Suzie co-authored Lonely Planet Sustainable Travel Guide and is the author of 2021’s “Hiking Lake Tahoe.” She has undergraduate degrees from the University of Maryland and an M.A. In media and political communication from George Washington University. Follow her on Instagram at @HikeUpYourSkirt or find more of her work at suziedundas.com. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions.
The weight, size, and general portability of a camping chair makes a major difference in how and when you can comfortably use it. Lighter, smaller options are easier to carry in your arms or on your back and work well for backpackers or anyone traveling by foot. T+L writers are shopping and product experts who score the market for the best of the best travel gear.
Are you a car camper or do you plan on socializing in friends’ backyards? Besides that, you need to know if you have enough room in your vehicle to fit the chairs. Some fold up small enough to fit in backpacks, but you should double check how much these seating options weigh before buying them. A folding hammock chair is undoubtedly worth it if you value comfort and relaxation above all else. The durability of the seat materials is paramount, since a torn seat can render your chair useless.
The REI chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on the Ozark Trail Kids’ Folding Camp Chair from Walmart. 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. We found that the cheaply constructed Walmart chair had a cupholder that was too small for a soda can, or any of the hard-plastic or metal water bottles that the kids we know brought on a camping trip. It will fit a Capri Sun pouch or a narrow, rectangular juice box, but that’s about it.
They also appreciated its cupholder (rare in chairs of this sort) and its quick close-up-and-carry design. You’ll also want a padded, adjustable headrest and perhaps armrests and cup holders. Usually, swinging chairs have more pieces and parts than a standard chair, but ozark trail hammock chair the Rio foldable hammock chair manages to stay minimal in both weight and size. While it’s too heavy for backpacking, it’s a reasonable size and weight for slinging over your shoulder to walk from the parking lot to the sidelines or throwing in a wagon for beach days.