The 21 Best Camping Chairs (Bought & Tested!)

The video

Table of contents

1. 1. YETI Trailhead Camp Chair (Best Overall & Lumbar Support)
2. 2. ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair (Best Value for Money & Heavy-Duty)
3. 3. Kijaro Dual Lock Camp Chair (Best Budget Pick)
4. 4. REI Co-Op Campwell Chair (Bonus Budget Pick)
5. 5. ENO Lounger DL Chair (Best Low Lounger)
6. 6. Helinox Sunset (Best Lightweight Chair)
7. 7. GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker (Best Rocking Chair)
8. 8. NEMO Stargaze (Best Reclining Chair)
9. 9. Kelty Low Loveseat (Best Double Chair)
10. The Rest of the Best
11. How I Tested All my Camping Chairs
12. Why You Can Trust Me

Best Overall & Lumbar Support

YETI Trailhead Camp Chair

There are many reasons why the YETI is so comfortable, and I’ll try to list them all.

First, it has the tallest seat height of any camp chair I’ve ever tested.

Also, if you look at the YETI above, it has no seat slouch, you do not sink into the seat at all, giving you excellent lumbar support. In comparison, here’s what a typical camp chair looks like:

RELATED: I actually did an in-depth analysis on the camp chairs with the best lumbar support (TBA), where the YETI beat out the rest, check it out here if you need the info.

I also love that the fabric contours to not just your bottom, but also your back; it makes you feel like you’re sitting on a cloud. The seat size is generous too (19.5 x 16.5in).

Check out how the YETI compares to a chair I have at home:

On top of that, if you’re camping in summer, the YETI has a 100% mesh construction for excellent breathability, which is the most mesh of any camp chair in this review too.

The YETI also has the thickest poles (1.14in – I measured it) and the most robust pole joints of any camp chair in this review too.

Overall, the YETI has excellent quality materials and a fantastic design, including but not limited to all these (if I keep explaining all of them, I’d run out of time and space!):

• UV resistance
• Made of a single piece of FlexGrid mesh
• High weight capacity (500lbs.)
• Comfortable armrests
• Locking mechanism for seat and back
• Extra big feet and wide spread for stability

As for cons, this is one of the heaviest (14.7lbs.) and bulkiest chairs in this review, and it’s the most expensive too.

But if you want the most comfortable and highest quality chair possible, which can last many years to come, there’s no comparison with any of the others in this review.

Best Value for Money & Heavy-Duty

ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair

When comparing all the chairs in this review with a similar shape, the King Kong offers the biggest, most generous seat size, bigger than even the YETI.

One of my favorite things to do is to take off my shoes and cross my legs on this chair. I couldn’t do this with smaller chairs.

It’s also one of the tallest chairs in this review, with a seat height of 15 inches, just 1 inch less than the Trailhead.

You also get 2 cupholders and 3 pockets; all the pockets are extremely big as well, and this King Kong is easily the most feature-rich chair in terms of storage too.

The King Kong also has the highest weight capacity. I compared the 3 most heavy-duty chairs in this review, and condensed all the info into a single table:

RELATED: For the full in-depth analysis on these heavy-duty camp chairs (TBA), I’ll leave a link here.

However, the King Kong has no mesh at all, and it also has the thickest fabric of all the chairs here. It’s meant for slightly colder weather rather than the peak of summer.

If you’re using this chair in summer, after just 1 hour of sitting on it, the temperature will rise by close to 20%. This is the most of any of the camp chairs in this review.

Best Budget Pick

Kijaro Dual Lock Camp Chair

This chair is one of the most affordable options on the market, and we get a lot of features out of it. First, there’s quite a few storage options – 3 pockets and 2 cupholders.

Second, and most impressively, the seat height on this chair is extremely high, making it feel like you’re sitting on a chair at home, rather than a camp chair.

This chair also comes with a locking mechanism to make the seat taut, exactly like the YETI. If you look at the picture above, notice you don’t sag into the seat much.

I found it a bit strange that the seat slants from the front to the back though. If it didn’t, this chair would have been absolutely perfect as a budget pick for lumbar support.

Bonus Budget Pick

REI Co-Op Campwell Chair

This is one of the cheapest chairs in this review, but to my pleasant surprise, I found that it offers great quality and features.

RELATED: If you want a quick run-down of other cheap camp chairs (apart from the Kijaro and Campwell), I’ll get that done soon and leave a link here.

For such an inexpensive chair, it has impressive features like ripstop polyester strips, which run across the chair’s nylon mesh to reinforce the seat and the backrest.

This gives the Campwell a bit more lumbar support than most camp chairs; you don’t sink into the chair much.

On top of just that, this Campwell is second only to the YETI in terms of the amount of mesh, which makes it perfect for summer camping. (It’s actually quite a bit cooler on the seat than the Kijaro above!)

• YETI Trailhead: 100% mesh
• REI Campwell: 80% mesh
• Average camp chair: 20-40% mesh

And in the summer, with lots of thunderstorms, if this chair gets caught in the rain, all the water gets drained out very nicely and it never takes too long to dry.

However, if you have trouble getting out of low seats, you should try to avoid chairs that have seat heights of less than 13 inches. Unfortunately, the Campwell comes in at just 11.3 inches.

Best Low Lounger

ENO Lounger DL Chair

RELATED: I actually tested 3 low camp chairs in this review here, in case you need more info.

Why is the ENO the best? First, it’s the only low chair I have that came with a massive backrest, and even an in-built soft pillow. The ENO’s backrest height of 31.0 inches is the tallest one out of all the 21 chairs in this review.

And like all other low chairs, you sit very low to the ground, which allows you to stretch your legs out comfortably. Then, you lean back, put your cap over your head, and take a nap in the middle of the day.

But, what makes the ENO the stand-out pick is its adjustable legs. If you secure the 4 legs into pole joints in the triangle middle of the chair, this gets you another 6 inches off the ground.

However, as I mentioned above, anything below 13 inches isn’t for folks who have trouble getting out of low seats. So, even the ENO’s ‘high’ height was a bit on the low side.

Pro-Tip: If you’re camping in summer, I highly recommend checking out ENO’s Lounger with a 80%-mesh-construction, instead of the one I reviewed (0% mesh). I’ll link to it below.

Best Lightweight Chair

Helinox Sunset

RELATED: There are only 3 other lightweight yet comfortable high-back chairs in this review with weights of less than 4.0lbs – (1) Helinox Chair Two, (2) Big Agnes Big Six, and (3) REI Camp Dreamer. (4) The Helinox Sunset beat them all hands down. For a full breakdown, click here – the Best Lightweight Camp Chairs (TBA).

The Sunset has a packed volume that is 8.5x less than the YETI, and 5x less than the King Kong. And it weighs just 3.4lbs.

One of the biggest reasons why the Sunset is so lightweight is because of its high-quality DAC aluminum poles. These poles are known to have the highest possible strength-to-weight ratio.

Why I chose the Sunset over the other lightweight chairs in this review is because of its high seat height. The rest come in at between 7-11 inches, which is much less comfortable.

It also has one of the tallest backrest heights, so I could lean back and rest my head and neck.

The headrest portion is also adjustable, allowing you to squeeze the carry bag, a puffy jacket, or a pillow in.

However, if you’re expecting the Sunset’s seat to be as comfortable as the YETI, or the King Kong, well, that’s not going to be the case. Two reasons why.

First, lightweight chairs typically have a seat depth that is only about 11-13 inches deep.

These chairs also have a scoop shape, instead of a classic flat seat like the YETI/King Kong/Campwell. Because of this shape that’s supposed to ‘scoop’/hug you, I will sink into the chair by more than 5 inches. More sinking = less lumbar support.

Bottom line: But those are the typical characteristics of a lightweight, packable camp chair, so don’t let it scare you off from this excellent chair.

Best Rocking Chair

GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker

RELATED: If you want the full breakdown of the 4 best rocking camp chairs I tested, I’ll leave here when it’s done (TBA).

The biggest reason I chose the Freestyle Rocker as the best is because it has the tallest seat height and also a taut seat for better back support.

On the other hand, all the other rocking chairs tend to sit much lower to the ground:

And of all the 21 chairs in this review, this Freestyle was the most user-friendly:

• Setup: 4 seconds
• Pack away: 2 seconds

As for the rocking mechanism, that’s mainly by spring-action.

On top of that, this chair also has front legs for regular chair use.

However, one minor con is that this chair doesn’t have a full range of motion like a traditional rocking chair. Only the back (where the pistons are) will be able to rock you.

Best Reclining Chair

NEMO Stargaze

As a lounge chair, it’s extremely comfortable. If you’re not using the Stargaze’s reclining function, this will be the neutral position, and I measured that to be 11°.

But if you want to use the reclining feature, you can recline it all the way to a whopping 57°. That is a 46-degree angle of recline (11°-57°).

You can also recline the chair to anywhere between 11°-57° degrees, fully adjustable for your comfort.

RELATED: I tested only 2 of the best reclining chairs in this review, but if you’re interested you can always check out the full breakdown (TBA).

And unlike the GCI Freestyle above, because the Stargaze is attached to the aluminum frame via only 2 steel buckles, I found that I could rock the chair by 2-3 times the amount of the Freestyle.

The Stargaze also comes with a full backrest, and an adjustable pillow for your head, so this was really relaxing and very comfortable.

The Stargaze is also made of excellent quality materials:

• Lots of mesh (44%)
• Aircraft-grade aluminum poles and hubs
• Thick 900D polyester
• UV resistance

However, in terms of price, it’s the most expensive chair after the YETI.

Best Double Chair

Kelty Low Loveseat

Surprisingly, for a 2-person chair, the setup and pack away were incredibly fuss-free. They were actually only 3-4 seconds longer than the single Kelty Lowdown:

• Setup: 10 seconds
• Pack away: 28 seconds

A lot of that is thanks to the fully adjustable carry bag, which I could also use as a footmat for lots of versatility.

RELATED: For other 2-person seating options, check out the best double camp chairs here.

However, while most of the Loveseat’s specs were impressive, the weight capacity is surprisingly low, just 50lbs. higher than the single Kelty Lowdown:

Also, one reason I bought the Loveseat is to have the flexibility to sprawl out over it, like a couch. Unfortunately, I discovered there’s a bar smack in the middle of the chair that made it super uncomfortable to do so.