How to Find the Best Folding Camping Chair: Pack Light, Relax Right
Finding the perfect folding camping chair can significantly enhance your outdoor adventures. With various options available, it’s essential to consider factors such as comfort, durability, and portability.
This article will guide you through the selection process, ensuring you make an informed decision and find a chair that suits your needs.
The best chairs will keep you comfortable for the entire trip, while poor ones may break through extensive use.
Here, we’re going to look at three of the best folding camping chairs on the market so you can choose the right one for you.
Timber Ridge Aluminum Portable Director’s Folding Chair
While its name may imply that it is most at home on a film set, Timber Ridge’s aluminum chair has everything you need for comfortable camping. One of the first things you’ll notice is the small table, which folds out when you unfurl the chair. You can use this to hold a drink, and to keep food in a safe place during a meal.
But what about the chair itself? Timber has made this chair using 600 Denier (D) polyester. Better yet, the company has reinforced that material with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating, alongside some foam padding.
This all means the chair is more than capable of withstanding the elements. Plus, the PVC coating makes it easy to clean if you spill something on it.
The aluminum frame comes with a powder coating, so the chair looks the part while offering the rigidity needed to support your weight when you sit down.
The chair can hold a maximum weight of 300 pounds, which should prove more than enough for most people.
Weighing in at 9 pounds, the chair has folded dimensions of 21.26″ x 7.09″ x 35.83″. This makes it very portable, so you should have no trouble fitting it into the trunk of your car.
Pros
- Small size makes it portable
- PVC coating allows for quick cleaning
- Aluminum frame supports weights up to 300 pounds
- Comes with a small, fold-out table attached
- Foam padding offers extra comfort.
Cons
- No handle
- Minimal lower back support
- May not be suitable for people over 6 feet
Kijaro Dual Lock Chair
Kijaro’s Dual Lock Chair stands out with two cup holders, so you can use it to store multiple drinks. This will mean fewer trips to the cooler, which is always a good thing when you just want to relax.
Each cup holder is a mesh pocket so you won’t find cold drinks heating up if left in the pockets for a long time.
The company has also used its patented dual lock technology to reinforce the chair at all points of use. The chair will lock solidly when opened, so you can feel more comfortable sitting on it.
Beyond that, it also locks when you fold it, which means you don’t have to worry about it unfurling during transport.
Much like Timber’s offering, this chair has a maximum weight capacity of 300 pounds. But, it offers more back support than Timber’s chair. The fabric extends across the entire back region, so those with lower back issues should find it very comfortable to sit on.
As for transportation, the chair comes with both a carry bag and handle. That means you can hold it like a briefcase, or strap it over your shoulder if you decide to take it hiking.
Pros
- Two mesh cup holders
- Dual lock system keeps the chair in place
- Comes with a carry bag for long walks
- Features a handle
- Zip and mesh pockets for cellphones and other small items
- Wide selection of colors
Cons
- Steel frame may rust if exposed to salt water
- Heavier than some other chairs.
Coleman Portable Camping Chair
Coleman’s chair may look different to the others we’ve looked at here but it’s suitable for most campers.
It also has a low weight. You won’t experience any trouble carrying this chair, as it’s so portable that you can even fit it into a carry-on bag for flying.
Chair does come with 4 cup holders.
Made using polyester, the chair can carry a weight up to 325 pounds, thus matching the weight capacities of the other chairs on this list. It also offers plenty of back support.
Coleman has bolstered this design with an aluminum alloy frame that offers the chair the sturdiness needed to ensure anybody who sits on it feels comfortable.
Pros
- #1 best seller in Amazon
- fully cushioned seat and back
- Convenient 3-can cooler
- Frame features aluminum alloy
- Folds and fits into a small storage bag
- Made using polyester
- Sets up in a matter of seconds
Cons
- Hard to put back to it’s carry-on bag
Summary
All of these chairs make for a great choice for a camping trip, but we believe the Kijaro Dual Lock Chair is the best of the lot. Yes, it may be quite heavy.
But it offers the sturdiness needed to stand up to the rigors of camping, plus you’ll get plenty of back support when you’re sitting down. Having two cup holders is an added perk.
The Timber Ridge chair has a very handy table and is durable as well. But it doesn’t offer a lot of lower back support.
The Coleman chair is sturdy and sized for bigger folks. The backrest has a bit of an angle and very comfortable compared to more vertical designs.
