Spending a night in the woods is fun any way you look at it, but it’s even better with the right camping gear and one of our favorite tents. Whether you need a top-rated camping stove and camping cookware for your kitchen kit or a cushy camping mattress and travel-sized pillow for a good outdoor patio shades night’s rest, we’ve got you covered. We’ve also tested the best backpacking chairs if you need to go lighter and smaller than what this review covers. With so many stylish patio chairs to choose from at IKEA, we’re certain to have the right fit for your budget and desired aesthetic.
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 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.
Here we break down their performances by metric to get down to the specifics of each model. The Best Choice Products Adjustable Zero Gravity provides comfort at a really affordable price. This option gives you two zero gravity chairs for the price of one of many other brands. We really like how it reclines and raises easily, and the large drink tray is accommodating. For how comfortable and nice this chair is, we think it’s a great deal. Nothing is worse than finding yourself forced to play musical chairs around the campfire.
There are many foldable beach chair types, they differ in material, color, design, and height. They have varnish and other finishers applied to them to protect against heat and moisture damage. With good resistance and very low maintenance, it offers a great cost-benefit.
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.
You don’t always find comfortable over-sized chairs, and this chair works for everyone in my family. And after regularly using the chair for six months (and leaving it out in the rain on occasion), it’s still in great condition. While the design dates back to Mexico in the 1950s, the Acapulco Chair was only introduced to the US market by manufacturer Innit Designs in 2009. Both stylish and practical, the Acapulco Chair has a pear-shaped silhouette comprised of vinyl cords woven around a powder-coated steel frame.
This chair has grown on our lead tester the longer she has owned it, a credit to its impressive longevity and comfort. Since the breathable mesh is also quick-drying, you can feel free to plop down in a wet bathing suit and leave the chair out during afternoon rain showers. And although its thinness may cause you concern, it has proved to be durably and sturdy after months of use. The right armrest has a mug-compatible cup holder, while the left armrest’s unique drop-down pocket can be secured with a drawstring to make sure your valuables stay put.
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, folding lawn chairs 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.
The chair is comfy enough for all-day sitting, and we appreciated that the back was higher on this chair than the other lightweight options we evaluated. The chair comes in black, red, blue, and green, and you can save a few dollars per chair by purchasing a pack of two on the Trekology website. For anyone sick of that sports chair slouch, the Kijaro Dual Lock Folding Chair is the model you’ve been waiting for. The frame holds the seat and back fabric taut by locking open to provide a firm foundation. A comfortably angled back panel promotes relaxation rather than rigidity.
After researching and evaluating the top products on the market today, we independently purchased the products for this review. We created our own rigorous test plan, targeting objective assessments and using measurable tests when possible. We tested and used each product exhaustively, comparing models side-by-side to tease apart even the smallest differences. Our team also measured seat heights and degrees of reclining range, tried out each drink holder with cans and cups, and left them under the sun for days to see how they hold up. We’ve carried and sat in each model to help bring you the details you need to make a confident purchase decision.