Because comfort is a significant part of this review, we allocated 35% of each chair’s overall score to this metric. She has backpacked thousands of miles through the Appalachian mountains, the deserts of Southern Utah, and the high Sierra, both alone and with her husband and two girls. Elizabeth and her family can be found traveling the country, living in their converted school bus, seeking adventure through climbing and hiking, and enjoying our public lands as their outdoor living room.
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. Our panel of testers at the Wheeler Gorge Campground deemed the Everywhere Chair to be the most comfortable of the three low-to-the-ground chairs we tested. A low-to-the-ground chair can be ideal Ozark Trail Camping Chairs 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.
Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). 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. If you are looking for an ultracheap choice, the Walmart chair is one. Are you a car camper or do you plan on socializing in friends’ backyards? Perfect for cold-weather campers or parents sitting on the sidelines for early-spring and late-fall games.
The spacious seat is wide and tall and offers a high enough back for a headrest, a feature not found on any other chair this compact and lightweight. Its size is enormous for the small 5.5″ x 5.5″ x 21.5″ bundle it makes when packed up, and the comfort it offers may even encourage you to take a catnap. This chair is still a decent amount heavier than the lightest model in the category, so for those that are ultra-conscious about going ultralight, 29 ounces may still be too heavy.
We are also intrigued by the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair Kit. It’s not a chair but a conversion kit that turns an inflatable sleeping pad into a backpacking chair. The sitting experience is super comfortable, but it’s harder to get into and out of for fear of puncturing the sleeping pad. We’ve tested close to 40 different models over the past 10 years. In this review, we compare 17 of the best backpacking chairs available today. We evaluate each seat on its comfort, identifying crucial elements of each product’s performance.
Despite its simplicity, it offers exceptional value for its low price, extreme durability, minuscule weight, and versatility. Same goes for the Nemo Chipper which is even cheaper and made from reclaimed materials. For the most significant cost savings, look to the foam chairs, which are almost always less expensive than tent-style models but can still offer you a padded seat to comfort your derrière.
At a fireworks show and at the beach, we appreciated a chair that was ready to go without even 30 seconds of hassle. The Everywhere Chair closes like a book—simply lift the padded strap and go. The cupholders on the L.L.Bean Kids’ Base Camp Chair aren’t as roomy as those on our picks, and they are not as adept at holding stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate. After six months Ozark Trail Camping Chairs of sitting mostly outside in the Southern California sun, our gray Coleman chair was noticeably less faded than our Walmart and Renetto chairs, the latter of which had bleached from bright red to pink. “This is the Platonic ideal of your camp chair,” one of our campers gushed. For ultimate relaxation, add a few portable chairs, a hammock or other outdoor-friendly lounge furniture.
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. Twisting chairs are also less comfortable, primarily because they tend to have a smaller sitting surface and no backrest, as is true of the REI Co-op Trail Stool. Tent-style chairs like the Big Agnes Skyline UL, Big Agnes Big Six, and Nemo Moonlite excel in the comfort metric since their raised seats are easier to get in and out of. Because they keep their form, it is much easier to plop down and feel supported. The Helinox Ground Chair is a unique tent chair that sits even lower to the ground than its closest competitors, making it more of a recliner meant to extend legs forward.
There’s no getting around the fact that this model is substantially heavier than the superlight models on the market. That said, we all know that person willing to haul an extra pound or two to improve their camp amenities. If you don’t mind a bit of extra weight, this model offers unmatched comfort wrapped up in a reasonably small travel size. Our not-too-discriminating underage testers liked all the kids’ chairs, though over time we found several reasons to declare the REI Camp Chair the best of the bunch.