The Best Camping Chairs for Every Outdoor Adventure (or Your Kid's Soccer Game)
Sit back and relax in one of these comfy outdoor chairs.
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Whether it's for sitting around the campfire or watching your kid's soccer game, the perfect camping chair combines comfort, ease of use, portability, and durability. That's the balancing act our experts in the Good Housekeeping Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab looked for in their latest camping chair evaluations. Our favorite, Yeti's Trailhead Camp Chair, is also easy to clean, thanks to its mesh fabric that you can spray down with a hose. Other picks stood out for different reasons, such as their lower price tag or their two-person design.
Our top picks:
- Best overall: Yeti Trailhead Camp Chair
- Best value: GCI Outdoor Freeform Zero Gravity Lounger
- Best for tall people: Big Agnes Big Six Armchair
Best Deal
Pros
- Very comfortable to sit in
- Easy-to-clean mesh fabric
Cons
- On the heavier side
The Yeti brand is well regarded for making high-quality outdoor gear, and it shows here. The company’s Trailhead Camp Chair is extremely comfortable. It also folds easily and fits into a small carry bag that you can sling over your shoulder or wear as a backpack.
This heavy-duty camping chair can hold up to 500 pounds, though it requires a pretty serious frame for that stability, which pushes its total weight to a relatively hefty 13 pounds. The seat, which features a built-in cupholder, is made from an easy-to-clean mesh fabric (you can simply hose it down with water and let it air dry) and UV-ray resistant additives to help mitigate fading from sun exposure, according to the brand.
Conveniently, the arms are taped with instructions for setting up and folding the chair. Also, the product boasts a generous five-year warranty. However, it’s the most expensive camping chair we tested.
| Weight | 13.3 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 500 lbs |
| Dimensions | 29.9"D x 25.1"W x 36.3"H |
| Seat height | 16.75 in. |
| Accessories | Cup holder and carry bag |
Pros
- Affordably priced
- Reclines
- Comfortable head pillow
Cons
- Heavy
- Difficult to transport
This chair from GCI Outdoors is like a La-Z-Boy for the outdoors. Its zero-gravity construction allows you to sit upright, lie back with your legs up, or recline to a weightless position, where your legs are elevated above your heart. It comes with a comfortable head pillow, perfect for napping. The chair's nylon mesh material is durable, easy to clean, and provides good airflow—a nice feature on hot days.
That said, this chair does not come with a carry bag, making it harder to haul than the others on this list; that may explain why the company’s product page says it's popular for picnics, rather than camping. The chair also weighs about 26 pounds, which is heavier than most.
| Weight | 25.9 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 300 lbs |
| Dimensions | 35"D x 30.3"W x 43.1"H |
| Seat height | 20.7 in. |
| Accessories | 1 combination beverage and phone holder |
Pros
- Ample height and width for taller or larger body types
- Two built-in cupholders
- Lightweight
Cons
- Can't handle as much weight as other tested chairs
This camping chair is very comfortable, making it good not only for camping trips but also for extended seating, such as at the beach or your kid’s soccer game. It has ample height and width for taller body types, though smaller testers also found it comfortable. At just over 4 pounds, it's also pretty lightweight, though that limits its capacity to 300 pounds.
The aluminum pole frame assembles quickly and feels very stable, including on uneven ground. Despite its outsize comfort and convenience, the Big Six still folds to a fairly compact 5 inches by 6 inches by 22 inches.
This camping chair, however, is on the pricier side.
| Weight | 4.2 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 300 lbs |
| Dimensions | 24"D x 26"W x 40"H |
| Seat height | 20 in. |
| Accessories | 2 cupholders and a carry bag |
Pros
- Very lightweight
- Easy to transport
- Modern look
Cons
- Requires assembly and disassembly for packing
- Least comfortable of the camping chairs we tested
If you’re looking for a camping chair that’s easy to transport, look no further than the Helinox Sunset Chair. This chair weighs just 3.44 pounds when packed into its compact carry bag, making it perfect for a hiking trip. It also has a modern look and mesh paneling for breathability and ventilation.
But there are a couple of small caveats. Most notably, the chair needs to be assembled when taken out of the carry bag and disassembled to fit back inside it, although assembly and disassembly took us less than two minutes. It was also a bit less supportive than other camping chairs we tested, a tradeoff of its extremely lightweight design. But it’s still comfortable enough for one to two hours of use at a time. (Note: The chair doesn’t include a cup holder, but you can purchase one separately for $15.)
| Weight | 3.25 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 320 lbs |
| Dimensions | 28"D x 23"W x 38"H |
| Seat height | 14 in. |
| Accessories | Carry bag |
Pros
- Very comfortable
- Durable steel frame
- 2 insulated size-adjustable cup holders
Cons
- Sits low to the ground
- Poor ventilation
This padded loveseat from Kelty is a great option for couples who enjoy camping or attending outdoor concerts. Our tester found it equally comfortable sitting on his own or with his wife. It offers 42 inches of seating space, a durable steel frame, and each seat has its own insulated, size-adjustable beverage holder.
A unique feature: The product’s carry wrap doubles as a padded dog mat, giving your pooch a comfortable place to rest, too.
As the name implies, the loveseat sits just 13.5 inches off the ground, which may not suit everyone's taste. It’s also heavier to transport than most single-seat camping chairs, and the weight capacity tops out at 400 pounds. Because the seats are padded, they’re less breathable on a hot day.
| Weight | 15.38 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 400 lbs |
| Dimensions | 23"D x 46"W x 31.5"H |
| Seat height | 13.5 in. |
| Accessories | 2 cupholders and carry bag |
How we tested the best camping chairs
To find the best camping chairs, our Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab experts tested popular models from well-known outdoor brands. We evaluated each chair for comfort, ease of setup and takedown, portability, and overall construction quality.
For portability, we considered each chair's weight, packed size, included carry bag (Yeti, Kelty, and Helinox pictured), and ease of transport.
To assess durability, we examined the quality of the frame, fabric, and other materials during hands-on use. We also reviewed customer feedback and online reviews to help identify other notable camping chairs and understand long-term owner experiences.
What to look for when shopping for the best camping chair
There are several important factors to consider when you go shopping:
✔️ Price: You can go with a cheap supermarket knockoff, starting at around $20, but we found it pays to shell out a bit more money in exchange for higher quality construction, extra features, and durability. Well-established brands offer reliable, higher-end camping chairs that run between about $150 and $400.
✔️ Comfort: This factor can come down to personal preference, but some camping chairs are undoubtedly more comfortable—and offer better stability—than others. Materials can also vary. A mesh seat, for example, is more breathable than a padded seat. The material of the framing can also affect the chair's durability, with steel frames considered more durable than aluminum.
✔️ Weight capacity and seat width: If you have a heavier or wider frame, it’s important to look at weight capacity and seat width to ensure you’ll fit comfortably in the chair.
✔️ Seat height. This is especially important to consider if you are tall or short. Also, a lower seat height can make it more difficult for those with mobility issues to sit down and get up.
✔️ Portability: Camp chairs typically fold up or collapse to make them easier to transport. It may be a good idea to consider the folded dimensions if you will be short on space in your car’s trunk. Look at how much a chair weighs so that if you have to carry it a far distance, say, hiking from the car to the campsite, it’ll be manageable for you. Some also come with a carrying case with a handle, shoulder strap, or backpack straps, making the chair easier to tote around. (Some chairs require disassembly to fit into their carrying case.)
✔️ Features: Usually, a camping chair will come with at least one cupholder—sometimes, it’ll even be insulated so you’ll always have a cold drink. For even more comfort and convenience, you may want to look for extras like storage pockets, a pillow, armrests, or a fold-out side table.
✔️ Warranty: Most camping chairs come with a warranty from one to five years, depending on the model and manufacturer.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
In addition to being an avid outdoorsman (he once spent two weeks trekking through the Indian Himalayan Region), Dan DiClerico runs the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab. He has tested and written about travel equipment for more than 25 years. Before joining Good Housekeeping, DiClerico's expertise appeared in a range of media outlets, including Consumer Reports, Martha Stewart, and This Old House.
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