The Ozark Trail XXL Director chair’s metal frame has an all-business look about it too, which clearly sends the message that this is a go-anywhere chair. We found the Coleman Kickback Breeze Chair to be a simple yet very comfortable seat, though women liked it more than men did (many of them judged it to be too snug). Anecdotally, we found that this chair category in general is more popular among women than among men, who generally prefer a higher, upright seat.
This low-profile chair is easy to carry, and it adjusts for uneven ground. Select a chair with a built-in canopy, which will give you a little patch of cool at any campsite or cookout. We like almost everything about this sturdy little chair, with its best features, in our view, being the width of the seat, the generous amount of supported weight, and its surprisingly modest price. We like this durable, well-constructed chair that has a frame that makes you confident to sit. “This is the Platonic ideal of your camp chair,” one of our campers gushed. Are you a car camper or do you plan on socializing in friends’ backyards?
The Chair One is rated to hold up to 320 pounds, versus 250 pounds for the Flexlite and for the third chair we tested, the Alite Monarch Chair (the latter chair is no longer available, as Alite went out of business in late 2019). The Renetto chair usually comes in between 8 and 10 colors and is rated to hold up to 350 pounds. After six months 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. Portable outdoor chairs are also helpful for anyone who doesn’t have the room or budget for permanent backyard furniture.
They also love that it’s easy to fold and easy to open and set up. If you want something a bit easier to access, you could always drill a small hole in one corner of the tray table and affix the D-Ring there, but many people will balk at the idea of defacing their chair. Either way, it’s easy to add a bit of storage if you want or need it. As you can see, just by looking at the numbers, this is a big chair. The Ozark Trail Oversized Mesh Chair from Walmart, although similar to our pick in size, was far less comfortable, with rough-feeling material that was obviously of lower quality. We later found, after six months of frequent use, that the stitching along one arm had come unravelled and that the small straps holding up the back of the armrests had both ripped in half.
After a couple of camping trips, we concluded that a strap is more convenient than a bag—quicker and easier for a kid to grab the chair and go, without parental help. The REI chair is rated to hold up to 150 pounds, the same as the L.L.Bean and Walmart chairs. We think the REI chair is most appropriate for toddlers and kids up to about 7 or 8 years old, though reviews reveal that some small adults have found this to be their favorite seat. It comes in gray or blue, and as of this update it gets 4.7 out of five stars from reviewers on the REI site. Each comes with a convenient carrying bag that you can sling over your shoulder.
Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). You can stow this featherlight, compressible chair in a backpack or even a work bag.
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. We found this model to be slightly more comfortable and easier to pack than other, similar chairs. A low-to-the-ground chair can be ideal 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.
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. Camping trips, beach days, picnics in the park, outdoor movies and theater performances, a fresh-air get-together with friends—there are countless occasions when you might use a camp chair. At only five pounds heavy, this is one of the lightest folding hammock chairs available.
We brought this chair to a dense Los Angeles neighborhood to watch Fourth of July fireworks. But carrying the Renetto was comfortable and unobtrusive. We got some admiring nods en route to the celebration—and we had one of the more comfy seats at the show. Normally, we’d caution against buying a chair with a seat that’s significantly wider than you need.
In the case of a recliner or lounge chair, it matters because if the seat is too wide, you won’t be able to make effective use of more than one of the armrests. But where camp chairs are concerned, it’s not the end ozark trail screen house of the world. These are occasional seating options, and you won’t typically be spending such extended periods sitting in one that it starts to be an issue. Higher back and a head rest that make it more comfortable.