Most people always anticipate going on camping trips with friends and family, and it isn’t surprising.
Everyone likes the feeling of being away from their boring regular routine, relaxing in the afternoon sun, sitting by the campfire and swimming in the waterfalls.
It’s an incredible feeling. While all of us get involved in many activities when we’re camping, we want to find a comfortable place to sit down and unwind sometimes as well.
So, this is where the best camping chair comes in, as it has been built to give you just the comfort you’re looking for.
Normally, a classic camping chair is one that is foldable and can be easily carried around.
Although these are the essential requirements of camping chairs, but there’re actually several variations of camping chairs that don’t trade off on features and comfort.
With the large number of camping chairs out there, it is hard to select the best camping chair for your needs. Therefore, we have put together a handy guide that we hope will help you make the right choice.
Without counting the flamboyant features, there are three basic categories of camping chairs:
Normal Camping Chairs
Normal camping chairs are those with the regular parts, namely, armrest, seat back, and legs. Majority of these normal camping chairs have a foldable design and are easy to carry around. They are ideal for normal camping trips that don’t involve many hopping around.
Minimal Camping Chairs
The primary purpose of this type of camping chair is just to give you a comfy place to sit and relax. Examples of this type of camping chair include folding chairs and folding stools. These chairs are perfect for backpackers who usually don’t sit for long.
Elaborate Camping Chairs
As already suggested by the name, elaborate camping chairs have many elaborate features such as recliner function, leg rest, and are very stable and comfortable.
Obviously, they are the costliest of the 3 categories as well. These camping chairs are ideal when you regularly go on camping trips and you want to be feeling at home while away from home.
The General Things to Consider When Buying a Camping Chair
Generally, without focus on purpose and location of your camp, below are the general consideration you need to make when shopping for a chair for camping.
Material of Construction
Camping chairs are usually made from varieties of materials, which each one having its own advantages and disadvantages.
Due to its strength, some manufacturers use aluminum to make the legs of their chairs. Nylon is the most common fabric used for these chairs, as it is sturdy, easy to maintain, and water resistant.
The construction material will be very important when you are camping near the beach, camping during hot seasons, or when there are water activities included in your camping voyage.
Size and Weight
Since they usually come with limited features, minimal camping chairs are always the lightest and they are usually small in size, while elaborate chairs are always the heavies.
You must select the best chair for you based on the effect its weight and size would have on your purpose. For instance, if you are going on a weekend camping in your RV, it does not matter if you carry a bulky, elaborate camping chair.
However, such camping chair will only be a liability. In a case like that, chose a light, backpacking chair.
Weight Capacity
Another important consideration you must make is the max weight a chair is capable of supporting. When you are buying the best chair for camping for yourself and your family, you need to be practical as regards the maximum weight capacity of the chair and the corresponding weights of the potential users of the chair.
Actually, a camping chair’s weight capacity is related directly to its size. Thus, a chair made specifically for heavier people would be heavier and bigger than that made for lighter people.
Additional Features
Some camping chairs come packed with extravagant features such as cup holders, leg rest, and attached coolers.
Eventually, these features add to the overall weight of the chair, and a heavy camping chair is surely not ideal for hiking. So, your camping chair must be chosen based on what you intend to use it for during your trip.
Price
Camping chairs normally come in different prices. If you’re getting the needed features at a lesser cost, it isn’t worth it to spend more money on fancy features that aren’t important for your own purpose.
But one shouldn’t trade off quality or necessary features just to save money, since camping trips are about fun and relaxation after all. You must remember this when choosing the camping chair of your choice.
How to Choose the Right Camping Chair for Different Camping Locations
Ideal Beach Camping Chair
When you are camping near a beach, you would, of course, love to occasionally have a splash in the water, then come relax by sitting around.
Also, you can sit in your camping chair on the beach to lounge, sunbathe, or read.
In cases like these, the ideal camping chair for you would be one with a low height that will enable you to soak your feet in the water.
Otherwise, you might choose a chair with a higher height if you like having a camping chair for multipurpose use.
For beach camping, opt for portable camping chairs that have aluminum frames since aluminum is extremely light.
Additionally, it will be an added bonus if there is a provision on the chair to attach a canopy for protection against the sun.
Ideal Countryside Camping Chair
If you’re set out for a few days of relaxation and fun in your RV, you need to consider buying a fancy, comfortable chair. Features such as storage pockets, recliner function, and cup holders will increase the chair’s overall comfort.
Also, a rocking chair for camping might also be a great option for this since it enables you to completely relax whilst providing you with a high level of comfort.
Remember that all these features will make your chair weighty and bulky and might be useless for other activities such as backpacking.
In the event that your countryside camping comprises of activities such as attending concerts and fishing, you will be better suited to a light, portable chair.
The main consideration when buying a chair for backpacking is the amount of balance between its stability and weight. If the chair is too small in size, it won’t be very comfortable or stable.
While you don’t get to sit for lengthy periods when hiking, the chair ought to provide you with some comfort no matter the sitting duration.
Ideal Hiking Camping Chair
When your camping trip includes hiking, then it would be better for you to travel light. In this case, the most ideal camping chair would be a chair meant for backpacking which isn’t heavy and is foldable.
You should check if this chair doesn’t have a complicated design as comfort is your only requirement from this type of chair.
When you’re hiking, the littlest camping chair might be your best bet. A lot of hikers carry a foldable chair or stool only because they do not really take lengthy sitting breaks. You can also consider ultra-lightweight, folding camping chairs for this purpose.
Ideal Car Camping Camping Chair
There is no reason you should compromise on comfort when camping out of your own car. Ideally, you would want to come back to your car to fall into your chair after a busy, long day.
Since the bulkiness and weight of the camping chair won’t be a problem owning to the chair’s limited movement, you ought to choose a fancy camping chair with great leg rest and back support.
In this case, buying a chair with a cup holder might be a great idea. In a scenario like this, the best camping chair will be a big, comfy chair.
You should also note that heavier and big chairs that offer most extreme comfort aren’t really comfortable to take around from one place to another during a camping trip.
Thus, these are only suitable when you aren’t going to many camping spots. While these are your ideal companions when intend to sit around a campfire, they won’t be useful if you will be going hiking.
Conclusion
In the end, the right camping chair for you is best chosen based on your camping purpose.
While you need consider the general features such as construction material, weight capacity, and size and weight, you must also consider the purpose and location of your camping trip.
Do all these and you are bound to end up with the right camping chair for your needs.
Having provided different useful tips for choosing the right camping chair in this article, we hope you will now go ahead to choose the right chair for your needs.
If you have any suggestions or any comment about this article, you are free to drop them in the comments section! We are looking forward to reading your contributions.
