The Best Camping Chairs

Camping is a great way to escape the hectic pace of life and enjoy the fresh air and relaxed atmosphere that nature has to offer. It can be a fun and adventurous activity for family and friends, but it is usually associated with uncomfortable seating situations and long days sitting on the cold ground. To avoid this situation on your next camping trip, you need to invest in a camping chair. A good chair will provide superior comfort compared to sitting directly on the ground or other makeshift furniture such as logs or rocks.

If you want to get prepared for your next big adventure, we recommend you take a look at our Best Camping Chair Reviews & Guide. The following chairs are the best choices for this year. The table is sortable; you can use it to find exactly what you are looking for. If that wasn’t enough to convince you, let us provide you with some more information about why these chairs are the best on the market today. It has come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days when you just picked up the cheapest chair that would fit your needs and meet your expectations.

Nowadays, there is an incredible variety of excellent products available to satisfy each need you may have while out in nature enjoying life away from home. Whether it’s about seating comfort, durability, or price, there is something on the market for everyone’s tastes and preferences. We also provide some other Best Backpacking Chair available on the market. They come in different styles and sizes. Here are some shopping tips to help you find the perfect chair for your needs.

Our top picks

Quick Shopping Tips:

Value: It will be comfortable and durable and provide an enjoyable experience. It can withstand lots of use without falling apart and is easy on your pocket. Most of these Best Camp Chairs are available at an affordable price.

Comfort: You’ll want a chair that is both pleasant and well-suited for the environment in which you intend to use it. Some chairs are specifically made for camping, while others were created for various reasons but may be used equally effectively in the great outdoors. If you’re going out in harsh weather or trekking long distances, search for a chair with sturdy construction materials.

Folding and Non-Folding: A few aspects should affect your decision regarding this factor. For example, if you’re going camping in a cold environment, then a chair that folds will become invaluable as it gives you the option of storage overhead on your vehicle, so it doesn’t get snowed over. On the other hand, if you have limited space for transportation or don’t want too much weight on top of your car rack, then a lighter, non-folding chair would suit you best.

Portability: you will want something that folds down small enough to carry with you when not in use or quickly fits inside your vehicle if it doesn’t fold down. It is lightweight and collapsible like Best Camping Tent, which you can carry around and store without occupying too much space.

Durability: the fabric must be durable enough to withstand the incredibly dusty and dirty elements. It should have a solid frame as well as sturdy legs. They should also have a tight grip to ensure it does not fall apart or move around as you sit on them.

Weight: if you’re going camping in remote areas where there won’t be the convenience of traveling by road, weight should become a primary factor in your decision-making about what chair to buy. You will want something lightweight to give you easy portability without adding too much weight to your load or using valuable fuel should you need to take an airplane or even hitchhike out into nature. The purpose of the chair is to provide a comfortable experience for you. You don’t want it to be a burden.

Material: Fabric used can vary; some are more comfortable than others, while some may be weather resistant or water repellent. It needs to be durable enough not to tear or break when you’re carrying it around and sturdy enough not to collapse beneath your weight.

The Best Camping Chairs : First look

The Best Camping Chairs: In-depth Review

The Alps Mountaineering King Kong is our favorite chair. It is consistently the first chair snagged whenever our test team gathers around a campfire. The slightly padded fabric makes it ideal for long lounging sessions. The seat itself is exceptionally roomy, and the frame is incredibly stable. The listed weight capacity is 800 pounds, which is very durable.

Testers appreciated all of the functional storage features, including two cup holders that can hold 32 ounce Nalgene bottles (with insulated sleeves) or disposable cans, mesh pockets for your phone, or small necessities like sunglasses and sunscreen, side pockets to fit your flashlight or e-reader, and back pockets for books, water bottles, or snacks. The bags are located within a convenient reach while you’re seated in the chair.

Note that these pouches do not zip closed, so if you feel like your stuff is unsafe in them, consider wrapping a rubber band around your gear before stashing it away. Sitting 180 degrees upright was a bit of a challenge with this model. The reclining position requires a lot of adjustments, but making that one minor compromise makes it slightly more comfortable to take an afternoon snooze on this chair. This double-layer 600D fabric of this chair is ideal for all of these features, making it the Best Overall Camping Chair.

The GCI Outdoor Comfort Pro is a big chair with a round, almost lazy-susan look that offers comfortable back support and lots of storage space. Our test team appreciated the cup holder just below the mesh strip at the top of the seatback. Digging in here made getting our drink easier without having to lean over or reach way down to get it out of one of the lower side pouches.

The high back is also great for head support when you start dozing off around camp after a long night cooking s’mores by the fire. We didn’t love this model when we were sitting up in it because when we reclined all the way, its arms were pushed out from underneath us, and we were left extra exposed to the elements. The fabric on this chair is weatherproof.

Many chairs have a mesh backing, meaning that they offer support for your back but do not always offer something comfortable to lean on when you want to recline or relax without having a solid surface behind you. A mesh panel helps keep air flowing across your spine even on a hot day, while a single cup holder perfectly fits your favorite refreshing 12-ounce canned beverage: our Top Value pick and one of the Best Budget Camping Chair in this review.

The Kelty Low Loveseat is one of the most comfortable chairs in this review, and we tested it out in several different configurations. While the lower back and seat felt like the most natural place to sit, our taller testers were more comfortable in this chair when they sat in an upright position with their legs crossed or folded Indian style underneath them, making this model very versatile lounging around.

It also features two cup holders, each big enough to hold 32-ounces of liquid without tipping over. Our testers loved this Best Camping Chair for its low-slung design, which allows you to sit closer to whatever surface you are lounging on. The only drawback was the weight and bulkiness of this model, which is quite heavy but offers a comfortable width across its seats. They also make a version of this chair roughly 7 inches taller.

The full-length crossbars across the legs make it sturdy and durable, while its oversized cup holders can fit large bottles or cans, plus anything in between, such as keys, phones, sunscreen bottles, and water bottles. The steel frame with an aluminum back makes the load light enough to carry short distances when folded for transport even though it weighs more than most other double-person chairs at just over 15 pounds. Overall we thought this was one of the Best Two-Person Seating Camping Chairs around, and it’s our Top Pick for Loveseats.

The GCI FreeForm Zero Gravity Chair is an excellent option for someone who wants to recline and lounge for hours. There’s a removable head pillow, a cup holder in front of the handlebars so you can reach your drink without having to let go of your controller and an adjustable padded headrest that locks into position when you’re ready to settle in. This chair has been around since the days when people were still using VHS tapes and flip phones, but it’s still one of our favorites because its uncomplicated design doesn’t sacrifice usability or comfort.

The double-crossed spindles that run across the chair legs give this model added stability when you’re lounging in a horizontal position, getting your tan on, or soaking up some sun while you read your favorite book in the warm summer air. Comfort is the number one priority here, with plush padding on both parts of the seat and backrests, so you don’t have to worry about being uncomfortable while reclining all day long.

This Best Lightweight Camping Chair weighs 17.5 lbs and offers a 300-lb capacity, making it great for lounging with a friend or even too sprawled out to get up when you need to go for a second round at the cooler. The double-crossed spindles that run across the chair legs give this model added stability when you’re lounging in a horizontal position, getting your tan on, or soaking up some sun while you read your favorite book in the warm summer air.

The Kijaro Dual Lock Folding is the most comfortable chair that we tested for seating comfort, with a tall enough seat height that it didn’t feel like our legs were cramped. It also has two cup holders on either side of its armrests and an additional cooler pocket near your right elbow where you can store up to four cans or bottles of soda or beer without tipping over. Its mesh fabric was quickly one of our favorite features because it kept us calm when sitting in the sun on hot days at the beach, holding this model separate from many others with lower-back designs.

Even though this Best Seat Support Camping Chair weighs nearly 10 pounds, it folds down into a small footprint making it easy to transport between vehicles if needed. It also features locking arms that you can release by folding them backward then laying the entire chair down on its side. The other bonus feature of this chair is what Coleman calls “dual lock technology” to keep the locking bars in place, so they don’t shift around when you sit down or fold it back up.

The other bonus feature of this chair is its carrying strap which attaches to the seatback to throw it over your shoulder and hike with it. With its added mesh fabric, our testers found it easy to spend hours at a time in this chair, even when sitting directly in the sun, which is an achievement that none of the other models were able to claim. This model was also one of our Top Picks for Portability because it folds down into a tiny footprint and easily carries between vehicle trunks if needed for transport.

Testers found this Best Camping Chair to be more comfortable than we tested, with spring-loaded rockers on each leg that provide a smooth gliding motion. This GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker is also wider than many other models and has a cup holder attached to its frontmost edge for drinks of any kind. It holds up to 250 pounds and unfolds quickly with just one pull on a strap attached to its backrest.

The Best Folding Camping Chair can be set up anywhere you have a level space and set up in under 90 seconds, so it doesn’t require too much time before you can sit down. It also boasts an aluminum frame over most other plastic-designed chairs, making it sturdy and durable while keeping it lightweight. The excellent additional benefit of the structure is that you can sit down on it so your feet will touch the ground and stand up without worrying about tipping over backward.

I personally like these because it makes an excellent beach chair to take out and enjoy the sun and waves in and also folds into a very compact size (about 13"x13"), making it an easy carry for transport between vehicles or places where you need to put it away quickly when not in use. It has a cup holder molded right into its armrest.

The Yeti Trailhead is very comfortable and supportive with its thickly padded backrest and armrests. The one-cup holder design was also a nice touch, so you don’t have to worry about where you set your drink while sitting in this Best Rocking Camping Chair. And since YETI builds it, it includes their premium insulation keeping your drinks cold for hours on end.

It has a built-in bottle opener attached to the top of the armrest for when you’re ready to relax after a long day enjoying nature. This model also features a durable powder coating protecting against rust and corrosion. And if you’re tired of trying to sit in an upright position, there is the option to completely recline back as far as you like (over 100 degrees).

It folds up into a small enough footprint that it can fit between your front seats or even in the trunk space of many smaller cars. To fold this chair, simply unlock both locks located on either side of its seatback by rotating them forward, then lay its seat flat on the ground and pull upward on the straps attached to each leg.

The NEMO Stargaze Recliner is our pick for Best Camping Chair for Outdoors because it was not only comfortable to sit in but also rocked gently like a glider. This Made in the USA chair kept our testers cool and comfy with its mesh fabric while sitting outside. Its backrest is angled slightly forward, making it easier to get out of than you would expect for any outdoor chair designed with comfort in mind.

This design keeps you up and out of the way when someone needs to walk past, which is excellent should other campers be crowded around your site or if you’re trying to navigate through an outdoor festival. While the Best Comfort Camping Chair weighs only 6 pounds 5 ounces, it doesn’t fold up into a small package but is still very portable and easy to carry between vehicles.

It also has adjustable leg height and reclines at multiple angles so you can choose what’s most comfortable for you and your situation. Simply unlock both locks on each side of the chair by rotating them forward and pushing down gently until the chair lays flat on the ground, then pull upward on its straps attached to the back legs of the frame to lock in place thoroughly.

Final Words

The chair can be set up anywhere you have a level space and set up in under 90 seconds, so it doesn’t require too much time before you can sit down. It also boasts an aluminum frame over most other plastic-designed chairs, making it sturdy and durable while keeping it lightweight. The excellent additional benefit of the structure is that you can sit down on it so your feet will touch the ground and stand up without worrying about tipping over backward.

I like these because it makes an excellent beach chair to take out and enjoy the sun and waves in and has a superb recline option to enjoy the sun entirely. But it doesn’t stop there because it would also be great for tailgating, outdoor, or even just sitting around in your backyard. Best of all, this Best Camping Chair folds up into a small enough size that you can easily take it with you on a hike and still have room in your pack for other items.

Frequently Asked Questions