The best camping chairs

The Helinox Beach chair evenly distributes your weight across the seat, providing ample back support and a balanced seat.

Some camp chairs can be a real bother at the beach. They tend to sink into the sand or tip over on the soft surface. Helinox's Beach chair is designed specifically for use on the sand, offering users a comfortable seat and unparalleled back support in an easy-to-setup package.

Not only does the Beach chair have wide legs that won't sink into the sand, it also includes a breathable mesh back to keep you cool. However, its best feature is its full-length back that offers some of the best support we've seen in a full-size camp chair. The fact it packs down small and fits into an easily portable bag makes it an even more attractive pick.

With folded dimensions of 19 inches by 5 inches and a weight of 3 lbs 2 oz, it's not light enough for backpacking trips but if you're taller and value a higher back, it's perfect for overnight campgrounds. That small packed size makes it a great choice to leave in your car for weekend trips and outdoor concerts, too.

Pros: Long back for ultimate back support, packs down into an easy to transport size

Cons: Heavy and expensive

The Flexlite Camp Chair from REI Co-op is light enough for multi-day backpacking trips yet still offers plenty of comfort to be used in the backyard or at a campsite — its inexpensive price tag doesn't hurt, either.

REI Co-op, the popular retailer's in-house brand, isn't just a watered-down version of the gear it sells in its stores. Rather, the equipment designed and built by Co-op directly competes with many of its peers in function, feasibility, and, more often than not, price.

This is the case with REI Co-op's small yet mighty Flexlite Camp Chair. A backpack-friendly chair that's still a desirable seating option around a campsite fire or in the backyard, the Flexlite's best feature is its wallet-friendly price: $60.

Though it is $5 more expensive than the BTR, above, it does offer users the luxury of back support — that's five extra dollars we're more than happy to spend for that level of comfort.

The Flexlite chair features durable ripstop fabric, a lightweight aluminum frame that's easy to setup, and a wide seat to accommodate for a variety of users. REI also offers the chair in a five different colorways (two of which are REI member exclusives). The chair comes packed in a companion bag that measures 4.5 inches by 15 inches when packed, and a total weight of just 1 lb. 11 oz.

With a weight and compact design that makes it suitable for backpackers, the Flexlite is still a great choice for the campsite or trips to the park. Its design creates a low sitting point but not so much so that it feels like you're sitting directly on the ground. It's highly durable, too, so it should be a staple of your outdoor kit for years — making the $60 investment an even better deal.

Pros: Inexpensive, compact for backpackers yet comfortable enough for the campsite, durable construction

Cons: Some people may prefer a more traditional camp chair that sits higher

The Nemo Stargaze is so comfortable, you might even be interested in using it as a normal chair in your home when you aren't camping.

Let's start with this chair's obvious downside: you aren't going to be packing it with you on any multi-day backpacking trips. Thankfully, literally everything else about this uber-comfortable chair is great.

It features an auto recline design, meaning it leans back whenever you shift your weight back. It has padded arm rests, a drink holder, an integrated head rest, and it can be setup anywhere — even on unlevel ground.

It's best feature, however, is how comfortable it is. The Stargaze is, by far and away, the most comfortable chair I've tested. If you want a chair for days at the park, or nights outside your RV, this is the last chair you'd ever want to own.

With a packed weight of 6lbs 50z and size of 7 inches by 24 inches, you won't want to be carrying it very far — which makes it perfect for car camping. Sitting by the fire in a Stargaze is every bit as comfortable as being at home on the couch and thanks to the included poles, it's always sturdy and level.

Pros: Extremely comfortable, durable enough to last years

Cons: For car campers only, expensive

Hillsound's BTR stool weights as much as a can of soda and is the perfect companion for ultralight backpackers looking for something better to sit at camp.

Hillsound's BTR stool gets its acronym name from "Better Than a Rock" — a mantra the brand lives by. As someone who has done his fair share of backpacking and backcountry bikepacking, I've sat on plenty of rocks and can attest to the stool being much better than a rock. Hillsound is known more for its gaiters and crampons, though this stool is a welcome addition to its gear lineup.

At just 11.4 inches long and weighing just 12.2 ounces, the stool easily fits into almost any backpack or handlebar bag. Using Phantom lock technology, the legs automatically lock when pulled out, which makes it easy to quickly setup.

Once setup, the chair features a mesh seat with three points of support on a 14.4-inch stool that's surprisingly comfortable. There's also a model that offers a 17.7-Inch-tall seat weighing 13.7 ounces.

As with any stool, there aren't any arm rest and lumbar support is non-existant. But this stool isn't pitching itself as an alternative to comfy-but-heavy car camping chairs but rather, it's an easy-to-use, lightweight seating option perfect for backpackers.

Pros: Extremely light and packable

Cons: No lumbar support

Featuring classic Yeti bombproof construction and incredible attention to detail, the Hondo is a durable camp chair that'll be part of your camp kit for years to come.

Yeti's signature style is to pick a category, create a no-holds-barred super engineered product, and then charge whatever it needs to pay for that kind of approach. For Yeti, this approach always seems to work, and now, it's taken a similar approach with camp chairs with the Hondo.

Though it features a premium price that rivals some department store couches, the Hondo is capable of lasting several years — no matter how much of a beating it takes. During testing, Yeti found the chair could support a 3,000 lb weight, meaning it should be able to sustain just about any load you put on it.

The Hondo has a much more solid structure than any other chair we tested and feels like a Herman Miller type office chair. This isn't surprising given that the famous furniture designers consulted with Yeti during the design process.

Our time with the Hondo found it perfect for lounging around by the campfire or for downtime at the crag. I wouldn't carry it very far down a trail but if you want a reliable chair to use for car camping trips, kids soccer games, or just about anywhere, this would be it.

Pros: Incredibly durable and comfortable

Cons: Expensive