Kalee Thompson is the senior editor heading up Wirecutter’s kid coverage. When she wrote the first version of this guide, Kalee lived in Southern California, where she tested chairs on three group camping trips. The Ozark Trail canopy very well might be one of the best selling 10×10 tent brands of all time. The easily recognizable logo has been seen by nearly everyone at youth soccer tournaments or beach vacations in recent years. The Ozark Trail 40-60F Sleeping Bag is highly durable, as it is lined with 100% polyester fabric both on the inside and outside.
Another added that the container bag keeps everything organized and makes it easy to carry around for camping. Car camping appears to be the most popular among the three, and one of the most affordable options, since you’re basically paying for the parking space. The Zempire Trilogy Tent holds up to four people and it’s easy to set up, thanks to the two-pole “quick-clip” design, which basically means it won’t take too many steps to get it up. Based on the customer reviews though, shoppers are split between the tent being easy to set up and challenging to put together. The REI Co-op chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on many other kids’ chairs. Compared with cheaper chairs of its kind (like those from Walmart), the REI Co-op chair functions better and will last much longer.
Tents with lighting options or lantern hooks are another potential feature to look for. Canopy tents are intended to be set up, adjusted, and easily taken down. Featuring pinch-free adjustable poles, tabs, and other features, these tents don’t need special tools to assemble. The Dual Lock seat’s name comes from a locking mechanism that secures the chair when it’s folded or expanded—releasing the lock is a matter of pushing a button on one of the legs. As a result, the chair feels grounded and less wobbly than its competitors. This was especially reassuring for testers with knee or hip issues, who noted that they felt confident using the Dual Lock seat’s armrests to stand up and get out of it.
Many testers found other chairs more comfortable and easier to put together than the Nemo Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair. This is also the most expensive lightweight chair we tested, and we think the Chair One is a better value. The Chair One is rated to hold up to 320 pounds—more than any other lightweight chair we tested but the Moon Lence. This chair’s big canopy provides ample sun protection at a campsite or sporting event and doubles as a backpack-strap-equipped carrying case. To top it off, it packs small to leave more room for luxuries in your overnight bag. For the folks seeking the absolute best sleeping bag, we recommend the Western Mountaineering MegaLite.
The Ozark Trail 10FT x 10FT Slant Leg Canopy sits on four slanted legs for extra security. It includes a handy carrying bag for added convenience during transport. Take this shade creator on a camping trip to enjoy time out of the sun or rain.
Many newer tent brands like EZ-Up use revolutionary thumb lock sliders or larger easy to release buttons, which are a much better user experience when setting the canopy up or taking it down. With the push buttons you need to worry about pinching fingers or not being able to release the button when it gets rusted, which is never a pleasant experience. The legs extend to give the top peak a height of about 8’10” which will be plenty of headroom for anyone underneath.
Our testers consistently said the King Kong chair was the most heavy-duty-feeling model of all the chairs we tested. The canopy fabric is made of a lightweight denier polyester, offering water resistant features and 50+ UPF, which we love. Being protected from the suns harmful ozark trail chair UVB rays is probably why you wanted a canopy tent in the first place, and this Ozark Trail tent meets all criteria in this department. The one complaint we have is that there is no vents in the fabric at the peak to release the build up of hot air under the canopy.
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 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.
This chair comes with a sturdy carrying case, with an over-the-shoulder strap, and it’s simple to expand and fold up accordion-style. One thing we love about Ozark Trail canopy tents are the accessories that can be added to the shelters. These include sidewalls, weight bags, and a host of other great add-ons that can really increase the use and versatility of the canopy tent. Perhaps our two favorites are camping tent additions that connect to the frame of the shelter and leverage the stability of the 10×10 frame to support a camping tent structure. “This is the Platonic ideal of your camp chair,” one of our campers gushed. The cupholders on the L.L.Bean Kids’ Base Camp Chair aren’t as roomy as those on our picks, and they are not as adept at holding stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate.