12 Best Camping Chairs For Outdoor Comfort in 2018

The ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous Folding camping chair is for those who feel that there’s just something a bit off about sitting up high at the campsite. The Rendezvous brings you right down to earth and does so with an absurd degree of comfort that’s going to make you look at your living room furniture with a jaundiced eye. There’s no need to put your feet up on anything because the ground is right there. In this regard this is one of the best beach chairs we’ve ever seen. You can dig it down into the sand a bit and have the perfect low-riding platform for kicking back and either copping some rays yourself or keeping an eye on the kids as they play in the surf.

The thing also feels like it could withstand being run over by a tank, and maybe it could. The powder coated, corrosion resistant, heavy duty steel frame can easily accommodate up to 300 pounds and the broad sturdy feet will never let you tip over as can happen sometimes in more stand up camping chairs. The one piece seat has mesh that runs right up the back so again, it’s great for keeping you cool at the beach. Another advantage of the ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous Folding camping chair is the weight, which is a very reasonable 6.8 pounds. The camping chair comes with a sturdy canvas carrying sack so it can be easily toted into the woods a bit if your campsite happens to be off road. Add a 5 year warranty and you may have the best camping chair for the money.

Coleman does outdoors as well as any company in the world so it’s no surprise that they would produce one of the 12 best camping chairs out there. The Oversized Quad Chair with Cooler is the epitome of the modern camping chair with its heavy duty steel frame that can accommodate up to 300 pounds, its high degree of overall comfort, the built in cooler sleeve on the side and its attractive price. Store your cold drinks under the left armrest and on your right there’s a sleeve to store your books or magazines or the writing tablet you’re using to take notes for your Great American Novel.

The armrests are adjustable, there’s a cup holder that keeps your current beverage safe and sound and the whole thing folds down nice and neat and stows away in the handy carrying sack. This is one serious camping chair that anticipates your needs and provides you the ways and means to enjoy yourself. Toss a small bag of ice or two into the cooler along with a few drinks and you’re good to go for the entire afternoon or evening in front of the fire. There’s even a smaller mesh pocket for holding your insect repellent, lip balm, sunscreen, sunglasses or whatever else you feel you need to optimize your experience. You can pay a lot more for a first rate camping chair but at the very least this Coleman folding chair with cooler will have you asking why you should.

The Caravan Sports Infinity Zero Gravity camping chair harkens back design wise to the classic webbed lawn chairs of the past. But the recliner like profile is where the similarities end. This camping chair is all business when it comes to providing you a platform for total outdoor relaxation. The chair frame is high quality, powder coated, corrosion resistant steel that can handle up to 300 pounds. The chair adjusts to myriad positions so you can sit up to drink or eat and lay back to catch some rays or nap under the shade of the forest canopy. There’s a built in headrest that is fully adjustable and provides excellent support as well as contoured armrests that let your forearms rest naturally.

The Zero Gravity camping chair from Caravan Sports lets you elevate your legs as much or little as you like. This is one of the most comfortable camping chairs we tested. It’s so comfortable you may be tempted to use it in the family room in the basement and it will certainly be a welcome addition to the furniture lineup on the deck. At 18 pounds it may be a bit heavy to be lugging to and from the beach but that will depend entirely on your conditioning. With its powder coated corrosion resistant frame it will certainly stand up to the salty spray as good or better than any other beach chair you’ve ever had. There aren’t a lot of extras that come with the Zero Gravity but once you lay back and feel your cares melting away will it really matter?

The King Kong camping chair from ALPS Mountaineering is the solution to all those times your standard folding chair just couldn’t stand up to the rigors of camp life. It’s built like a brick you-know-what and while it may not be able to accommodate the adult Kong it could probably handle his younger self without much problem. The frame is ultra-strong powder coated steel that can handle up to 800 lbs. That’s right, 800 pounds. The 600D polyester fabric is no slouch either and will cradle even the biggest guys safely and comfortably. This is real camping furniture, not just some throw away piece of junk that will creak, snap and buckle under pressure.

Once you’ve settled into the King Kong camping chair you’ll notice there’s a pocket dangling from each arm to hold your book, magazines, smartphone, tablet, sunscreen, shades or whatever else. There are also cup holders on each arm so you can engage in some serious beveraging and, truth be told, the chair seat and back are way more comfortable than you have a right to expect from a camping chair. When it comes time to break camp you’ll also discover just how easily the King Kong camping chair folds up and packs away into its carrying sack. If you’re a big guy looking for a tough but comfortable camping chair you won’t find better than this.

The next entry on our list of best camping chairs takes a more modernist view of outdoor furniture. The Kijaro Dual Lock Chair sports a broad, sleek profile that lets you stretch out without ever feeling confined by the seat. It has a nice wide back with mesh at the center so you stay cool even on those July afternoons at the beach. The seat is specifically designed to provide sag free support and there’s a beverage holder on each armrest so you can have a real man’s camp breakfast. Off to the side of the right arm is a pocket for your miscellaneous items like phone, gps unit and sunblock. You can put your tactical watch in there while you cop some rays or use it to store your road map so you can pull it out when the notion strikes you and plan where you’ll be going next.

The Kijaro Dual Lock camping chair is the type of design that some will love and some will not love quite so much. The aggressively modern profile might strike some as out of place in the wild but no one will argue with how comfortable this camping chair is. And isn’t that the real point? Whether you weigh 100 or 300 pounds the Dual Lock camping chair will hold you in good stead and help turn your days in the woods or at the beach into some of the most enjoyable and relaxing you’ve ever experienced. And all for a remarkably low price.

We’re not quite sure what a camping chair has to do with the Internet access but as long as Coleman keeps coming up with practical winners like this we don’t really care what they call them. The Broadband Quad Chair sports a simple design with minimal ornamentation and accessories and is available for about the price of a 12 pack. The chair is very stable, very comfortable, strong enough to hold up to 250 pounds, packs away neatly and is remarkably light so you can carry it over your shoulder or in your backpack if your campsite is deep in the woods.

With a well-ventilated back, a mesh cup holder in the right armrest for your choice of beverage and a wide stance this Coleman folding chair is one you’ll want to sink into and not emerge from. In spite of the uber-affordable price point this is no discount camping chair. The frame here is made of high quality corrosion resistant steel that won’t wilt under full sized adults and the polyester fabric is both comfortable and easy to clean. At about 3 ½ pounds this hiking chair is so light you can take it virtually anywhere including the kid’s soccer practice or downtown for the holiday parade. You’ll probably want to have a couple on your pool deck as well. Just a great value all around.

Next up is a bit of a departure in the realm of the camping chair. This is the Stylish Camping Full Back Folding Director’s Chair. In spite of its Hollywood ambitions it’s actually a really great chair to take to the campsite with you as it features a host of add-ons that will make your camping trip easier, more comfortable and more enjoyable. Just off the left armrest are a slew of pockets designed to hold all your tech and non-tech items including sunscreen, books, notepad, mobile phone, tablet, sunglasses and more. Just off the right hand armrest there’s a fold out table top that will hold your lunch or dinner items or anything else you want to set down.

The frame on this camping chair is flat sided, high performance aluminum and is built to last. The seat and seatback are one piece of durable but comfortable polyester blend fabric that’s water resistant and cleans up easy. The whole camping chair folds up in a snap and while it may not be backpack material it’s not going to waste space in the trunk of your car either. At 10 pounds the Stylish Camping Full Back Folding Director’s Chair won’t wear you out toting it from car to camp or vice versa and once you have it set up you’ll likely never look at other fold up camping chairs quite the same way again.

The Quik Chair Heavy Duty Folding Camp Chair is all of those things. With its corrosion resistant steel tube frame that will support up to 500 pounds, the durable yet comfortable 300D polyester fabric and its light weight of 9 pounds it will be a hit on the deck, by the pool, at the seashore or in the woods. There may not be another camping chair out there that is this light yet can withstand this much weight. But it’s not all brawn because this is also one seriously comfortable camping chair that will make all of your outdoor excursions more relaxing and enjoyable.

The Quik Chair Heavy Duty Folding camping chair features dual cup/drink holders, stain-resistant fabric, a low stance for added stability and a handy, durable canvas carrying bag. It’s perfect for tailgating before the big game, relaxing by the campfire, enjoying a leisurely Sunday afternoon at the beach or to accommodate guests at your big holiday cookout. It pops into position in seconds without the need for screwdrivers, pliers or vice grips. If you’re a big guy the seat is broad enough that you won’t feel like you’re being squeezed into a glove like you will with some other camping chairs. A great gift idea for the larger outdoors fan on your holiday shopping list.

The Kelsyus Original Canopy camping chair isn’t going to win any style awards but what it will do is keep the baking sun off of you when you’re trying to enjoy yourself at the campground or the beach. The built in canopy is made of heavy duty synthetics that clean up easily and also provide up to 50+ UPF protection. While you won’t get full-body sun protection from the Kelsyus it will provide much needed protection for your head, neck, shoulders and upper arms. The sturdy frame will hold up to 250 pounds without complaint and the seat features a mesh strip that runs from your seat to your upper back so that you stay cool.

The Kelsyus Original Canopy camping chair is one of the best chairs for camping trips, watching parades, lounging on the pool deck or kicking back on the beach. It’s light, comfortable, affordable and stain resistant. It’s well-balanced, the canopy is easy to set up or take down, there’s a drink holder in the right arm and the whole thing breaks down to into a tidy bundle for easy transport. What else can we say about the Kelsyus Original camping chair? If you’re tired of lugging big umbrellas to the beach or don’t like the sunlight bearing down on you when you’re trying to relax at your favorite campsite you’ll want to have one in the trunk.

The Kelty Loveseat is a double camping chair that allows you to keep that special someone as close to you when you go camping as they are at home. It features cup holders in each of the adjustable arms, a tough, stable corrosion resistant steel frame that can handle 2 full-sized adults without breaking a sweat and 600D polyester fabric that’s remarkably comfortable and washes up in a snap. Granted the loveseat in the woods concept isn’t going to bowl everyone over but for those who buy into the idea they’ll be getting a high-quality 2 person camping chair that will make sharing moments by the campfire all the more special.

The Kelty Loveseat camping chair can be set up in seconds and is great for couples that want to share special moments or for parents that want to share the camping experience with their younger kids. The kids may even take it over if you’re not careful and make it their favorite part of the campsite. About the only potential issue with this chair is that with 2 people moving independently stability can become an issue. So just make sure there’s no fast moves and that the kids keep the horseplay to a minimum and you should be fine. An interesting, useful addition to your outdoor repertoire.

With the TravelChair Slacker we’re getting into the realm of temporary outdoor seating. This easy to unfold 3-legged stool is the kind of camping chair that can come in handy if you’ve been huffing it down the trail all day and you need to take 5. It weighs less than 2 pound so slinging it on the back of your MOLLE compatible tactical backpack or even sliding it inside the pack won’t be a problem. As such it falls into a category of outdoor kit some might call luxury accessories like a hunting GPS, tactical pants or tomahawk: those things you can live without but live better with.

This isn’t the kind of camping chair you want to unfold if you’re planning on kicking back and enjoying a few in the campsite while you watch the game on your tablet. This is camping stool that’s intended to meet temporary needs as they arise. If you’ve been waiting for your favorite float in the Thanksgiving Day parade to make an appearance and are starting to tire, set up the Slacker. If you stopped at the charity car wash to have your car cleaned take the Slacker camping chair out of the trunk and have a seat. The Slacker camping chair will hold up to 275 pounds comfortably and the PU-backed polyester fabric will stand up to years of use without fading or tearing. A great piece of secondary outdoor kit to have available in a pinch.

The final entry on our list of best fold up camping chairs is the Quik Shade Max: a camping chair with canopy that’s no joke. The Quik Shade Max has a fully adjustable canopy that will protect most of your body from the ravages of the sun and do so better than just about any other similar canopy chair on the market. But the joys of the Quik Shade Max don’t stop there because it also features a heavy duty steel frame that will support 225 pounds, has a large zippered storage pocket below the right armrest, has not one but 2 drink holders in those armrests and folds up in a jiffy.

The Quik Shade Max camping chair tips the scales at a trim 9 pounds so you can take it anywhere you believe you’re going to need to sit for a while and be protected from the sun. That would include the beach, the campground, the park to watch the kids soccer game, the pool deck, the tailgating party or the balcony of the hotel where you’re staying. The canopy sets up in seconds and can be raised and lowered as well as tilted until you find just the right level of shade, while the 600D polyester fabric is highly breathable and will cradle you comfortably. Quik has redesigned the canopy from earlier models and it now provides up to 40% more coverage. If you’re heading into the sun for some holiday fun you’d do well to have the Quik Shade Max camping chair in the trunk.