Think about the best times you’ve had while camping. What are you doing? Odds are you were just sitting around the campfire with your friends. Now, aside from your friends and the fire, what’s the key ingredient in that equation? The answer is the chair in which you’re sitting.
Think about the best times you’ve had while camping. What are you doing? Odds are you were just sitting around the campfire with your friends. Now, aside from your friends and the fire, what’s the key ingredient in that equation? The answer is the chair in which you’re sitting.
Why You Need A Great Camping Chair
People go camping for all different reasons. Some want adventure and excitement in a rough and tumble wilderness, while others want peace and quiet in a serene setting. But no matter your purpose, at one point or another, all you want to do is sit down, relax, and reflect on what you’ve done. Doing this requires a good camping chair.
Once you sit down in a chair that you like, you don’t ever want to get up. This is part of what makes camping such a popular leisure activity for so many people. You find a nice location and a great place to sit and you’re as happy as a pig in slop for hours on end. In this sense, having a great chair is an essential item for a successful camping trip.
Places To Take It
There is an almost endless list of places where it’s acceptable to set up a nice chair and just sit and relax for hours on end. Even as something as simple as a yard sale can be made more enjoyable if you have a nice chair to sit in all day. Aside from a yard sale, here are a few places where you’d be wise to bring a chair.
Car/RV Camping
When most people think about camping chairs, this is usually the type of camping they have in mind. You just pull up to the campsite in your car or RV, start a fire, cook some food, and then just get comfortable in your chair for the rest of the night. Eventually, others will join you in their own chair. It sounds simple, but it’s so enticing for anyone who wants to relax in the fresh air.
Beach
Frequent beach goers usually have their own type of beach chair, but you’d be surprised how well they work at the beach. Sitting down amongst friends around a campfire is no different from sitting down with friends at the beach. A good seat will definitely play well at the beach as well.
Music Festival
Sure, you could opt for a blanket and lay on the ground all day while listening to 14 different bands. But if you had a nice chair, it’d probably be a lot more comfortable. Even if you want to get up and dance at some point, at one point or another, you’ll want to sit down, especially if you were smart enough to bring your comfortable chair with you to the music festival.
Tailgating
No matter what sport it is, tailgating is essentially camping, only in a parking lot. There’s plenty of food, people, and games all around, and if you can enjoy all that from the comfort of your seat, you can help save some of your energy for the game. Sure, it’s nice to get up and mingle a little, but if you stay in your comfortable chair, other people will eventually stop by to say, “hi,” so there’ll be no reason to get up.
Fishing
If you go camping a lot, you know that some of the best camping trips are ones that involve a little fishing. Of course, if it’s taking a while for the fish to start biting, you need a place to sit and wait, which is why it’s important to bring along your favorite chair. Even if you don’t catch anything, at least you’ll have a comfortable place to sit.
Hiking
For those who like being challenged and don’t mind breaking a sweat, hiking is a wonderful activity. But after a few miles, you just want to stay in one place for a little while, and that’s when having a chair with you comes in handy.
Granted, it can be difficult to hike with a chair on your back, but with certain chairs, you can make it work. If you’re going on a multi-day camping trip that includes a lot of hiking, you’ll definitely want some way to sit down and relax at the end of each day.
Traits of A Great Camping Chair
As mentioned earlier, there is a smorgasbord of options when it comes to chairs on the market. To an acute observer, many of them may appear to be almost identical, but if you look closer, you’ll realize that there are many ways they can distinguish themselves from similar models. Here are some of the traits you want to be aware of:
Portability
The ease in which you can carry or transport your chair from one place to another is important. A chair that’s too heavy will be too difficult to pick up and move on a regular basis. It’s usually better to have something that’s light and easy to pick up, whether you just want to move it a few feet or need to load and unload it in and out of your vehicle.
If you go camping in your car, it’ll be important to have a chair that doesn’t take up a lot of space in transit. Meanwhile, if you want to do some hiking, having a chair with straps can make it easier to carry from one place to another, giving you the portability you’ll need.
Assembly
Few people will want a chair that’s high-maintenance in the sense that it takes more than a few second to put it together. If you go camping with a tent, it makes sense that you’ll have to do a little work to put it together every night, but that’s not the case with a chair. Most people want something that can be set up with a flick of the wrist.
Durability
This is a trait that can vary from user to user. If you’re looking for a chair to use for the short term, you may not need to look for something that’s going to last. However, if camping is a regular activity for you, there’s a good chance you’ll be in the market for something you rely on year after year and something that can handle a little wear and tear without breaking down.
Weather-proof
Most avid campers will need a chair that can withstand exposure to different weather conditions. Things like wind and rain can strike at any time while you’re out enjoying mother nature, and so your chair should be ready to handle that. To some extent, this relates back to durability because you don’t want a chair that’s going to start to rust as soon as it gets a little wet.
Comfort
For a lot of people, this is a top priority, and for good reason. Ideally, you’ll be spending hours on end in your seat, so it better be comfortable. Is there enough cushioning? Is there ventilation to help you stay cool on hot days? Will it help shield you from cold or windy conditions? Is this a place where you’ll feel so comfortable you can fall asleep? These are important questions.
Versatility
Will this be a chair you can bring to multiple places? For many, this is an important thing to consider that often gets overlooked. Do you want to buy separate chairs for when you’re camping, tailgating, or at the beach? Probably not; instead, you’ll want a chair with the versatility to work at any of those locations.
Storage Space
Some chairs aren’t used exclusively for sitting; some can double as backpacks. If you set off on a walk with nothing but your chair in tow, does it have enough space to store things like drinks, extra clothes, your car keys, and anything else you’ll need? Also, once you get everything set up, is there a cup holder for your drink or space, so you don’t have to rest everything on your lap?
A Closer Look at the Chairs
Hopefully, all possible traits to look out for when searching for the perfect place to sit don’t overwhelm you. To help simplify things, here is a look at five camping chairs to give you a taste of what’s available on the market.
Kijaro Dual Lock Folding Chair
Kijaro is a company that boasts the quality of its products and the innovative technology that goes into creating them. They strive to make modern products that come in a variety of colors, the latter of which is certainly the case with this.
Check the price here
PROS
- Locks into position for both sitting and transporting
- Includes mesh pockets and two cup holders
- Mesh seat back that breathes in warm weather
- Can hold up to 300 lbs. and won’t sag in the middle under significant weight
- Wide chair with space for larger individuals
- Affordable price compared to others
CONS
- Heavy and difficult to carry long distances
- Sits high, which can be problematic for shorter people
- Some reports of rivets that were missing or malfunctioned
- Not flame-retardant, making it susceptible to damage from fires
ALPS Mountaineering King Kong Chair
Named after the king of the jungle, ALPS talks up this chair as strong and powerful, guaranteeing that it will last a lifetime.
Check the price here
PROS
- Steel frame that can hold up to 800 lbs
- Pockets and cupholders on each side
- Adjustable armrests
- Accompanying bag for storage and transportation
- Made of durable polyester fabric
- High off the ground, making it compatible for large individuals
CONS
- Only available in one color (khaki)
- Puts pressure on the back of your legs while sitting
- Reports that chair isn’t comfortable for long periods
- Heavy and difficult to carry
- More expensive than a lot of chairs
Eureka Curvy Back Chair
This chair stands out from the rest because of its unique design that emphasizes support on a person’s head, neck, and shoulders. Just by looking at it, you can tell it’s a unique chair.
Check the price here
PROS
- Allows user to lean back and have their head and neck supported
- Spacer mesh on seat enhances comfort
- Padded seat and armrests
- Side pockets for storage and webbing for clipping keys
- Holds up to 300 lbs.
- Durable over long periods of time
CONS
- Only available in one color (black)
- On the high end of the price spectrum
- Lackluster drink holder
- Difficult to carry long distances
Coleman Oversized Quad Chair with Cooler
This is more of a niche chair that distinguishes itself with a cooler built into the armrest, making it obvious that it’s meant for someone who’s too busy having a good time to get up to grab another drink, which isn’t so bad.
Check the price here
PROS
- Cooler built into the armrest that can hold four cans
- Includes side storage pocket and cup holder
- Armrest height can be adjusted
- Steel frame that supports up to 300 lbs
- Accompanying bag for storage and transportation
- Comfortable for long periods of time
- Good value for the price
CONS
- Several reports of chart breaking on first use
- Pockets and cooler make it difficult to collapse and store the chair
- Heavy fabric makes it difficult to carry long distances
- Only available in one color (blue)
Moon Lence Camping Chair with Carry Bag
At first glance, this may be the most unique one you’ve ever seen. It looks nothing like an ordinary chair, but Moon Lence is confident in this chair’s ergonomic design holding its own against any other.
Check the price here
PROS
- Seat made of durable Oxford cloth
- Weighs 2 lbs., making it light to carry and transport in accompanying bag
- Seat net breathes and is designed for comfort
- Ergonomic design is all about comfort and relaxation
- Easy to setup, store, and clean
CONS
- Holds up to 242 lbs., which is less than most
- Reasonable price, but not the cheapest available
- Chair tends to rock slightly, as legs and lighter than most chairs
- Requires flat and study ground
