12 hours ago
5
Summer is here, which means backyard barbecues, camping, soccer games, block parties, outdoor concerts and plenty of other events where the only spot to sit is the grass you’re standing on. You’re going to want a camp chair.
The name is a bit of a misnomer. Manufacturers use “camp chair” to describe most portable chairs that come in a bag, but you’ll find people deploying them everywhere from parades to tailgates. And they now come in every conceivable configuration, including featherweights that pack down as small as water bottles, and others that are practically folding couches.
My daughter’s soccer season inspired me to wonder if I was using the best camp chair available to sit at the 50 yard line and yell at the referee about rules I only barely understand. So I tried 11 different models to find the best.
The best camp chairs at a glance
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Best overall:
Eno Lounger DL Chair
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Best budget:
Coleman Portable Camp Chair
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Best for portability:
Helinox Chair Zero L
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Best for comfort:
Nemo Stargaze Reclining Evo-X Camp Chair
Why you should trust me
I don’t want to come off as lazy, but I have spent a lot of time thinking about and testing the best ways to sit on my keister. When my daughter started getting involved in sports, and my son joined Boy Scouts, I found myself standing around a lot, which I wanted to turn into time sitting around. So I’ve been hauling, packing, unpacking and sitting in many different flavors of portable camp chairs.
There’s a lot of junk out there. I’ve wasted a decent amount of money picking up whatever was at my local Target, and replacing it months later. For this test, I wanted to find the most durable, comfortable and portable choices that will last season after season.
How I tested camp chairs
A good camp chair needs to be sturdy, light weight and built to resist the elements.
I primarily tested on the soccer pitch, but travel games took me to all varieties: lumpy and smooth, grass and gravel, close to the parking lot and agonizingly far away. For every chair, I evaluated how heavy it was, how easy it was to carry, and how easily it unpacked and repacked.
So I started by timing myself, setting the chairs up and taking them down. Then I sat in each one for at least one hour – sometimes on the sidelines of a soccer game; sometimes with a laptop at home. I carried each one the length of the soccer field and back to see how easy they were to carry. Finally, I set them all up at once around a sprinkler for 30 minutes and timed how long it took them to dry off. I also noted any extra features, and the height of the front off the chair off the ground (where your knees will be).
When I concluded testing, I donated the review samples to local scouting organizations, where they’ll be adorning campgrounds across the country for the rest of their useful lives.
The best camp chairs in the US
Best overall:
Eno Lounger DL Chair
Eno
Lounger DL Chair
from $149.95
One of the most comfortable chairs we tested achieves an ideal balance of portability, plushness and ease of use.
Why we love it
The Eno Lounger DL is a sling-style chair, meaning you sit in a sort of hammock between two armrests. Like laying in a hammock, you feel suspended, and the chair conforms to your body perfectly. I tested several in this style, and this was the most comfortable of all the chairs, save one, which I’ll get to later.
I really like how easily it assembles – you build the skeleton of the chair by snapping poles into plastic hubs like a tent, then slide the sling fabric onto four supports that act like a cradle. An elastic cord keeps the poles and hubs together. It’s a simple, but clever design.
Eno thought of everything. The bottom legs have rounded caps on them that won’t dig into the ground under you, and the top of the chair is padded for when you want to kick back and rest your head. There’s a single bottle holder and two pockets – one on either side.
When you’re done, it packs up neatly into a triangular backpack, and nothing pulls or tugs when you disassemble it. It doesn’t weigh much, and backpack straps on the bag make carrying very easy, even over long distances. It also dried amongst the fastest of the padded chairs in our sprinkler test, which turned out to be a nice surprise.
It’s a shame that … it was the slowest chair to pack up, at 93 seconds, since the poles flop around rather than staying neat and orderly. The sling also has a tendency to pop off when you move it, and the bottle holder is on the smaller side: it won’t fit a Stanley cup, or grande Starbucks cup.
Materials: aluminum and 100% recycled polyester ripstop
Weight: 5.63lb
Max weight: 300lb
Height off ground: 13.5in
Extra features: cup holder, two slim pockets for storage
Eno
Lounger DL Chair
from $149.95
Best budget:
Coleman Portable Camp Chair
Coleman
Portable Camp Chair
from $49.99
This tried-and-true chair design doesn’t break new ground, but it’s popular for a reason and Coleman’s version nails the little details.
Why we love it
You’ve almost certainly used some iteration of this chair before. When I unboxed the Amazon Basics Camp Chair and the Coleman Portable Camp Chair, I felt like I was seeing double. Add to that, my wife’s Ozark Trails camp chair (not included in this test) and we have triplets. It’s really uncanny.
The scissor-style frame means all four legs expand and collapse together, giving you a usable chair in just 27 seconds, which was faster than average. And Coleman’s version has a few extra perks that not all budget chairs provide.
The generous cup holder on the right arm is big enough for bottles of up to 16oz, and the left arm conceals a mini cooler that comfortably holds two cans with some ice, or three cans if you want to squeeze them in a bit. A mesh pocket at thigh level provides storage for bigger items such as magazines, glasses cases or perhaps a tablet – you know, typical camping stuff. I also appreciated that Coleman provides a carry bag large enough to easily slide the chair in and out of it, but snug enough not to waste space.
It’s a shame that … my wife found the Amazon Basics chair to be a bit more comfortable due to a slightly different grommet design that kept the front of the chair tighter under her knees.
Materials: steel and polyester
Weight: 8.2lb
Max weight: 325lb
Height off ground: 18.5in
Extra features: cup Holder, cooler, pocket for storage
Coleman
Portable Camp Chair
from $49.99
Most portable:
Helinox Chair Zero L
Helinox
Chair Zero L
from $169.95
This is an impossibly lightweight and tiny chair – a hiker’s dream – but you’ll adore it even if you have room for something bigger.
Why we love it
Rolled up like a burrito in its bag, the Helinox Chair Zero is only slightly larger than a fanny pack. “There is a whole chair in here,” I delighted in telling amazed fellow soccer parents when I was testing it.
Like the Eno Lounger DL, this is a sling-style chair: you assemble the poles, then fit the sling over the ends. The tighter Helinox sling holds the chair together much better than the relaxed Eno Lounger. It sits very low to the ground, with just 12in at the front of the chair (your butt goes even lower).
It holds my 270-lb frame easily, but it took me a while to trust the spindly frame and relax. The first few times I leaned back, I stressed myself out imagining that I’d either flop backward or break the chair entirely. I did not – clearly – but you may require some similar acclimation to get comfortable.
Hikers don’t like carrying extra gear with them, but this chair is so tiny and lightweight, it earns its spot even on long treks.
It’s a shame that … the chair doesn’t feel sturdier when you sit in it. Every bigger person who tried it felt a bit unstable due to its flex. The closure for the bag is also a little annoying.
Materials: aluminum and polyester ripstop
Weight: 1.43lb
Max weight: 320lb
Height off ground: 8.5in
Extra features: no room for any
Helinox
Chair Zero L
from $169.95
Most comfortable:
Nemo Stargaze Reclining Evo-X Camp Chair
Nemo
Stargaze Reclining Evo-X Camp Chair
from $179.95
It’s heavy. It’s a pain to set up. And it’s my favorite chair of the bunch.
Why we love it
I didn’t rank the Nemo Stargaze best overall because it’s frankly not for everyone. It’s less of a chair and more of a portable hammock you don’t need trees to hang from. But this unique design makes it by far the most comfortable chair I tested.
You set up the chair by opening up an accordion-style frame until it clicks to lock. A foreboding red marker and paranoia-inducing warning tag ensure you don’t plop into it before it’s ready for you. Once set up, a clever strap system allows you to tilt back in the chair and lie in it like a hammock. The straps on either side have just enough friction to let you lean back or sit up straight without you feeling like you have to work to stay in either position. It would have been really easy to mess this up, but Nemo absolutely nailed it. It really earns its name as this is the best chair for stargazers to star gaze in.
It’s a shame that … it doesn’t have arm rests. I’m a bigger guy, so I can extend my arms to the tops of the pole on either side and rest my arms there, but it may not work as well for a smaller person. The cup holders are also on the inside of the sling rather than the outside, which isn’t ideal.
Taking it down can be tricky. After collapsing the frame, you need to flip the sling part over the frame and then slide the bag on. It’s easy to get wrong on the first attempt (even after having done it many times before).
Materials: steel and 100% recycled polyester
Weight: 13.75lb
Max weight: 350lb
Height off ground: 14.5in
Extra features: Two cup holders
Nemo
Stargaze Reclining Evo-X Camp Chair
from $179.95
Best of the rest
Easiest to set up and take down:
Yeti Trailhead Field Chair
Yeti
Trailhead Field Chair
$225
I timed myself setting up and taking down every chair multiple times and averaged the results. This chair was the fastest by a lot. It’s very basic and has a loose fitting bag making it easy to slide in and out. Once you slide it out, you just spread the accordion-style frame and it’s ready to go. It’s very well designed and comfortable, but there are no other features here – not even arm rests.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s twice the price of most options, and doesn’t seem to earn its price tag aside from its durable construction.
Yeti
Trailhead Field Chair
$225
Best organization:
SunnyFeel Camping Directors Chair
SunnyFeel
Camping Directors Chair
$103.96
Whether crocheting or whittling, if you’re sitting down to work on something, this is absolutely the chair for you. One side has a hard table top that folds up with a drink holder and two slots for a phone and … whatever else you want. The other side has a very large pocket on the inside and four pockets on the outside: one zippered pocket, one open, two with Velcro flaps – all the size of a smartphone. It’s the Scottevest of chairs.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s heavy and not terribly comfortable. It’s a director-style chair which means it has a very taught canvas across the seat without a lot of give.
SunnyFeel
Camping Directors Chair
$103.96
Best folding love seat:
KingCamp Double Camping Chair
KingCamp
Double Camping Chair
from $99.98
You snuggle with your sweetie at home, why not at camp? It may look like two scissor-style camp chairs glued together, but the KingCamp Double Camping Chair feels way sturdier. If you’re rolling solo, it’s comfortable enough to lie down across and take a nap.
It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s very large and heavy.
KingCamp
Double Camping Chair
from $99.98
Everything else the Filter tested
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ALPS King Kong Chair: this chair is my personal chair that I’ve owned for over a year. I got it mostly because it holds over 300lb. I needed that in my pre-Ozempic days.
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Helinox Chair One Highback: this one is similar to our most portable pick, but as the name suggests, it has a higher back.
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Amazon Basics Camping Chair: I don’t want to imply anything about Amazon’s R&D, but rip the Coleman logo off our budget pick, stick on an Amazon logo, and you have this chair. My wife has an Ozark Trail (Walmart brand) chair that tells a similar story.
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Cascade Mountain Tech Folding Camp Chair: this ultra-low slung chair may make a nice beach chair, but my knees hurt just thinking about it.
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Best Choice Products Folding Zero Gravity Outdoor Recliner Patio Lounge Chair: calling this “portable” is really stretching the limit of the word. It folds, but it doesn’t come with a bag, nor anything to keep it from unfolding, and it’s pretty heavy. If you buy this, keep it on your patio.
What else to know about folding camp chairs
What kinds of seats can you get in a folding camp chair?
They come in many styles, but the main ones are:
Scoop or sling-style chairs tend to be lower and harder to get out of, but can offer more comfort over the long term.
Director’s chairs are flatter and can have stiffer material while also sitting higher, making sitting and standing up easier.
What is the best way to clean and store a camping chair?
Camp chairs are designed for dirt and rain, so don’t overthink it: most can just be blasted down with a hose. However, as our sprinkler test showed, polyester can retain standing water, so be sure to drain it well and place in the sun to dry when you’re done. It usually won’t take much more than an hour, unless it’s padded. Once it’s dry, put it back in its bag and store it somewhere dry.
Which is better – steel frame or aluminum?
Steel is stronger, but heavier. Aluminum is light, but has more flex to it. If you’re a heavier person, you may feel more comfortable with a steel frame – it will rock less – but you’ll have to carry more weight.
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Adam Doud is a freelance product journalist and frequent traveler and outdoor enthusiast. When not attending soccer games with his daughter, he’ll frequently be found out riding a bike, or geocaching. He even likes to work outside when weather permits, so chairs are near and dear to his tech-loving heart.
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