The Helinox Chair One weighs about 2 pounds, compresses smaller than a 2-liter bottle of soda, and is our most lightweight pick. Other chairs we tested sacrificed too much comfort in order to shave mere ounces off of their chairs’ weights, and we don’t think the ozark trail chair tradeoff was worth it. Keep in mind that lightweight chairs won’t be nearly as comfortable as traditional camping chairs, so take the word “comfortable” with a grain of salt. If you’re planning a car-camping trip, you’ll probably want to bring camping chairs.
Renetto licenses its patent to a company called Kelsyus, which makes cheaper versions of the chair. There are also chairs that are hybrids between categories, such as the Nemo Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair, which comes highly rated and recommended. It has the highest weight capacity and largest seat of any chair we tested. Out of all the chairs we tested, this chair’s capacity—800 pounds—is the highest (the next-highest weight limit is 500 pounds). With its spacious seat width, this chair also offers more room than any other model we tested. And its backrest extends higher up than those of other chairs; this is nice for taller folks or people who like a good slouch with some head support.
Senior editor Kalee Thompson, who wrote a previous version of this guide, has been regularly using the Coleman chair she originally tested in 2016. Aside from the color fading and the cooler pouch deteriorating, her chair has held up to years of backyard hangs and camping trips. In summer 2023, she bought a newer Coleman Cooler Quad Chair to compare to her 2016 model, and she found them to be more or less the same. Weighing about 8 pounds, the Coleman chair is lighter than most traditional models, so it’s easier to grab from deep in a car trunk or to carry for long distances. Like others in its category, this chair comes with an over-the-shoulder carry bag, but some testers found it was light and compact enough to carry without the case.
It’s currently low in stock, but REI tells us this chair will be widely available again over the summer. The weight of this Ozark Trail is lighter than most of the same size alternative steel frame canopy tents, coming in right about 29 lbs. From a positive perspective, the lightweight design increases portability which is certainly important in carrying the tent to its intended location.
Reinforced stitching, guy lines, weights, and stakes can also help with durability. Featuring a durable steel frame for durability, the name says it all when it comes to setting up and adjusting this tent. Overall, we think the ozark trail sleeping bag serves its intended purpose – a value brand 10×10 instant shelter that caters to price conscious consumers looking for an affordable shade option. And compared to some of the tents in the EZ-Up lineup, it sells for almost a 70% discount. One could, in theory, purchase a new Ozark canopy every year (which they might need to!) and still come out ahead over the years vs. purchasing a more expensive alternative. A wheeled bag is the best for easy transport and compact storage when not in use.
This polyester sleeping bag features two sleeping bags that can be zipped together. The zippers come along the whole length of the sleeping bag, ensuring you safety from insect bite or frost bite. This washable sleeping bag also has elastic roll-up straps that help you to fold and store it easily.
The Coleman camping chair is big and durable, and of all the upright chairs that our panel of campers tested, it was the most comfortable. The TikTok version of the chair is adorably summer-themed, featuring nostalgia-inducing red, white, and blue popsicle designs all over the seat. There’s a cupholder on the right arm and a built-in cooler on the left that can hold a six-pack of drinks (or more, if you dare). Portable outdoor chairs are also helpful for anyone who doesn’t have the room or budget for permanent backyard furniture. And they can save your back, make it easier to juggle a picnic plate and a cold beverage, and generally help you to relax comfortably outdoors.
Despite the Renetto’s weight, our testers found it easy to carry and simple to set up and adjust. Not only is the canopy big enough to block most, if not all, sunlight any time of day, the chair’s seat has a strip of breathable mesh down the middle for airflow. Wirecutter’s senior staff writer Lauren Dragan says her Renetto is her most comfortable camping chair. The King Kong chair has two cupholders and intuitively placed storage pouches under each armrest; unlike the Coleman chair, though, this one doesn’t have a cooler pouch. There’s also a mesh pocket behind the backrest, to hold things you don’t need to access quickly.
Stumps, stools, boulders, and picnic tables are fine for sitting briefly outdoors. But if you want to kick back and stay comfy, the right camping chair can make all the difference. The biggest issue in all of this is the inability to withstand any rotational pressure during medium and high impact weather conditions as the joints become unstable and collapse at the mid points. In windy conditions high stress is applied to each side and the frame begins to break down at the unreinforced joint connectors. The credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which this site receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).