This chair had us impressed on all ends, and with its wide availability, the Cooler Quad is a stalwart defender of Coleman’s reputation as a king of camping. We think the REI chair functions better and will last much longer than the similar chair from Walmart. But the price difference is significant—and after six months of near-constant outdoor use, the Walmart coleman camping chair chair was still in decent shape. If you are looking for an ultracheap choice, the Walmart chair is one. But after half a dozen excursions, we found—as we had with the Renetto Original Canopy Chair—that having a chair you can easily carry without a bag is preferable. In real-world conditions, you’re often packing up fast to try to get ahead of crowds or traffic.
The length and width of the seat gave me plenty of space to be comfortable, and then some. We also let two boys, ages 1 and 5, play with them and sit on them in the backyard for six months. After all that, we concluded that the REI Co-op Camp Chair – Kids’ is the best choice for anyone who wants to buy a practical, portable outdoor chair for a small child.
“This is the Platonic ideal of your camp chair,” one of our campers gushed. Walk around any campground or tailgate party, and you’ll notice the popularity of this variety of accordion-style seat. You can pick one up at just about any big-box store (sometimes for as little as $10), order one coleman camping chair with your favorite sports team’s logo, or pay a premium for a similar model from Cabela’s or REI. It comes with a bag that has a shoulder strap to cart it around and weighs 8 pounds. The carry bag is rather thin, letting you feel whatever section of the chair rests upon your back or side.
The 4-pound, steel-construction REI chair has an attached carry strap, rather than a carry bag like the other chairs. 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.
Ours also came with some sloppy seams, and the carry bag is very thin and fragile. Again, nothing broke on this chair during our few months of testing, but we are skeptical of its longevity. With three height options to choose from, you can easily customize the table to suit your needs.