Testers with knee and hip issues reported that when they were getting in and out of this chair, its armrests felt more stable than those of any other model. So they felt comfortable leaning onto the frame for extra support. Several Wirecutter ozark trail canopy staffers have owned the Coleman chair for years, using it on camping trips, in backyards, and at sporting events. For the most part, it’s held up well, but one common quibble is that the seat bottom begins to sag after several years of use.
Its steel frame doesn’t wobble when you get in or out. Our testers consistently said the King Kong chair was the most heavy-duty-feeling model of all the chairs we tested. These portable chairs are great for camping, sporting events, and backyard BBQs. Plus, they fold up nicely and are compact with most styles including a convenient carrying case for easy transport and storage. Of all the wagons we tested, the Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Outdoor Utility Wagon best hits the sweet spot of price, versatility, weight, and ease of use.
The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair and the Flexlite Air (its featherweight sibling) are lighter than any other chairs in their category, but they felt less steady. We blame the crossbar design, which runs front to back rather than side to side; this creates a lot of wobble from right to left, especially if the chair is not on perfectly even ground. Its base design is the same as for other variations, the Flexlite Camp Dreamer and Flexlite Camp Boss.
With 6.7 cubic feet of internal volume, this wagon fit more stuff than any of the other beach wagons we tested—while also clocking in at a middle-of-the-road 24.5 pounds. The Mac Sports wagon’s skinny rubber wheels, compared with larger-wheeled models we tested, sunk into the sand a bit during testing. This wasn’t too problematic when the wagon was carrying an average load (beach chairs, towels, drinks, and snacks). But with a kid or two added to the mix, this wagon’s wheels started to drag deeper. We think the Mac Sports wagon is fine for occasional beach use, especially if your gear is more bulky than heavy and you don’t have to travel too far to your spot.
The REI Co-op chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on many other kids’ chairs. Compared with cheaper chairs of its kind (like those from Walmart), the REI Co-op chair functions better and will last much longer. 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). In terms of extras, the Ozark Trail XXL Director camping chair comes with a fold-out side-table attached to one of the chair arms.
At 30 pounds, the L.L.Bean Collapsible Wagon was the largest and heaviest of the folding wagons we tested. But even though it had nice wheels and ozark trail chair construction, this wagon was a headache to fold and unfold. It took two people—and several minutes—to put the L.L.Bean wagon away after use.
While it does have a few shortcomings, these are generally easy to fix and easy to overlook. Owing to its extra-wide seat, the first thing you’ll notice about this oversized director’s chair is that it looks rugged and robust. The Ozark Trail XXL Director chair’s metal frame has an all-business look about it too, which clearly sends the message that this is a go-anywhere chair. This chair’s big canopy provides ample sun protection at a campsite or sporting event, and it doubles as a backpack-strap-equipped carrying case. The Dual Lock seat’s name comes from a locking mechanism that secures the chair when it’s folded or expanded—releasing the lock is a matter of pushing a button on one of the legs.
It delivers a solid baseline of build quality, comfort, and reliability that we didn’t find in other, similarly priced chairs. If you’re unsure which camping chair to buy, you can’t go wrong with the classic Coleman Cooler Quad Chair. Our initial research left us with a list of 10 contenders. We ultimately settled on a testing pool of six models that were recommended by experts and well reviewed, and that included the features testers told us they wanted. Personally, I’m a science writer with more than a decade of experience interviewing experts in countless fields, including parenting, environmental science, and child development.