The Best Camping Chairs

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A good camping chair can be used almost anywhere, from lounging around the campfire, to watching your kid’s soccer game, to relaxing at the beach, to providing extra seating at a barbecue. That’s what makes camping chairs so popular: You can keep one in the trunk of your car, just in case. No matter how you intend to use it, your camping chair should be comfortable, portable and durable. To help find the right one for you, we’ve identified the best camping chairs on the market.

Best Camping Chairs Rankings

How to Find the Best Camping Chair For You

No matter how you plan to use your camping chair, you will want to consider the following qualities when comparing different brands and models:

Portability

Likely the most important aspect of most camping chairs is how easy it is to carry. Does it pack down into a carrier with a strap, does it have straps of its own, or is it small enough to fit into one of your other packs? And is it light enough for you to transport on a hike, or back and forth to the car?

Durability

No one wants a camping chair that splits open or breaks after only two seasons of use. Frequency of use and level of care will affect the life of any product, but investing in high-quality materials and craftsmanship is a must.

Weight Limit

Frequently applying more weight to your chair than it was built to accommodate will cause it to break down more quickly. Before purchasing a chair, make sure that it was built to handle your intended use. For example, if you have kids who like to sit in your lap, you should factor that extra weight into the total weight capacity you look for in a chair.

Amenities

From cup holders and built-in coolers to head and foot rests, camping chairs come with all sorts of amenities to increase comfort. But no chair has everything, so you’ll need to decide what’s most important to you. It’s also worth considering how you intend to use these amenities. For example, camping chair cup holders tend to be too narrow to accommodate traditional camping mugs, and foot rests will likely make the setup process more complex.

The Best Camping Chairs for All-Around Use

Top Pick: The Coleman Oversized Quad Chair

The Coleman Oversized Quad Chair can be used just about anywhere, from around the campfire to the pool to the beach. Side pockets; a built-in cooler that can hold up to four cans; a padded seat and back; and sturdy construction provides everything you need. With thousands of online reviews and a high customer approval rating, the people have truly spoken in favor of this chair. The seat is easy to get in and out of at 18.5 inches from the ground and has a weight capacity of 300 pounds. At just under eight pounds the chair is one of the lightest in its class as well which makes it supremely portable, although it is likely too heavy for a backpacking trip. And at $34.95, the price point is also one of the lowest on the market.

Runner-up: The Kijaro Dual Lock Portable Camping Chair

The Kijaro Dual Lock Portable Camping Chair, which also has a high customer rating, is a bit heavier than the Coleman Oversized Quad Chair at 9.4 pounds. This chair provides great value at a budget-friendly price point just over $40. It has mesh fabric to keep your back cool, two cup holders and a side hanging storage pocket for your reading materials.

Runner-up: The GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker Chair

The GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker Chair is loved by consumers and gives you a very comfortable, rocking-chair-like feel. The chair features a single cup holder and a convenient, permanently attached carrying handle. The drawback is that it weighs a bit over 12 pounds and doesn’t always work well on uneven ground.

The Best Camping Chairs for Backpacking

Top Pick: The Helinox Chair Zero

In our experience, a good sleeping pad can double as an excellent camp chair. But if you want to sit above the rest, the Helinox Chair Zero is a must have. At just over one pound, this easily transported chair is surprisingly comfortable and sturdy, with a 265-pound weight limit. In order to shed pounds, this option doesn’t have many bells and whistles (not even cup holders), and at $119.95 it’s not the cheapest. Yet this doesn’t stop customers from giving it rave online reviews.

Runner-up: The Helinox Chair One

The Helinox Chair One has a high customer satisfaction rating, a very similar design to the Chair Zero (albeit one pound heavier) and a slightly lower price point at just over $100. The weight differential is the primary reason this chair did not make our top pick. The seat back height is 25.5 inches with a seat width of 21.5 inches.

The Best Budget Camping Chairs

Top Pick: The Amazon Basic Camping Chair

At just over $30 this is an excellent purchase for price conscious shoppers. The Amazon Basic Camping Chair comes with a built-in cooler that holds four cans, a cup holder and a side pocket for storage. At 6.35 pounds, this chair is very portable, but its weight capacity is limited to 225 pounds.

Runner Up: Coleman Oversized Quad Chair

We already highlighted The Coleman Oversized Quad Chair with built-in cooler as the best overall camping chair, but its affordability at under $35 makes it the best budget camping chair, too.

The Best Big-and-Tall Camping Chairs

Two hundred and twenty-five pounds was the lowest weight limit of all the chairs we reviewed, and 90 percent of the chairs featured in our Best Camping Chairs rankings have weight limits higher than 250 pounds. For the Big and Tall category, we compared chairs with weight limits greater than 300 pounds.

Top Pick: ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair

The ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair stands out above the rest for big-and-tall customers. With an 800-pound weight limit, this chair is exceptionally sturdy. It also has the roomiest seat we measured at 24.5 inches wide. ALPS Mountaineering did not skimp on amenities either, with cup holders and side pockets on both arms, and a third mesh storage pocket on the back of the seat. A carrying case with a shoulder strap makes carrying this 12-pound chair easy.

Runner-up: The Coleman Big N Tall Quad Chair

The Coleman Big N Tall Quad Chair is a notable runner up. It has many of the features we love from Coleman’s Oversized Quad Chair, minus the built-in cooler. This chair has a single cup holder on the left armrest and a useful cell phone protection sleeve on the right armrest so you can see your messages or control your music without worrying about it being exposed to the elements or falling off the chair. There is also a convenient side storage pocket.

Runner-up: The Kijaro XXL Dual Lock Portable Camping and Sports Chair

The Kijaro XXL Dual Lock Portable Camping and Sports Chair is another highly rated option with a carrying capacity of 400 lbs and a nice mesh backing that allows some extra airflow to keep your back cool.  This chair has 2 cup holders and a convenient side storage pocket.

The Best Camping Chairs for Kids

Top Pick: Melissa & Doug

Many kids love sitting in oversized adult camping chairs. But if you’re looking to nurture your child’s independence and get them a chair of their own, Melissa & Doug has the most popular chair line for young kids, with the Cutie Pie Butterfly Camp Chair and Giddy Buggy Chair models leading the way. These chairs are sturdy and easy to set up, and they come with  a cup holder for their little water bottles or crayons. Finally, they store away in convenient cases with handles. Did we mention they also have fun themes?

Runner-up: Jakks Pacific

If you’re looking for a brand with a lot of recognizable TV and movie character options that match your little one’s interests, try the Jakks Pacific. This chair has a wide variety of Disney designs to choose from, a single cup holder and convenient carrying case.

The Best Camping Chairs for Couples

Top Pick: Kelty Discovery Low-Love Seat

This is a relatively new class of chair helping to bring you and your friends or loved ones closer together. The Kelty Discovery Low-Love Seat is the best in this growing class, with separate cup holders, a 500-pound weight limit and a 44-inch width – plenty of room for two without feeling crowded. At 15 pounds, this is not the most portable of chairs, but you are carrying for two. The model has hundreds of rave reviews, and a relatively affordable $114 price tag.

Runner up: The Kamp-Rite Outdoor 2 Person Double Folding Lawn Chair

The Kamp-Rite Outdoor 2 Person Double Folding Lawn Chair is also a decent option in this class, not to mention more affordable at just over $63. The Kamp-Rite is two inches narrower than the Kelty, making it a little less comfortable, and it is made of slightly less durable material.  There are two cup holders and a convenient carrying case.