There’s also a mesh pocket behind the backrest, to hold things you don’t need to access quickly. 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. In fall 2023, we asked a panel of paid testers with a wide range of body types, dexterities, and mobilities to examine our picks and other camping chairs and to share their perspectives. We started looking for a better option than our original beach-friendly pick, the Seina Folding Utility Beach Wagon, after a nut fell off the wagon at a critical time—when we were on the sand, about a quarter-mile from the parking lot. We were able to fix the problem, but a year of use has also led to scratches on the wheels and the plastic looking pretty shorn.
Senior editor Kalee Thompson, who wrote a previous version of this guide, has been regularly using the Coleman chair she originally tested in 2016. Aside from the color fading and the cooler pouch deteriorating, her chair has held up to years of backyard hangs and camping trips. In summer 2023, she bought a newer Coleman Cooler Quad Chair to compare to her 2016 model, and she found them to be more or less the same. 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.
Like the regular Mac Sports wagon, the Heavy Duty model comes with a one-year warranty. Data shared in this way will be governed by the third party’s privacy policy and not this Privacy Policy. With the largest capacity of any wagon we’ve tested, a quick and compact fold, and the best traction on sand we’ve found, the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart is our pick for toting gear to the beach. With 6.7 cubic feet of internal volume, this wagon fit more stuff than any of the other beach wagons we tested—while also clocking in at a middle-of-the-road 24.5 pounds. It has the most comfortable and supportive seat shape of any chair we tested.
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We had to wrestle the cover onto the bulky rectangle and tug it down to get it on. One of the wheels came loose when one of our testers was carrying about 100 pounds of gear, which is well under the stated weight capacity. The Mac Sports wagon’s skinny rubber wheels, compared with larger-wheeled models we tested, sunk into the sand a bit during testing. This wasn’t too problematic when the wagon was carrying an average load (beach chairs, towels, drinks, and snacks). But with a kid or two added to the mix, this wagon’s wheels started to drag deeper. We think the Mac Sports wagon is fine for occasional beach use, especially if your gear is more bulky than heavy and you don’t have to travel too far to your spot.
It comes with a five-year warranty for its frame and a two-year warranty for its fabric; this rivals the warranty for our top lightweight pick. Renetto licenses its patent to a company called Kelsyus, which makes cheaper versions of the chair. There are also chairs that are hybrids between categories, such as the Nemo Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair, which comes highly rated and recommended. Many testers found other chairs more comfortable and easier to put together than the Nemo Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair.
One staffer who also owns the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart has also noticed scratches on the wheels. But the Seina offers just half the internal space, and its 4-inch wheels were more prone to tipping when packed with the same beach gear. The canopy is big enough to block most, if not all, sunlight any time of day, and the chair’s seat has a strip of breathable mesh down the middle for airflow. Senior staff writer Lauren Dragan said the Renetto is her most comfortable camping chair.
The Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart has the largest wheels and, at 6.7 cubic feet, the largest volume of any wagon we tested. This wagon easily folds and unfolds, and we found that it was simple (at 24.5 pounds) to lift into the car after a long day in the sun. We have a few issues with this ozark trail camping chair wagon—the telescoping handle can feel flimsy, and it costs around $50 more than the standard Mac Sports wagon. But after previously recommending a cheaper, less-sturdy beach wagon—which broke after a year—we think the Mac Sports All Terrain’s overall durability and maneuverability on sand make it worth the increased cost.