Cheap VS. Expensive Camping Chairs: $35 vs $300 (I Tested Both!)

The video

The full comparison

$35 chair vs $300 chair, side by side

	Coleman Broadband ($35)	YETI Trailhead ($300)
Setup	6 seconds	22 seconds
Pack away	21 seconds	36 seconds
Taut seat	No	Yes
Taut backrest	No	Yes
Seat height, seated	11.0in	16.0in
Backrest height	19.8in (17.0in usable)	24.0in
Seat size	17.3 x 17.1in	19.5 x 16.5in
Mesh	35%	100%
1-hour sit test	+8.2%	+2.5%
Storage	1 cupholder, 2.8in	1 cupholder, 4.0in
UV resistance	No	Yes
Pole thickness	0.63in	1.14in
Joints	Simple rivets	Thick pole joints
Weight	6.0lbs	14.7lbs
Packed volume	1,125in³	4,289in³
Carry bag	Shoulder strap	Backpack straps
Weight capacity	250lbs	500lbs
Warranty	1 year	5 years

Part 1 of 9

The $35 chair sets up 3 times faster

The Coleman is out of its bag and open in 6 seconds. I undo the drawstring, grab opposite ends, and pull.

The YETI starts the same way, and then there are three locks to close. Both armrests lock down one at a time, and a handle at the back locks after them, which takes it to 22 seconds.

Pack away goes the same way round, at 21 seconds for the Coleman and 36 seconds for the YETI.

Part 2 of 9

Locking the armrests is what makes the seat taut

Sit down on the Coleman and you sink 5.0in. The seat starts at 16.0in and ends up at 11.0in with me in it.

The YETI sinks 1.5in, which is the least slouch of any chair I’ve tested. Pushing the armrests down pulls the seat fabric almost completely tight, so there’s barely anywhere to sink into.

The handle at the back does the same to the backrest, so it supports my whole back when I lean into it. It’s the only chair I’ve tested that pulls taut at both ends, and it’s the one thing I’d pay $300 for.

Part 3 of 9

The backrest is 4 inches taller, and it holds its shape

The Coleman’s backrest measures 19.8in. At 5’3” that covers my whole back, but there’s nothing behind my neck.

The top 2.75in is flimsy too, with little support from the ends. If I’m being nitpicky, that brings the usable backrest height down to 17.0in.

The YETI’s is 24.0in. Sitting upright it still doesn’t reach my head, but the top flattens off and isn’t flimsy at all, so I can scoot down the seat and rest my head on it. That was a little detail I appreciated.

Part 4 of 9

One sits at 11.0in, the other at 16.0in

That 11.0in is about average for a camp chair, and 5 to 9 inches below the dining chairs at home. If you have trouble getting out of low seats, I’d skip the Coleman and look at a tall camping chair instead.

The YETI sits at 16.0in, which makes it the tallest camp chair I’ve tested. It’s also the only one I can use properly at a camp table.

The seat sizes are closer than the price suggests. The Coleman gives me 17.3 x 17.1in between the steel side bars, and the YETI 19.5 x 16.5in, so about 10% more room. I fit into both of them fine.

Part 5 of 9

35% mesh against a chair that’s all mesh

Only the Coleman’s backrest is mesh, which works out at 35% of the chair. My back stayed breezy and the seat ran warmer over an hour, and I wished there was more mesh down there.

The YETI is a single mesh-like fabric all the way through, 69% polyester and 31% polypropylene. For summer it wins hands down.

I also sat in each chair for an hour and took the temperature with a temperature gun before and after. The Coleman went up 8.2% and the YETI 2.5%, so more than three times the rise.

Why the mesh costs moreMesh is more expensive to manufacture than plain polyester fabric, and it’s a big part of the $300. Look at the proportion of fabric to mesh on the cheap chairs being sold right now and you’ll see why.

Part 6 of 9

Both have one cupholder and no pockets

The Coleman’s is mesh and 2.8in across, so it takes a single can and nothing much bigger.

The YETI’s is 4.0in across and 4.75in deep, and it holds cans, bottles and a 1-liter Nalgene. It lifts out if you don’t want it, and there’s a drainage hole in the bottom for spills.

I do wish both of them had pockets, especially the YETI at this price. The other feature I like on it is the UV resistance, which only 2 of the 21 chairs I’ve tested have. Mine has been out in the sun for months without any fading.

Part 7 of 9

The frame is where most of the $300 goes

The poles on the Coleman measure 0.63in thick, and the rivets are the simple ones most camp chairs use. The quality is about average for the money.

The YETI’s poles are 1.14in, so almost twice as thick, and the joints holding them together are much beefier as well. The whole frame is a lot more solid, and it’s where the quality difference actually shows.

Part 8 of 9

The cheap chair wins on weight and packed size

The Coleman weighs 6.0lbs and the YETI 14.7lbs, almost two and a half times more, and that’s mostly the frame. It’s one of the heaviest and bulkiest chairs of the 21.

Packed, the Coleman is 1,125in³ against the YETI’s 4,289in³, so nearly 4 times the volume.

Carrying them is the other way round. The Coleman’s bag has one webbing strap that is neither padded nor adjustable, and you sling it over a shoulder.

The YETI’s straps are thickly padded, adjustable at both buckles, and worn like a backpack. That’s what makes 14.7lbs easy to carry.

Part 9 of 9

Twice the weight capacity, five times the warranty

The Coleman is rated to 250lbs and covered for 1 year. The YETI is rated to 500lbs and covered for 5 years, and a friend of mine at 250lbs used it for days without any trouble.

Cheat sheet

So which chair should you buy?

If you…	Get	Because
Have a bad back	The $300 YETI	It’s the only chair I’ve tested that pulls taut at the seat and the backrest, and it sinks 1.5in.
Struggle to get out of low seats	The $300 YETI	It sits 5.0in higher than the Coleman, at 16.0in.
Camp in summer	The $300 YETI	It’s all mesh, and it warmed up 2.5% over an hour against the Coleman’s 8.2%.
Camp most weekends, for years	The $300 YETI	500lbs of capacity and a 5-year warranty, against 250lbs and 1 year.
Want the cheapest chair that works	The $35 Coleman	It sets up in 6 seconds, weighs 6.0lbs, and covers the basics for the money.
Want the best budget chair	Neither, honestly	For a bit more than the Coleman, the Kijaro Dual Lock is my budget pick out of the 21 chairs I’ve bought.

• The $300 chair — YETI TrailheadAmazon · my full review
• The $35 chair — Coleman BroadbandAmazon · my full review

Quick questions

FAQ

Is a $300 camping chair worth it?

Only if you have a bad back, or you struggle to get out of low seats. The YETI Trailhead is the only chair I’ve tested with the seat and the backrest both pulled taut, and it sits at 16.0in. For a couple of weekends a summer, it isn’t worth it.

What do you actually get for the extra money?

Back support and comfort more than durability. The YETI sinks 1.5in against the Coleman’s 5.0in, sits 5.0in higher, is 100% mesh against 35%, and warmed up 2.5% in my 1-hour sit test against 8.2%. Its poles are 1.14in thick against 0.63in, and it takes 500lbs against 250lbs.

Is a $35 camping chair good enough?

For a few weekends a summer, yes. My $35 Coleman sinks 5.0in the moment I sit down, the top 2.75in of the backrest is flimsy, the seat runs warm because only the backrest is mesh, and the cupholder takes a single can. It still sets up in 6 seconds and weighs only 6.0lbs.

Keep going

Where to next

I bought both chairs with my own money, and every figure here I measured myself.