Best Camping Chairs of 2026

Quick Picks: our camping chairs compared

All 18 chairs at a glance, ranked by our score. Scroll down for what each one does well and where it falls short.

Best for relaxing: Naturehike Sea Star High Back Chair

The Naturehike Sea Star has a tall, padded back and two recline angles, so it works at the table and by the fire. It comes with a side pocket and a carry bag.

It’s fairly heavy and packs long, so it’s a chair for the car, not for carrying far. For long evenings at camp, it’s the pick.

Best compact: Naturehike YL06 Ultralight Chair

This Naturehike YL06 ultralight chair packs into a bag small enough for a pack or a drawer and snaps together in under a minute. The aluminium frame is strong and the mesh sides keep it breathable.

It sits low, the fit is tight and there are no armrests or cup holder. If you need a seat that disappears into the pack or a drawer, it’s the one.

Best budget: BCF Getaway Quad Fold Chair

The BCF Getaway is a classic quad-fold chair with a high back, a generous seat and a sturdy powder-coated frame. The seat height suits eating at a table and it packs into its own bag.

It’s large when packed and the cup holder material feels thin. For car camping and picnics, it’s very good value.

Most supportive: Kings Deluxe Armchair

The Kings Deluxe Armchair sits very comfortably: thick padding on the seat, backrest and armrests keeps you upright, the powder-coated steel frame is strong, and self-levelling, pivoting feet keep it stable on sand, mud or grass. There’s a flip-up drink holder, and it just unfolds.

The padding is fairly firm, and it’s bulky and heavy. For travellers with plenty of storage, it’s a great chair for the price.

Budget everyday chair: Kings Essential Camping Chair

The Kings Essential is really basic, and that’s the beauty of it. It unfolds in one go, has a cup holder in the armrest and is so simple there’s not much to break. We’ve used ours so often, including on a three-week loop from Sydney to Adelaide and Melbourne.

There’s no padding or high back, the thinner frame isn’t built for heavy-duty use, and it packs long. Sold as a pair for not much money, it’s a great cheap everyday chair.

Most features: OZtrail Getaway Deluxe Chair

The OZtrail Getaway Deluxe takes the Getaway Chair and adds a higher weight capacity, a bottle opener and a wine glass holder, on top of the padded seat, high back and zippered arm cooler. It’s really comfy and packed with features.

It’s the bulkier of the two when packed, and it costs more. If you have the space, it’s the one with all the extras.

Best for long sits: Wanderer Premium Cooler Arm Chair

The Wanderer Premium is ultra comfy, with an oversized padded seat. The zippered cooler arm keeps drinks very cool for a few hours and fits a whole beer bottle plus some cans, and the drink holder on the other arm takes a drink and a phone.

It’s a bit bulky when packed, and it takes some care to get it back into the carry bag. For anglers and anyone with space who sits for a long time, it’s a great chair.

Best backup chair: Naturehike YL01 Lightweight Chair

The Naturehike YL01 snaps open in seconds thanks to its auto-snap frame, packs super small and still takes a lot of weight. It has a breathable mesh backrest, and its carry bag doubles as a storage bag under the seat.

The seat is quite low, the corner sleeves aren’t reinforced and it’s fiddly to fold flat. As a spare that lives in the car, or an extra seat for guests, it’s the one.

Best arm cooler chair: OZtrail Getaway Chair

The OZtrail Getaway Chair is a really comfy padded armchair with a high back, a zippered arm cooler, a mesh drink holder, a side organiser and a rear pocket, and it sits at a good height next to a camp table.

It’s bulky when packed: we found it too big for the back of our Prado. For van-lifers, anglers and anyone with packing space, it’s a very good chair.

Lightest: Naturehike YL08 Ultralight Chair

The Naturehike YL08 is the lightest chair we’ve tested: 1,053 g on our scale, it packs to 37 × 9 × 9 cm, and the 7075 aluminium frame carries up to 120 kg. It sets up quickly, the mesh keeps it breathable and anti-sinking feet stop it digging into sand.

The seat is low, so it doesn’t suit a tall camp table, the fabric needs a push to fit over the frame, and 120 kg is a lower limit than most. For hikers, bike tourers and anyone short on space, it’s the one.

Packable high back: Moon Lence High Back Chair

The Moon Lence High Back gives you a high back with a pillow pocket in a chair that still packs into its own small bag. The legs set to four heights and angles, from a relaxed low chair to an upright seat for eating, and the square base keeps it stable. We took it to Bouddi National Park.

It’s bulkier than an ultralight chair, setup takes a little practice, the deep seat takes some effort to get out of, and the thick fabric can feel warm on hot days. For head support in a chair that still packs small, it’s a good pick.

Best for two: OZtrail Galaxy 2 Seater

The OZtrail Galaxy is a padded double camp chair: one quilted seat for two, a cup holder with a pouch in each arm and mesh pockets built into the back, on a strong steel frame. It’s snug, which is great for sitting with your partner at the campfire. We tried it at Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges.

It’s less great for dinner or with friends you’re not so close to, the seat is low, so it needs a low table, and it’s quite heavy and bulky. For two by the fire, it’s a cosy pick.

Best for hiking: Moon Lence Portable Chair

The Moon Lence Portable packs to 36 × 12 × 12 cm and weighs 1.35 kg, yet it’s rated to 180 kg. Attached straps keep the parts together, and the side pockets and carry bag with handles are details other lightweight chairs skip.

It sits low, takes some effort to put together and the mesh back is cold on chilly nights. For multi-day hikes, or as a spare chair when you travel light, it’s a good pick.

Best for hot days: Coleman Quad Deluxe Mesh Chair

The Coleman Quad Deluxe Mesh has a mesh seat that lets air through, which keeps you cool at summer camps, the beach and events. It folds into a carry bag and has a drink holder in the armrest.

The seat sits low and sags a little, and there’s no padding or recline for long sits. It’s an affordable chair for hot days.

Best recliner: San Hima Recliner Chair

The San Hima recliner has a high backrest with adjustable recline, wide feet, a solid steel frame and tear-resistant fabric, with a side pocket and cup holder. It takes a lot of weight.

It’s heavy, and getting it back into the carry bag is fiddly. If you want proper back support at camp and have room in the car, it’s worth it.

8 recline positions: Dune 4WD Nomad II Chair

The Dune 4WD Nomad II reclines to eight positions and has a padded headrest, a sturdy tubular steel frame and an anti-roll foot support.

It’s heavy, the fabric stains easily and it can wobble a little on uneven ground. It suits a comfortable base camp on longer stays.

Heavy duty: Wanderer Tourer Extreme Crusader

The Wanderer Crusader is built heavy-duty: bungee suspension that feels like a lounge, self-levelling feet for uneven ground and a powder-coated steel frame that takes a lot of weight.

It’s heavy and awkward to move once set up, and the cup holder can tip with heavy items. It’s a chair for 4WD tourers who stay put for a few days.

Fireside comfort: Spinifex Comfort Line Moon Chair

The Spinifex moon chair is padded all round, with a supportive back and sides and a solid, stable frame. It’s seriously comfortable for long sits by the fire.

It’s heavy, bulky when packed and has no headrest, so it’s not a chair for quick stops. Pack it when sitting is the main event.

How to choose the best camping chair in Australia

There’s no single best camping chair: it comes down to what you’ll do in it and how much room you have in the car. A padded armchair is lovely by the fire but takes up a lot of boot space; a compact chair packs into a drawer but sits low. Start by measuring the gap in your boot, then think about where you’ll sit most: at the table for dinner, or low by the fire.

Most camping chairs come in one of three sizes. Once you know which one suits you, check the seat height, comfort, feet and load rating.

• Compact

  <50 cm packed

  Packs small and sits low: a backup seat, short stops and a small boot.

  Weight

  <2.5 kg
  Like

  Naturehike Ultralight, Moon Lence
• Quad fold

  70–95 cm packed

  The everyday camp chair: dinner at the table and weekend car camping.

  Weight

  2.5–4 kg
  Like

  Kings Essential, BCF Getaway
• Padded and recliners

  95 cm+ packed

  The most comfortable for long evenings and basecamp stays, if you have the room.

  Weight

  4 kg+
  Like

  Kings Deluxe Armchair, San Hima Recliner

Lightweight camping chairs compared

If you carry your chair on a hike or just want it to take up as little room as possible in the car, these are the lightest camping chairs we’ve tested. All four weigh under 1.5 kg and pack to around 36 to 38 cm long, not much longer than a water bottle. The Naturehike YL08 is the lightest at 1,053 g on our scale but sits lowest, the YL06 has the highest seat, the YL01 takes the most weight, and the Moon Lence Portable has the most extras, with straps and side pockets.

	YL08→	YL06→	YL01→	Moon Lence Portable→
Weight	1.05 kg	1.30 kg	1.42 kg	1.35 kg
Packed length	37 cm	36 cm	38 cm	36 cm
Max load	120 kg	150 kg	200 kg	180 kg
Price paid	$60	$75	$70	$80
Our score	8.9	9.2	9.0	8.7