YETI Trailhead Camp Chair Review (Bought & Tested!)

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Summary: Out of all the 21 camp chairs I’ve tested, the YETI Trailhead beat out all the rest in comfort, breathability, and quality. I’d highly recommend it, especially for the lumbar support, if you need it. No other chair compares.

RELATED: The 21 Best Camping Chairs

I’ll link to my YouTube review here when it’s done (TBA)

Check out the YETI Trailhead:

1. Set Up

The entire setup is pretty straightforward. Here’s how:

1. Lay the carry bag horizontally on the ground and unzip it.
2. Slide one end of the chair out first, then the other end.
3. Stand the chair upright and locate the four corners (back corners + armrests).
4. Grab one back corner and one armrest, pull them outwards to stretch the fabric.
5. Press down on both armrest handles simultaneously to unfold (use body weight if needed). Each should click into place.
6. Press down on the handle at the back of the chair to make the backrest taut.

Setup time: ~22 seconds

2. Pack Away

To pack away the chair, follow these steps:

1. Pull up on the handle at the back of the chair to loosen fabric tension.
2. Press the release buttons on the underside of both armrests.
3. Grab opposite ends and pull towards each other until the chair compresses (don’t force it).
4. Grab both armrests, pull them together, and upward to finish compression.
5. Lay the chair on the ground so the rectangular feet shape aligns with the bag opening.
6. Slide feet in first, then head, ensuring the zipper doesn’t catch mesh.

Tip: Guide the zipper with your finger to prevent catching fabric.

Pack away time: ~36 seconds (including getting it back into the bag)

3. Unfolded Dimensions

As for the unfolded dimensions, here’s what I measured:

• Width: 27in (68.8cm) from cupholder edge to armrest
  • 24.5in (62.2cm) from armrest to armrest
• Length: 30.5in (77.5cm) from back of chair to front of seat
• Height: 35.7in (90.8cm) from ground to top

4. Seat Size

Now, if you want more detailed seat measurements, here is everything to know. The seat size is generous for the category.

• Seat width: 19.5in (49.5cm)
• Seat depth: 16.5in (41.9cm)

5. Seat Height

As for seat height, there is a slight difference between the front measurement and where you actually sit:

• Front seat height: 17.5in (44.5cm)
• Actual seat height: 16.0in (40.6cm)
• Marketed Spec: 16.75in (42.5cm)

6. Backrest

Now, for the backrest height and width:

• Backrest height: 24.0in (61.0cm)
• Backrest width: 19.25in (48.9cm)
• Recline angle: 25 degrees (fairly reclined)

If you’re tall, this is not going to be enough to give you a neck rest.

7. Breathability

I found that 100% of this chair is actually very breathable, with a full ‘mesh-like’ construction.

8. Armrests

Another feature of this chair is the armrests, which are wide enough to be comfortable despite a lack of padding.

• Material: Hard, high-grade plastic
• Adjustability: Non-adjustable

9. Storage

For storage, we’ve got only 1 removable cupholder on the right of the chair:

• Dimensions: ~4 inches in diameter by almost 5 inches in length
• Capacity: Fits anything from cans, bottles, and even a 1-liter Nalgene.
• Drainage: Has a drainage hole at the bottom for spills.

10. Materials & Quality

For this next test, here’s a quick list of everything I looked at:

• Fabric: Polyester (69%) and polypropylene (31%), mesh-like construction.
• Poles: Heavy, beefy, very thick (>1 inch). Actual measurement: 1.14in/2.9cm.
• Zipper: Big and beefy, it worked perfectly well with its own pocket.

11. Portability

For portability, the packed size dimensions come in at about:

• Chair weight: 13.6lbs (6.17kg)
• Bag weight: 1.1lbs (0.5kg)
• Total weight: 14.7lbs (6.67kg)
• Packed size: 43in x 9.5in x 10.5in (109.2cm x 24.26cm x 26.7cm)

12. Warranty

YETI provides one of the more generous warranties for this category:

• Warranty Type: 5-year warranty
• Coverage: Covers manufacturing defects and frame integrity over time (better than standard 1-year warranties).

13. Best Heavy-Duty Camp Chair?

Now, what exactly makes this YETI Trailhead the best heavy-duty camp chair? I have about five reasons why:

1: Fantastic weight limit of 500lbs

The weight limit on the YETI is one of the most impressive features tested. It comes in at a whopping 500 pounds. In comparison to other heavy-duty chairs I’ve tested, here’s how it stacks up against the top competitors:

Camp Chair	Weight Limit (lbs.)
ALPS King Kong	800
Coleman Big N Tall	600
YETI Trailhead	500
Average	300

While the YETI is third from the top in this specific list, it significantly outperforms the average camp chair (approx. 300 lbs). I had a friend of 250 pounds test the YETI for a few days, and it held up perfectly without any sagging or structural stress.

2: UV-resistant Materials

This chair is so heavy-duty because it’s one of the few camp chairs that actually has UV resistance. YETI uses UV-resistant additives according to the marketed specs. I think this is my only chair out of 20+ tested that has this feature explicitly mentioned for durability against sun exposure

I’ve had my unit out in the sun for at least a few weeks, and so far it’s still looking good as new without any fading at all

3: Thick and Beefy Poles

The YETI Trailhead has the thickest and beefiest poles of any camp chair I’ve tested. They come in at 1.14 inches thick. This contributes significantly to stability and rigidity compared to standard tubing.

Camp Chair	Pole Thickness (in)
YETI Trailhead	1.14
Coleman Big N Tall	0.87
ALPS King Kong	0.75
Average	0.6-0.7

4: High-Quality Frame & Joints

Not only are the poles much thicker, but the pole joints are significantly beefier, thicker, and higher quality, too. On the other hand, most chairs have these very simple rivets instead, which aren’t as long-lasting under heavy loads.

5: Single-Piece Fabric Construction

You won’t see any stitching on it apart from the ends of the fabric and where the fabric connects to the frame. This is much stronger than a typical camp chair that will have stitching throughout the seat and backrest, too, which creates potential tear points.

14. Pros & Cons

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the YETI Trailhead Camp Chair?

Pro #1 – No-Sag Seating and Backrest

I really liked the locking mechanism on the armrests that makes the seat completely taut. On top of that, you also get a locking mechanism for the backrest, which makes it taut as well. Most camp chairs have very saggy seats; here are some better ones:

Camp Chair	Taut Seat?	Taut Backrest?	Locking Mechanism
YETI Trailhead	Yes	Yes	2
Kijaro Dual Lock	Yes	No	1
Coleman Big N Tall	Yes	No	0
REI Campwell	Yes	No	0

Pro #2 – Tall Seat Height

Another pro is the tall seat height of this chair, which is on par with any office or dining chair that you may have at home. On the other hand, most camp chairs actually sit much lower to the ground:

Camp Chair	Seat Height (in)
YETI Trailhead	16.0
Kijaro Dual Lock	15.5
Coleman Big N Tall	15.2
ALPS King Kong	15.0
Average	11.0

Pro #3 – Great Lumbar Support

The seat doesn’t sag when you sit on it. So, the front of the chair comes in at 17.5in. The part where you’re sitting comes in at 16.0in, for a minimal height difference of just 1.5in of slope. A lot of camp chairs actually slope down from the front to the back by 5 inches, sometimes even more.

Pro #4 – Generous seat size

I also really liked the generous seat size of the YETI. It’s not the biggest I’ve seen, but it’s definitely one of.

Camp Chair	Seat Width (in)	Seat Depth (in)
ALPS King Kong	19.5	20.0
Coleman Big N Tall	19.1	19.0
Coleman Cooler Quad	19.0	18.5
YETI Trailhead	19.5	16.5
Kijaro Dual Lock	19.0	16.0
Average Camp Chair	17.0	15.0

Pro #5– Very Breathable

Another fantastic pro is how breathable it actually is, covered in 100% of this “mesh-like” construction:

Camp Chair	Mesh
YETI Trailhead	100%
REI Campwell	80%
ENO Lounger	80%
NEMO Stargaze	44%
Average	0-10%

• Temp Rise: Starting temp 77°F → After 1 hour 79°F (Increase: 2.5%)

Pro #6 – Very stable

As for stability, the feet are big and wide, and the feet’s spread is also much wider than your average camp chair. That, combined with the weight of the chair, made it one of the most stable camp chairs I’ve ever used.

Con #1 – Very Expensive

The biggest con is easily that it’s very expensive for a chair, with an MSRP of $300. Compared to other heavy-duty camp chairs I’ve tested, it’s more than 3 times the price:

Heavy-Duty Camp Chair	MSRP
YETI Trailhead	$300
ALPS King Kong	$80
Coleman Big N Tall	$70

Con #2 – Very Heavy and Bulky

It’s very heavy; mine weighed 1.5 pounds heavier than the marketed weight, and it’s also one of my bulkiest camp chairs. For reference, compared to a mid-sized 2-person tent (Coleman Sundome), this is about 80% longer in length.

Overall Recommendation

The YETI Trailhead is a great chair if you have trouble getting out of low seats, if you need a heavy-duty and high-quality chair, and especially if you need lumbar support due to back issues.

15. Bonus – MUST Read!

I know this because I tested the YETI Trailhead Camp Chair against 20 other camping chairs. Check out my Best Camping Chairs article to find out.

Or, check out the YETI Trailhead Camp Chair: