Kalee Thompson is the senior editor heading up Wirecutter’s kid coverage. When she wrote the first version of this guide, Kalee lived in Southern California, where she tested chairs on three group camping trips. Higher back and a head rest that make it more comfortable. Good design with a small pocket to place your cell phone or snacks near the cup holder.
“Awesome chair! It’s compact, light, easy to setup.” The box-shaped cupholder is a little roomier than the round cupholders on the Coleman and the L.L.Bean Base Camp chairs—better for stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate around the campfire. You can stow this featherlight, compressible chair in a backpack or even a work bag.
At a little over 7 pounds, it’s also the lightest traditional chair we tested—but it had the lowest weight capacity (250 pounds). It’s currently low in stock, but REI tells us this chair will be widely available again over the summer. It’s durable and comfortable for a range of campers. The Coleman Cooler Quad has been our pick since 2016, through numerous camping trips and several testing sessions.
If you want something easier to access, you could always drill a small hole in one corner of the tray table and affix the D-Ring there, but many people will balk at the idea of defacing their chair. Either way, adding a bit of storage is easy if you want or need it. It has been rated to support weights up to 300 lbs. The CLIQ Chair’s precision-engineered frame, ergonomically-designed canopy, and tip-proof design keep you laid back and upright. Collapsing like an umbrella to the size of a water bottle (yes, really), ClassiQ chairs weigh less than 4 lbs and can be stored and carried absolutely anywhere adventure takes you.
Simply put, it can be notoriously difficult to find big and robust furniture to support you properly. That’s as true for camp chairs as it is for recliners and the like. Where camp chairs are concerned, most of them top out at around 300 pounds of supported weight. That works for the majority of the market, but if you happen to be heavier than that, you’ll find that pickings can be slim. The canopy is big enough to block most, if not all, sunlight any time of day, and the chair’s seat has a strip of breathable mesh down the middle for airflow. Senior staff writer Lauren Dragan said the Renetto is her most comfortable camping chair.
Simply buy a mesh bag for storage, attach a D-Ring to it, and clamp it onto one of the chair’s support struts. Many testers found other chairs more comfortable and easier ozark trail canopy to put together than the Nemo Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair. This is also the most expensive lightweight chair we tested, and we think the Chair One is a better value.
That term rarely applies to camp chairs anyway, but it’s actually not bad-looking. If you want something in camo, though, this isn’t your chair. Your only color options are red or blue, both with black trim.
After years of intermittently using the Renetto chair, one staffer said it has held up great. Another said it’s been an essential chair in their life and that it is still going strong after countless soccer games, birthday parties, beach trips, and school events. This chair costs slightly more than the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair, but it’s still a budget-friendly option.
It delivers a solid baseline of build quality, comfort, and reliability that we didn’t find in other, similarly priced chairs. “The southwest corner has a small patch of forest that feels pretty remote,” Sharafuddin said. “It’s a nice spot that feels removed from the bustle of the city.” And for longer jaunts, Sharafuddin said that the year-end camping trip to Babler State Park is always a hit. His visit to Shawnee came early in his OC tenure, making it all the more eye-opening.
The park is also next door to Tyson Research Center, where Ko is participating in a summer fellowship. Taum Sauk Trail, located about 100 miles south of WashU in Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, is a rugged 35-mile section of the much longer Ozark Trail. Those up for the challenge can expect some top-notch swimming holes and plenty of nearby camping destinations. The good news is that there are options available, and the Ozark Trail XXL Director Chair is a great option.