It’s not our lightest, most comfortable, or toughest pick, but it’s close enough, and it’s reasonably priced. 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. There are a variety of different types of camping chairs. Similar to the Coleman Cooler Quad Chair in size, the Ozark Trail Oversized Mesh Camp Chair with Cooler was far less comfortable, with rough-feeling polyester that was obviously of lower quality. After six months of frequent use, the stitching along one arm had come unraveled, and the small straps holding up the back of the armrests had both ripped in half.
A lightweight, portable chair is a must-have for a myriad of summer activities — from sporting events to the campsite. With over 300 five-star reviews, this tried-and-true pick from Ozark Trail will help you stay protected from the sun. Nathan Borchelt is a life-long camper and backpacker, and is a huge advocate for using camp chairs — so much so that he successfully lobbied an ultralight-obsessed thru-hiker to add a lightweight camp chair ozark trail chair to his kit. In preparing this article, he worked with a team of T+L experts who tested a total of 47 chairs in both real-world and lab scenarios, sorting through testing feedback to choose the best of the bet. Experience ultimate relaxation and maximum comfort with this club chair with footrest! With a weight capacity of 500-lbs, it is perfect for adult use and the extra wide seating provides ample room to stretch out and unwind.
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. This splurge-worthy option is for anyone looking for the best of the best when it comes to comfort and durability.
The bowl brush, for example, has durable bristles with a built-in splash guard. The plunger cup has a protruding flange designed for maximum pressure to clear clogs quickly, and the space-saving trash can keeps things clean and tidy. According to Shearer and Teplin, the 15-piece cabinet door organizer can be configured to fit any space — with three panels, two trays, a sponge and paper holder plus a bunch of extra hooks and clips. Whether you’re wiping up spills or polishing the faucets, cleaning will be faster when all of your favorite products are in place and easy to reach. 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. As a result, the chair feels grounded and less wobbly than its competitors.
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).