How to Choose a Camp Chair

Camp chairs split cleanly into two families that barely compete: 1-2lb packable chairs for people carrying them, and 5-10lb comfortable chairs for people who are not. Decide which side you are on before comparing anything else.

1. 1

   Decide how far it travels

   If the chair goes from car to picnic table, weight is irrelevant and you should optimize entirely for comfort. If it goes in a pack, every ounce counts and you are shopping in a completely different category. Chairs that try to do both do neither especially well.

2. 2

   Check seat height against your knees and the ground

   Low chairs at 10-13 inches are stable, comfortable for lounging, and hard to get out of for anyone with knee trouble. Higher chairs at 16-18 inches are easier to enter and exit and sit better at a table. This is the specification that most affects daily comfort and the one people ignore.

3. 3

   Verify weight capacity honestly

   Published capacities assume even, static loading. Rocking, leaning back, and uneven ground all reduce real margin. If you are near a chair's rated capacity, size up — frame failures on lightweight chairs are typically sudden.

4. 4

   Consider the ground you sit on

   Narrow feet sink into sand and soft soil. Wide feet or ball feet stay on top. If you camp on sand or mud regularly, this matters more than the fabric or the frame material.

5. 5

   Weigh a chair against a sit pad

   For backpackers, the honest comparison is not chair versus chair but chair versus a 2oz foam pad. A Helinox Chair One is 2lb and $140 for a real seat; a sit pad is 2oz and $20 and merely keeps you off wet ground. Many hikers find the pad sufficient.

   Chairs vs sit padsWhether a backpacking chair earns its weight

   Read Guide →

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