In our research, we paid attention to reviews (both good and bad), price points, and different features that might cater to different people's needs. If you want enough phone charge to find pals, take pictures and look up set times, a good power bank is a must-have, whether camping at the festival or just heading to one for the day. While most of the furniture you can buy online today comes to you unassembled, that’s rarely the case for things like camp chairs.
These Ozark Trail camp chairs are perfect for taking with you to kids’ sports games, camping trips, firework displays, or simply having them around so you can lounge in your backyard. Before purchasing a camping chair, it's important to consider a few factors, such as where you will be using it, how portable you need it to be, what kind of weight capacity it has, and what price you're willing to spend. Any of the options on this list are great picks—it just depends on what you are looking for. There is also a cup holder, a mesh pocket to hold your phone or other items, and a cooler to keep beverages chilled while you hang out by the fire.
The seatback has some slightly padded sections that do at least a little something to enhance comfort, and the armrests are nominally padded too. But, this isn’t the kind of chair you’re going to want to spend most of the day in. Simply put, it can be notoriously difficult to find furniture that’s big and robust enough to support you properly. That’s as true for camp chairs as it is for recliners and the like. Where camp chairs are concerned, most of them top out at around 300 pounds of supported weight.
The REI chair’s polyester seat material feels both more forgiving and more durable than the thinner material on the Ozark Trail Kids’ Folding Camp Chair from Walmart. The box-shaped cupholder is a little roomier than the round cupholders on the Coleman and the L.L.Bean Base Camp chairs—better for stubby water bottles or mugs of hot chocolate around the campfire. We found that the cheaply constructed Walmart chair had a cupholder that was too small for a soda can, or any of the hard-plastic or metal water bottles that the kids we know brought on a camping trip. It will fit a Capri Sun pouch or a narrow, rectangular juice box, but that’s about it. A low-to-the-ground chair can be ideal for outdoor movies, concerts, theater performances, and other events where you want to avoid blocking other people’s view.
These no-frills seats are more tolerable for resting your terrain-tested feet than for enjoying multiple meals, drinks, and the company of other campers around a fire. Each comes with a convenient carrying bag that you can sling over your shoulder. While many camping chairs are available, not all are comfortable, portable, or easy to carry around. However, we've done the hard work for you and rounded up the best camping chairs that check off all the boxes so that your next camping trip is complete, and you can sit and enjoy friends and family around the fire. Normally, we’d caution against buying a chair with a seat that’s significantly wider than you need.
The chair seemed surprisingly wear-resistant given how light it is and complimented the ball-and-socket joint system that helps the chair accommodate different body types. The Moonlite weighs under two pounds, folds into a compact position, and comes with a zip-up carrying bag. We were downright giddy over this spacious, cleverly designed outdoor loveseat.
It's one of the lightest chairs available on the market today, competing only with the Helinox Chair Zero which weighs 1.1 pounds. Considering you’ll spend most of the festival outside in the sun, a good SPF is essential. Our favourite hails from La Roche-Posay, with its anthelios oil sunscreen praised for ticking every box. Including UVA, UVB and long UVA protection, it’s suitable for sensitive skin, and it has a non-greasy and lightweight formula. “Reducing shine, we found you’ll still get a fresh-faced glow minus any sticky or oily sensation, and it keeps you safe from the sun,” our tester added. Dubbed the best budget buy in our round-up of camping mats, this NHOWIN offering is self-inflating, comfortable and lightweight.
Lauding it as “compact when rolled up” and “an effective bed” once inflated (complete with a “brilliant pillow”), the bargain mat is ideal for festival season. If you’re off on a backpacking adventure, you’ll need a good quality backpacking tent from Decathlon. A good night's sleep is essential to keep your energy levels up on your backpacking trip. Our backpacking tents are lightweight and compact, making them ideal for attaching to your backpack as you head off into the wilderness.