That way, you’ll have all the information you need to decide for yourself if this is the high-weight capacity camping chair you’ve been looking for. If that sounds good, let’s jump right in and take a closer look. Simply put, it can be notoriously difficult to find big and robust furniture to support you properly.
“It’s beautiful and easy to access, making it perfect for people new to camping or excited to try it for the first time,” Sharafuddin said. A two-hour drive from St. Louis, in southern Illinois, Shawnee boasts almost ozark trail canopy 300,000 acres of forest trails, scenic cliffs and waterfalls. Hikers can traverse the park’s 300 miles of trails, like Garden of the Gods recreation area, and camp at designated campsites or in the backcountry.
The 4-pound, steel-framed REI chair has an attached carry strap, rather than a carry bag (which the other chairs have). After a couple of camping trips, we concluded that a strap is more convenient than a bag—it’s quicker and easier for a kid to grab the chair and go, without parental help. For many owners we’ve talked to, it’s been an essential chair for watching sporting events or any other time you’ll be in the direct sun for hours, like cookouts, picnics, birthday parties, and field trips.
However, they don’t have all of the same features. There are also chairs that are hybrids between categories, such as the Nemo Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair, which comes highly rated and recommended. The Chair One is rated to hold up to 320 pounds—more ozark trail canopy than any other lightweight chair we tested aside from the Moon Lence. Testers preferred the Coleman chair’s thoughtfully placed mesh storage pouch over those of its competitors. This pouch is big enough to stow gear like a phone, book, or tablet.
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. 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).
After new testing, we still love the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair for most outdoors situations. But we also have picks offering better support, higher weight capacity, and greater portability. GGO, founded at WashU in 2015, provides STEAM education and outdoor experiences for students in low-income public elementary schools in St. Louis and Chicago. Members of the WashU chapter volunteer in local schools giving lessons, chaperoning field trips and supporting camping trips throughout the semester.