6 tests × 3 low chairs
The 3 Best Low Camping Chairs (Bought & Tested!)
I spent $250 buying these 3 low camping chairs, and I tested them all over 5 months to find out which one is actually worth your money.
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The Podium
Quick Summary
Here’s everything I recommend.
ENO Lounger DL Chair
The only low chair I own with two seat heights, and by far the most comfortable of the three.
7.2/ 10 overall
Cascade Mountain Tech Camp Chair
The least expensive chair I own, and it also sits the lowest.
6.4/ 10 overall
Jump to: What to Look For ↓ The Scores ↓ Why You Can Trust Me ↓
The video
If you prefer watching to reading, check out my full camping chairs video here instead.
Camping Guidance
30K+
Upgrade Pick
ENO Lounger DL Chair
Test scorecard
ENO Lounger DL
7.2out of 10
Setup4
Comfort7
Breathability9.3
Features9
Quality8.3
Weight8
Key info
- Seat height3.6in (low), 9.5in (high)
- Backrest height31.0in
- Seat size21.0 × 16.5in
- Setup60 seconds
- Storage2 pockets, 1 cupholder
- Capacity300lbs.
- Weight6.0lbs.
Pros
- Only low chair here with two seat heights
- Tallest backrest I’ve tested
- Built-in pillow
- Only low chair here with storage
Cons
- Priciest chair here
- Slowest to set up of the three
TL;DR
If you want a low chair for campfire use that you can lie back and nap in, the ENO Lounger DL Chair is the best one I’ve tested.
It’s the only low chair I own that lets you adjust its seat height. Leave the four leg poles on and you sit 9.5in off the ground; pull them off and you drop to 3.6in.
The backrest measures 31.0in, which is the tallest I’ve ever tested, and there’s a soft pillow built into the top of it.
It’s also the only one of the three with anywhere to put your things. You get a cupholder and two cargo pockets, one on each side.
However, it’s the most expensive chair here, and it takes 60 seconds to set up where the other two take 12.
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).
Check out the ENO Lounger DL:
Budget Pick
Cascade Mountain Tech Camp Chair
Test scorecard
Cascade Mountain Tech
6.4out of 10
Setup9
Comfort5.3
Breathability6.7
Features5
Quality6.3
Weight7.5
Key info
- Seat height2.75in
- Backrest height19.0in
- Seat size19.25 × 13.75in
- Setup12 seconds
- StorageNone
- Capacity250lbs.
- Weight6.5lbs.
Pros
- Cheapest chair here
- Lowest seat height I’ve tested
- Quickest to set up here
Cons
- No storage at all
- No neck support
- Shortest warranty here
TL;DR
If you just want to sit low around the fire without spending much, the Cascade Mountain Tech Camp Chair is the one to get.
At 2.75in it sits lower than any other chair I own, which is exactly what you want when you’re stretching your legs out toward a fire.
It also sets up in 12 seconds, which is the quickest of the three.
The backrest does stop below your neck though, so there’s nothing to rest your head on.
You don’t get much else either. There’s no cupholder, there aren’t any pockets, and the warranty runs out after 1 year where the ALPS is covered for life.
Check out the Cascade Mountain Tech Camp Chair:
ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous Chair
Test scorecard
ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous
6.9out of 10
Setup9
Comfort5.9
Breathability6.4
Features5
Quality8.1
Weight7
Key info
- Seat height4.0in
- Backrest height21.0in
- Seat size20.4 × 14.5in
- Setup12 seconds
- StorageNone
- Capacity300lbs.
- Weight7.1lbs.
Pros
- Same pros as the Cascade
- But a lifetime warranty
- Slightly bigger seat
Cons
- Same cons as the Cascade
- But pricier
TL;DR
The ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous is almost the same chair as the Cascade, so go with whichever one is cheaper.
Note: I bought both of these, and they really are near-identical. Here’s everything that actually differs between them:
| Measured | ALPS Rendezvous | Cascade Mountain Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Seat height | 4.0in | 2.75in |
| Seat size | 20.4 × 14.5in | 19.25 × 13.75in |
| Backrest height | 21.0in | 19.0in |
| Set up | 12–22 secondsThe backrest fabric sometimes detaches from the back poles, which costs about 10 seconds | 12 seconds |
| Pack away | 20 seconds | 19 seconds |
| Capacity | 300lbs. | 250lbs. |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 1 year |
| Weight | 7.1lbs. | 6.5lbs. |
✓ = the better measurement, from my own testing of both chairs. The Cascade is also over 30% cheaper, which is why it takes the budget pick.
Check out the ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous:
Buying guideWhat to Look For in a Low Camping Chair
A low camping chair has to get a few things right that a regular camp chair doesn’t. I’ve already scored all my chairs on setup, comfort, breathability, features, quality and portability in my full camping chairs roundup, so I won’t repeat any of that here. This part is only about what changes once a chair sits 3 inches off the ground.
What counts as a low camping chair
There’s no official cut-off, so I went by what the chair is actually for: sitting low enough that you can stretch your legs flat on the ground. Only 3 of the camping chairs I own manage it.
| Camping Chair | Seat Height (in) |
|---|---|
| Cascade Mountain Tech | 2.75 |
| ENO Lounger | 3.6 (low) / 9.5 (high) |
| ALPS Rendezvous | 4.0 |
| Kelty Lowdown | 6.7 |
| Helinox Chair Two | 7.5 |
| Kelty Low Loveseat | 8.5 |
Every height here is the real seated height. The top three are the only ones low enough; the bottom three are just shortish camp chairs.
- The band: chairs built for this typically come in at between 3 and 4 inches off the ground.
- How many qualify: just 3 of all the camping chairs I own.
- The closest miss: the Kelty Lowdown at 6.7in is low, but not low enough to spread your legs out.
The seat height on the box is not the one you sit at
Typically, what the brands market the seat height as is usually much taller than the seat height you actually get, especially after sitting on the chair.
| Camping Chair | Marketed (in) | Real Seated (in) | Difference (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALPS Rendezvous winner | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 |
| Cascade Mountain Tech | 5.0 | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| ENO Lounger (high) | 13.5 | 9.5 | 4.0 |
| ENO Lounger (low) | 9.0 | 3.6 | 5.4 |
The real seat height is measured from the ground up to the bottom of my bum when I’m sitting on the chair.
- Smallest gap: the ALPS, 1.0in off its marketed figure.
- Biggest gap: the ENO in its low setting, marketed at 9.0in and measuring 3.6in.
- Why it matters: at 15in a 2in error is nothing. At 5in it’s half the chair.
Adjustable legs, and why only one chair has them
A fixed low chair only ever sits at one height, and most low chairs are fixed. The ENO is the only one I own that lets you choose.
- How it works: the four foot poles pull out and snap onto the triangle poles underneath. This gets you to the low seat height pictured above.
- Put the legs back on and you gain 6.0in, which takes you from 3.6in up to 9.5in.
- What it costs: setup runs 60 seconds against 12 seconds for a fixed low chair.
Backrest height, and whether you can rest your head
This is what separates a low chair you can nap in from one you can only sit in. I’m 5’3, and two of the three stop at my shoulders.
| Camping Chair | Backrest Height (in) | Recline | Neck Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENO Lounger winner | 31.0 | 42° | Yes, with a built-in pillow |
| ALPS Rendezvous | 21.0 | 21° | No |
| Cascade Mountain Tech | 19.0 | 21° | No |
Backrest height is measured from the seat up to the top of the fabric.
- The ENO’s 31.0in backrest is the tallest I’ve ever tested on a camp chair.
- The other two stop at 21.0in and 19.0in, so they cover your back and nothing above it.
- Recline: 42° on the ENO against 21° on both budget chairs, and none of the three adjust.
Getting back out again
The lower you sit, the harder it is to stand up. That’s the real cost of a low camping chair, and it applies to all three of them.
- My rule from all my testing: if you have trouble getting out of low seats, avoid anything under 11.0in.
- Every chair here sits at 4.0in or lower, and even the ENO’s high setting only reaches 9.5in.
- The seat slopes back too: the Cascade’s seat height drops from 8.0in at the front to just 2.75in where your bum is, so you’re much lower than you might think.
So is a low camping chair worth it?
Only if you actually want to be on the ground. Here’s both sides of it after 5 months with all three.
- Worth it if: you sit around a campfire, at a beach or at an outdoor concert, and you want your legs flat out in front of you.
- Worth it if: you want a small packed size. All three pack down under 30in long.
- Not for you if: your knees don’t like low seats, because nothing here sits above 9.5in.
- Not for you if: you want cupholders and pockets, because two of the three have none at all.
- Not for you if: you want to sit upright to eat. These recline between 21° and 42° and none of them adjust.
The scoresAll Test Scores
The scoreboard
These scores come straight from my full camping chairs roundup, where all 21 chairs went through the same 6 tests. Nothing has been re-scored for this post.
- ENO LoungerUpgrade Pick7.2
- ALPS Rendezvous6.9
- Cascade Mountain TechBudget Pick6.4
The ALPS outscores the Cascade on build quality and comfort, not on value. The Cascade does the same job for a lot less, which is why it takes the budget pick.
See every sub-score and test weightage
The methodWhy You Can Trust Me
Every number on this page came out of my own testing, so here’s how the 5 months actually went.
$250
The first part is buying all 3 of these chairs with my own savings, without accepting any free or sponsored gear from brands.
5 months
Next came about 5 months of testing all of them, so that I had every bit of data I could get.
2 weeks
After that I spent about 2 weeks going through the data and comparing all the chairs against each other.
6 months
The last step is the content creation — videos for my YouTube channel and this blog you’re reading.
If you have any questions, reach out on YouTube. Thank you for reading this blog!
Every figure above is from my own testing – measured by hand, bought with my own money.
