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. 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). 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.
If you’re planning a car-camping trip, you’ll probably want to bring camping chairs. They’re also ideal for sporting events, field trips, outdoor concerts and movies, and picnics in the park. This wider and longer set will provide support for larger adults with the same upright style as the traditional bagged camping chair. Has been rated for 300 pounds, but can hold more weight comfortably. Double cup holders are also extra large to hold bigger drinks.
Discover the ultimate portable chair for your outdoor adventures—whether you’re camping, at the beach, or on the sidelines of your kids’ game. The CLIQ ClassiQ folds to the size of a water bottle, sets up in seconds, and supports up to 300 lbs. Lightweight, durable, and designed for your comfort, easily stores in your car or “go-bag.” It’s your ideal travel companion for effortless relaxation anywhere. It has the highest weight capacity and largest seat of any chair we tested.
The Renetto Original Canopy Chair is the best chair with a built-in canopy. Unbeatable deal if you’re looking to buy several ozark trail backpack chairs at once. This chair weighs a little more than others. It is best if you only have to carry it short distances.
We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that’s designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections. We like this durable, well-constructed chair that has a frame that makes you confident to sit. The ClassiQ Chair weighs 3.65lbs and holds up to 300 lbs. “Awesome chair! It’s compact, light, easy to setup.”
Sturdy arm rests and sits a little higher from the ground, making it a great choice for taller people. 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.
After six months of frequent use, the stitching along one arm had come unraveled, and the small straps holding up the back of the armrests had both ripped in half. 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.
Despite the Renetto chair’s weight and bulk, our testers found it simple to set up and adjust. It’s extra-supportive for people with joint issues. 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.