Once it’s deployed, though, there are few complaints — unless you want cupholders on your chair. All in all, we like this chair, even if we like a few others a little bit more. Whether you want to sit upright for a snack break or lean back to lounge with a good book, Nemo’s Moonlight Reclining Chair is great to have on hand.
We found the Coleman Kickback Breeze Chair to be a simple yet very comfortable seat, though women liked it more than men did (many of them judged it to be too snug). Anecdotally, we found that this chair category in general is more popular among women than among men, who generally prefer a higher, upright seat. 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 chair was still in decent shape.
They carefully evaluated the comfort, durability, portability, and value of each chair to put together this list of the best options for camping. Testers considered whether the chairs would be too heavy, bulky, or awkward to carry for either a long outdoor patio shades distance or simply from a house to a car trunk. After our product team extensively researched the market, a group of editors with a wide range of camping experiences gathered in our New York City lab to test 29 of the best portable outdoor chairs.
Schoolhouse offers its own exclusive take on a vintage-style folding lawn chair, and this Schoolhouse rocks (pun intended). While the dimensions are different (this is larger), this chair is very similar to Lawn Chair USA’s. Both feature an aluminum frame, a 225-lb weight limit and are made in the USA. What mostly sets them apart are the striking color combinations that Schoolhouse has cooked up here.
It also lacks a headrest, so it’s not the ideal chair for an afternoon snooze. On the other hand, we think this model will stand up to all of your needs for camping, tailgating, fishing, or anything else. If you need a comfy chair or use a camping-specific chair regularly and don’t mind a bit of bulk, we highly recommend the King Kong. The material is also plasticky and heats up underneath us after sitting for a while, which leaves something to be desired.
The GCI Outdoor Comfort Pro is a simple chair that offers solid performance for less than you might expect. It has a fairly tall seat and back to match widely-splayed arms, offering plenty of space to sit high outdoor patio shades above the ground. It’s not the most supportive seat we tested, but it’s above average among its competition, leaving slouchy folding sports chairs in the dust when it comes to supporting your full weight.
This is further exacerbated by the strict ninety-degree angle of the chair, which doesn’t allow the user to recline at all without pushing their legs into the pistons. While we appreciate GCI trying new things in the camp chair world, we wouldn’t really recommend this chair. Finally, we sent the chairs out to put them to the test on real campgrounds, hikes, and other outdoor events. Testers provide periodic updates to report on the chairs’ performances over the course of six months. This is getting into camp chair territory, lookswise, and won’t make the most stylish addition to your front yard.
To see how comfortable it was to use the chairs for extended periods of time, we sat in each for minutes, making sure to evaluate any extra features like tables, coolers, and cup holders. We also tested any adjustable features like recliners and armrests to see if those functions worked smoothly. And that extends to her Target-exclusive home goods brand, Hearth & Hand with Magnolia. Just 40 bucks will get you this down-home take on the classic folding lawn chair.
An aluminum side table flips up when you’re ready to feast and includes a cup holder. The chair’s backrest is slightly angled, and those who outdoor patio shades prefer firm support enjoyed the strong, taut fabric. Thanks to the extra space for cup handles, mugs easily fit in the beverage slot.