The Quik Shade MAX Shade Chair stands out with its unique canopy to provide shade. It was a little jerky to set up, but we did appreciate our own little shade that kept us from baking in the sun. The one other really unique feature we saw was the cooler in the armrest of the Coleman, which fits four 12-ounce cans and some ice. The Coleman Cooler Quad is a pretty standard camping-style chair at first glance, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve. Notably, the left armrest unzips to reveal a cooler pouch that can fit up to four cans, while the right armrest sports a cup holder. There is also an accessory pouch on the right side of the chair for extra storage.
As nice and comfortable as zero gravity chairs are, they are quite heavy. They’re not as portable as the camping-style chairs; this one is heavier outdoor patio shades and doesn’t pack down nearly as small. If you’re packing it in your car and space is tight, you might wish you had a smaller chair.
To see how comfortable it was to use the chairs for extended periods of time, we sat in each for minutes, making sure to evaluate any extra features like tables, coolers, and cup holders. We also tested any adjustable features like recliners outdoor patio shades and armrests to see if those functions worked smoothly. And that extends to her Target-exclusive home goods brand, Hearth & Hand with Magnolia. Just 40 bucks will get you this down-home take on the classic folding lawn chair.
Schoolhouse offers its own exclusive take on a vintage-style folding lawn chair, and this Schoolhouse rocks (pun intended). While the dimensions are different (this is larger), this chair is very similar to Lawn Chair USA’s. Both feature an aluminum frame, a 225-lb weight limit and are made in the USA. What mostly sets them apart are the striking color combinations that Schoolhouse has cooked up here.
The GCI Outdoor Comfort Pro is a simple chair that offers solid performance for less than you might expect. It has a fairly tall seat and back to match widely-splayed arms, offering plenty of space to sit high above the ground. It’s not the most supportive seat we tested, but it’s above average among its competition, leaving slouchy folding sports chairs in the dust when it comes to supporting your full weight.
Our lead tester loved that the headrest can also be used as back support. They both came with detachable cupholder trays that could also hold a book or sunglasses. The best feature of all was the recliners, especially if the lockouts were easy to use and the weight was well balanced, like on the Caravan Sports chair.
They carefully evaluated the comfort, durability, portability, and value of each chair to put together this list of the best options for camping. Testers considered whether the chairs would be too heavy, bulky, or awkward to carry for either a long patio furniture sets distance or simply from a house to a car trunk. After our product team extensively researched the market, a group of editors with a wide range of camping experiences gathered in our New York City lab to test 29 of the best portable outdoor chairs.