If you’re looking for highly specialized or ultra-lightweight chairs for backpacking, our recommendations are probably not for you. We also don’t have suggestions for couch-style or loveseat chairs (we’d like to look at those someday, though). 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.
The back of the chair has an area made of mesh to allow cool, refreshing airflow. It has two armrests and has a cup holder on one front leg. This nifty ozark trail canopy chair has shock absorbers, so you can rock whether it’s on grass or dirt. This shopper favorite has raked in over 69,600 perfect ratings so far.
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. These portable chairs are great for camping, sporting events, and ozark trail chair backyard BBQs. Plus, they fold up nicely and include convenient carrying cases for easy transport and storage. When it comes to keeping your food ice cold on that camping trip, grab these slim ice packs that take up less room.
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 Chair One has a 600-denier polyester and mesh seat and aluminum legs, which are linked with shock cord (like what you’d find inside high-end tent poles). This chair’s big canopy provides ample sun protection at a campsite or sporting event, and it doubles as a backpack-strap-equipped carrying case.
Our testers consistently said the King Kong chair was the most heavy-duty-feeling model of all the chairs we tested. You’ll soon be sleeping under the stars in this camping hammock that’s only $32 right now. This hammock stretches out to 9 feet long and is 4.5 feet wide, so there’s plenty of space for one person to lounge around in. Despite its nice size, it folds down into the size of an eggplant according to the brand, and slides easily into its included storage bag, so you can toss it into your backpack or with other camping gear. It’s made of rip-resistant parachute nylon and easily attaches to trees with two 9-foot straps and carabiners.