Other chairs we tested sacrificed too much comfort in order to shave mere ounces off of their weights, and we don’t think the trade-off 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. Not only does our selection include lawn chairs, but SCHEELS also carries a wide variety of camping chairs too. With a camping chair, you’ll enjoy better overall durability, comfort, and convenience.
Testers with knee and hip issues reported that when they were getting in and out of this chair, its armrests felt more stable than those of any other model. So they felt comfortable leaning onto the frame for extra support. This time-tested classic is reasonably priced, roomy, and dependable enough to last for years. It’s not our lightest, most comfortable, or toughest pick, but it’s close enough, and it’s reasonably priced. Stumps, stools, boulders, and picnic tables are fine for sitting briefly outdoors. But if you want to kick back and stay comfy, the right camping chair can make all the difference.
The seatback has some slightly padded sections that do at least a little something to enhance comfort, and the armrests are nominally padded, too. But this isn’t the kind of chair you’re going to want to spend most of the day in. Aside from the impressive amount of weight the chair can support, the thing we like best about the numbers above is the width of the seat.
At a whopping 28”, this chair can accommodate just about anyone. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. 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). After years of intermittently using the Renetto chair, one staffer said it has held up great.
Often our camping chairs feature a cup holder and a folding side table to make eating and drinking outdoors even more enjoyable. We also feature a selection of rocking camp chairs that are great to use while reading and relaxing outdoors. These rocking camp chairs are even comfortable enough to take a nap in the sunshine.
When she wrote the first version of this guide, Kalee lived in Southern California, where she tested chairs on three group camping trips. Comes with the same compact bag with a shoulder strap for carrying. The XXL Director chair by Ozark Trail is not adjustable. However, it is marginally above average in terms of comfort compared to other camp chairs. It would be overselling it to call this a handsome chair. That term rarely applies to camp chairs anyway, but it’s actually not bad-looking.
However, they don’t have all of the same features. There are also chairs that are hybrids between categories, such as the Nemo Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair, which comes highly rated and recommended. Each comes with a convenient carrying bag that you can sling over your shoulder. Made from an easy-to-clean polyester fabric and metal frame. The 4-pound, steel-framed REI chair has an attached carry strap, rather than a carry bag (which the other chairs have).
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.
For a wide selection of lawn chairs and camping chairs, start by shopping the selection at SCHEELS. Most of our testers found the REI Co-op Skyward Chair to be one of the least comfortable chairs in our testing pool. People who did like it tended to have smaller body types, so if you find that other camping ozark trail canopy chairs are too big for you, the Skyward might be a good fit. At a little over 7 pounds, it’s also the lightest traditional chair we tested—but it had the lowest weight capacity (250 pounds). It’s currently low in stock, but REI tells us this chair will be widely available again over the summer.
Fortunately, this is also easy to remedy via a bit of DIY engineering. Simply buy a mesh bag for storage, attach a D-Ring to it, and clamp it onto one of the chair’s support struts. In the sections that follow, we’ll tell you everything this well-priced chair has to offer and be quick to point out its shortcomings.