable considering weights that exceed 13 pounds, the Yeti Trailhead and ALPS Mountaineering King Kong also feature a backpack-style carry bag that makes portability a bit easier.