A comfy outdoor chair makes a big difference in relaxation levels, and with a variety of affordable patio chair options you can easily find the right combination to suit your space and needs. We look for cup holders, reclining lock-outs, canopies, trays, accessory pouches, and headrests. We like cupholders that fit standard 12-ounce cans securely, adjustments and joints that worked smoothly, and anything else that made our experience with the product more enjoyable. The pistons force the user forward into an upright position, almost tipping forward, and the rocking motion doesn’t feel nearly as natural as a regular rocker.
Although it doesn’t collapse in two directions like a camp chair, it folds nearly flat and weighs a scant four pounds, much less than the other lawn chairs in our test fleet. This extra-wide web chair is designed for your ultimate comfort and is perfect for barbeques, picnics, and days spent at the beach. The classic woven webbed chair is constructed with a lightweight yet sturdy aluminum frame and features a steel support bar and steel rivets—so you can be confident that it will hold up for years of enjoyment. Best of all, the chair folds up for easy storage and transport, so you’ll always have the best seat in the house. Many camp chair manufacturers provide a “weight capacity,” which can helpful in a number of ways. At the high end of the spectrum, the burly Alps Mountaineering King Kong has a very healthy 800-pound maximum, while the lightweight Helinox Chair Zero is listed at just 265 pounds.
The bungee attachment of the zero gravity chairs gives a pleasant amount of support, which we really enjoy. On the other hand, if portability is your main concern, the Kijaro is just shy of 4 feet long when folded, making it a challenge to fit into some car trunks. It doesn’t impress us with its durability, as we’ve had issues with broken lock mechanisms, loosening pole joints, and easily stained fabric. On top of some other details like sloppy seams and wiggle room in parts of the frame that we don’t want wiggle in, we’re not convinced this chair will last as long as your desire to go outside will. However, the convenience of the lock and shoulder strap combined with the height and support still make the Kijaro a chair we often reach for when heading to barbecues and backyard hangouts. We spent hours researching the market for the best lawn chairs for every type of purpose, considering factors like usage, material, and portability as we compiled this list.
We discovered that even though most testers had not previously considered a shade-equipped camp chair, once they used one they appreciated the comfort and convenience of built-in sun blocking. Unless camp chair seats are pretty taut, they tend to round the user’s back, which can be uncomfortable for longer periods. We also wish the chair was easier to get into the bag, as all the extra canopy fabric makes packing it up an annoying task.
Double chairs are predictably much heavier than their single-person counterparts (the Kelty Low Loveseat comes in at 15 lbs. 6 oz.), which makes them bulky for hauling. We’ve only included one double camping chair on our list due to the overall lack of utility—we’d rather purchase two separate single-seaters and save a few bucks in the process. The Helinox Chair One weighs about 2 pounds, compresses smaller than a 2-liter bottle of soda, and is the most comfortable outdoor patio shades and easy to stow of the three top backpacking chairs we tested. Like competing chairs, the Chair One has a nylon and mesh seat and aluminum legs, which are linked with shock cord (the chair legs are made out of the same material as high-end tent poles). It wouldn’t look out of place next to a 1960’s Sunrader, nor a modern Land Cruiser, on a car camping trip. For how simple the design is, it’s reasonably comfortable and keeps the user fairly supported.
We’ve carried and sat in each model to help bring you the details you need to make a confident purchase decision. You can store your folding lawn chairs in the garage, shed, basement, or in your car. It’s about using the space wisely and finding creative ways to fit everything in storage. Dometic made a name for themselves in the vanlife and overlanding communities with their class-leading electric cooler collection, but their latest “GO” series takes aim at the upper end of the camping market. The chair is made with heavy-duty 600-denier fabrics, sturdy aluminum legs, and beechwood armrests that add to the high-end, streamlined look. As its name suggests, the GO Compact Camp Chair also folds down quickly and easily for transport with a relatively streamlined shape for storing in a full trunk.
Importantly, the size of the seat tends to correlate with weight capacity, as does overall stability, so we find this spec to be somewhat useful. And it’s worth noting that weight capacities are provided by the manufacturer, and we haven’t had the opportunity to verify each one. In general, we’ve found that manufacturer-proved specs often tend to be generous, so we don’t recommend pushing the limits. While few people fret over the weight and packed size of a camping chair (camping gear in general is bulky and comfort-oriented), backpacking-ready chairs are a lesson in creative packaging. For example, Helinox’s 1-pound Chair Zero packs down extremely small, with the disadvantage being you have to reassemble it each time.
The easiest way to keep lawn chairs from sinking into the grass is by laying out a tarp, table cloth, or blanket beneath them. If that’s not an option for aesthetic or practical reasons, then try adding furniture sliders or cut tennis balls under the legs of your chair. We’re also fans of this chair’s aesthetic, which seems to simultaneously channel both high-end patio furniture and classic camping chairs to create a luxurious yet athletic vibe. The shades of silvery gray make for a sophisticated color palette that blends seamlessly with its surroundings, whether the chair is situated among nature or on your deck. The Coleman camping chair is big and durable, and of all the upright chairs that our panel of campers tested, it was the most comfortable. Businesses often give promotional gifts to their employees and clients, such as pens and notepads with the company logo.