At a fireworks show and at the beach, we appreciated a chair that was ready to go without even 30 seconds of hassle. The Everywhere Chair closes like a book—simply lift the padded strap and go. The Renetto’s big, heavy canopy provides ample sun protection at a campsite or cookout and doubles as a backpack-strap-equipped carrying case. Set of 2 folding camping chair for camping, traveling, sporting events and the yard.
On April 8, a full solar eclipse will make its way across the eastern half of the United States and is expected to follow a path that starts in Maine and ends in Texas. The southwest eclipse path passes through several states and may reach nearly 100% coverage in certain areas. After researching dozens of wagons and testing 10, we concluded that the Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Outdoor Utility Wagon is the best all-around wagon for basic toting. The cupholders on the L.L.Bean Kids’ Base Camp Chair aren’t as roomy as those on our picks, and they are not as adept at holding stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate. 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.
With a camping chair, you’ll enjoy better overall durability, comfort, and convenience. Often our camping chairs feature a cup holder and a folding side table to make eating and drinking outdoors even more enjoyable. We also feature a selection of rocking camp chairs that are great to use while reading and relaxing outdoors. These rocking camp chairs are even comfortable enough to take a nap in the sunshine. For a wide selection of lawn chairs and camping chairs, start by shopping the selection at SCHEELS.
The GCI Outdoor chair also has a pocket built into the back that can hold a phone or a book. “This is the Platonic ideal of your camp chair,” one of our campers gushed. Select a chair with a built-in canopy, which will give you a little patch of cool at any campsite or cookout. It is simple yet more than adequate enough to meet all your everyday wagon-ing needs and event planning.
The Helinox Chair One weighs about 2 pounds, compresses smaller than a 2-liter bottle of soda, and is the most comfortable 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). The Renetto Original Canopy Chair, a cleverly designed specialty seat, is ideal for anyone who wants sun protection and doesn’t mind a heavier, bulkier chair.
We have a few issues with this wagon—the telescoping handle can feel flimsy, and it costs around $50 more than the standard Mac Sports wagon. But after previously recommending a cheaper, less-sturdy beach wagon—which broke after a year—we think the Mac Sports All Terrain’s overall durability and maneuverability on sand make it worth the increased cost. Because people use outdoor chairs for an array of purposes and have different preferences when it comes to comfort, it was almost impossible to choose just one best chair. We did select our favorite upright chair for car camping and tailgating, and then additional low-to-the-ground, ultra-lightweight, and canopy picks, as well as a great chair for kids.
To find out which features people value most in wagons, I surveyed half a dozen individuals who regularly pull or push loads of stuff—from groceries to gardening supplies to toddlers. I also visited a handful of outdoor-gear stores to see what models they recommend. After six months of regularly using the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair, we think it’s the best choice for most people who are seeking an upright chair for car camping, tailgating, and outdoor ozark trail canopy gatherings. We noticed during the first of our three camping trips—a weekend in California’s Joshua Tree National Park, with a total of seven families—that, given the choice, campers prefer to take the biggest seat. When we set up a dozen chairs around the campfire without comment, people consistently claimed them from largest to smallest. This Mac Sports wagon folds up to about the same size as the beach-wagon version of the Mac Sports.
I hauled both of my sons along with beach gear like boogie boards, coolers, chairs, and endless amounts of sand toys. The combination of their light weight and a fold-down frame makes folding wagons especially handy for everyday use, including getting in and out of a car or on and off public transportation. We’ve seen people using these wagons around the neighborhood and at the beach, as well as for gardening, outdoor concerts and movies, and sporting events. I even ran into a PTA parent who was using a wagon to schlep a used printer to school. Great for trips to the park, camping, outdoor sporting events, gardening, grocery shopping and much more! Like the Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Cart (our pick for use on sand), the Mac Sports Outdoor wagon has an easy-to-use, telescoping handle.
The sturdy yet simple Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Outdoor Utility Wagon is what most people are probably looking for in a folding wagon—a versatile, easy-to-use, lighter wagon at a reasonable price. The Mac Sports Wagon weighs 22½ pounds and can hold up to 150 pounds of gear. Based on its listed interior dimensions, we calculated the storage to be about 3½ cubic feet. It has a solid frame, which remained durable throughout a battery of tests, including rolling the wagon down a hill while it was filled with equipment.
Overwhelmingly, the Coleman came out on top, with campers praising its comfort and stability. One of the best deals was on the KingCamp Folding Director Chair, which comes with a fold out cup holder and an attached 12-Liter cooler bag, for $76 off. The eclipse bundle comes with five solar eclipse glasses so you can safely observe the event alongside friends and family. It also comes with a phone lens designed specifically for taking photos of the eclipse that aren’t completely washed out or overexposed.