The Best Camping Chairs

We rounded up a list of the top camping chairs on the market and subjected them to rigorous rounds of resting, sitting, leaning and lounging. We recruited multiple testers to take these chairs with them on camping trips in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and California. They meticulously unfolded, repacked, stowed, and sat in each one. We scored each product on the metrics of comfort, craftsmanship, features, versatility and ease of use. All of these chairs still lead the market in quality camp comfort.

Our declared winner was the sturdy and durable Strongback Elite. This chair actually provides lumbar support, making it the reigning champ in the comfort contest. Other models come with extra features. The Eureka Curvy Chair comes with a side table and the Basecamp chair has an insulated pocket where you can store up to three cold drinks. A couple of the chairs come with sturdy (non-sling) arms, a comfort feature that we appreciated.

What is a camp chair?

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If you are heading out for a weekend of tailgating with friends after your favorite team plays, beach lounging as waves lick your toes, or car camping with some drinks and marshmallows by the fire, a camp chair is an essential piece of equipment to bring with you.

Since a camp chair is an item of luxury, and its sole purpose is to promote your relaxation in your leisure time, it should not require a lot of thinking or assembly. It should be portable and easy to carry from garage to car to campsite. It should be durable enough to rattle around in your trunk or truck bed for many trips and to withstand dirt, wind, and weather. You also want your camp chair to provide a stable, solid base that won’t wobble when placed on uneven grass or pebbles. It is nice to be able to slip your frosty beverage into an attached cup holder. But most importantly, you want it to be comfortable.
Review Year
Best in Class
Overall Rating
Price
Name Overall Rating Ratings The Good The Bad Price
Strongback Elite
Strongback Elite
88
Best in Class
2015
Ease of Use 7
Comfort 9
Craftsmanship 8
Features 7
Versatility 7

Sturdy

Comfortable

Durable

Awkward collapsed shape

Pricy
MSRP
N/A
BEST DEAL
N/A
Eureka! Curvy Chair with Side Table
Eureka! Curvy Chair with Side Table
87
Ease of Use 6
Comfort 8
Craftsmanship 8
Features 8
Versatility 7

Stable

Moderately reclined

Side table

Takes a while to dry

Pocket gets stuck on setup

Pricy
MSRP
N/A
BEST DEAL
N/A
BaseCamp Mammoth Leisure Aluminum Chair
BaseCamp Mammoth Leisure Aluminum Chair
84
Ease of Use 6
Comfort 5
Craftsmanship 7
Features 8
Versatility 8

Insulated pocket

Wide feet

Adjustable armrests

Tight fit in bag

Awkward seams

Uncomfortable leg position
MSRP
N/A
BEST DEAL
N/A
Travel Chair Easy Rider Model 589V
Travel Chair Easy Rider Model 589V
82
Ease of Use 8
Comfort 5
Craftsmanship 6
Features 6
Versatility 7

Wide feet

Adjustable armrests

Very basic

Shallow seat
MSRP
N/A
BEST DEAL
$74.98
Moosejaw
Coleman Vertex Ultra Hard Arm Chair
Coleman Vertex Ultra Hard Arm Chair
81
Ease of Use 4
Comfort 7
Craftsmanship 6
Features 8
Versatility 6

Sturdy

Feature rich

Involved setup

Barely fits in carry bag
MSRP
N/A
BEST DEAL
N/A
Summary of Camping Chairs Reviews
88

Best In Class

Strongback Elite
Best in Class 2015
Strongback Elite

The Strongback Elite is unique in the folding camp chair category because it actually provides  great lumbar back support, resulting in an incredibly comfortable chair. The cost of this engineering comes with a more expensive price, extra weight, and an awkward shape when folded up.

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87

The Best for Meals

Eureka! Curvy Chair with Side Table
Eureka! Curvy Chair with Side Table

The Eureka! Curvy Chair is a comfortable and relaxing feature rich chair. While the side table takes one extra step to set up (compared to most of the other chairs in the test), it’s well worth the effort and is a stand-out feature.

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84

The Best for Cold Drinks

BaseCamp Mammoth Leisure Aluminum Chair
BaseCamp Mammoth Leisure Aluminum Chair

The Base Camp Mammoth is a great chair for prolonged periods thanks to the insulated pocket built right into the armrest. What it lacks is the blissful comfort commonly sought by camp chair sitters.

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82

The Best for Soft Ground

Travel Chair Easy Rider Model 589V
$74.98
Travel Chair Easy Rider Model 589V

Travel Chair’s Easy Rider is one of the most basic and simple folding chairs on the market. This simplicity makes it easy to set up and stow but this chair lacks the desirable features found on many of the other chairs in this test, with little cost savings.

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81

The Best for Features

Coleman Vertex Ultra Hard Arm Chair
Coleman Vertex Ultra Hard Arm Chair

Coleman shot for the moon with comfort and convenience enhancing features with the Vertex Plus. While some hit the mark, others weren’t as successful and the setup/stowing process can be borderline maddening.

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