The Kings Essential Camping Chair is the simple one: a folding camp chair with a cup holder that unfolds in one go. We’ve used ours so often, including on a three-week loop from Sydney to Adelaide, Melbourne and back. It’s really basic, but that’s also the beauty of it.
What’s in the box
A lightweight, quad-style folding camp chair with a blue and grey seat in PVC-coated 600D polyester for water resistance, on a cross-braced 17.5 mm steel tube frame, a mesh cup holder in the right armrest, and round feet. It folds up in one piece and packs into a 600D carry bag with a shoulder strap, 94 × 17 × 17 cm. Kings rates it to 120 kg and says not to use it on uneven ground. On Amazon it’s sold on its own or in bundles. We paid $65 for a pair.
What we like
- Affordable
- Simple folding design, carry bag
- Rated to 120 kg
- Cup holder in the armrest
- Light: 3.21 kg in its bag
- Simple, so hard to break
What we don’t
- Basic comfort, no padding
- Thin steel frame, not heavy-duty
- Fabric screws loosen with heavy use
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Adventure Kings |
| Model | AKTA-ESS_CHAIR_01 |
| Material | 17.5 mm steel tubePVC-coated 600D |
| Weight | 3.21 kgin its bag (our scale) |
| Max load | 120 kg |
| Size | 94 × 85 × 53 cm |
| Seat height | 44 cm front38 cm back |
| Packed size | 94 × 17 × 17 cm |
| Features | Mesh cup holder |
| Included | Carry bag |
Simple by design
The cup holder is a simple mesh sleeve set into the armrest. Nothing fancy, but it does the job and fits most cups, cans and bottles. The frame stands on round feet, which are fine on flat ground; Kings itself says not to use the chair on uneven ground. Because it’s so simple, there’s not much on it that can break. It’s bare-bones, though: just a cup holder, with no back pocket or cooler.
Comfort and durability
It isn’t the comfort of a higher-end chair: there’s no heavy padding, high back or lumbar support like on the Kings Deluxe. The thinner 17.5 mm steel frame isn’t built for heavy-duty use or years of abuse either.
The only real issue we’ve had came after heavy use: the screws that hold the fabric to the frame work loose over time, and the fabric sometimes comes off. It’s easy to put back on, but it shows this isn’t the greatest quality. That’s the compromise for a light, cheap chair.
At camp
Our pair came on the three-week Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and back loop, from a picnic table by the vineyards to the bank of a river. The seat height works well for dinner at our Spinifex Square Aluminium Folding Table, which is 69 cm high.
Packing and storage
Folded into their bags, the chairs are pretty light and easy to store amongst everything else in the back of the Prado. At 94 cm long they still need some space, so ours slide in next to the fridge in the boot.
Essential or Deluxe?
We’ve also reviewed the Kings Deluxe Armchair. The Essential is lighter, packs into a shorter bag and costs less; the Deluxe has thick padding, pivoting feet and a 200 kg steel frame.
This review Kings Essential |  Kings Deluxe Armchair | |
|---|---|---|
| Padding | None | Thick |
| Frame | 17.5 mm steel | Heavy-duty steel |
| Feet | Round | Pivoting |
| Packed length | 94 cm | 97 cm |
| Weight | 3.21 kg | 4.96 kg |
| Max load | 120 kg | 200 kg |
| Price paid | $35 | $75 |
| Our score | 9.1 | 9.1 |
Conclusion: Kings Essential Camping ChairConclusion
The Kings Essential Camping Chair is a simple folding camp chair with a mesh cup holder that unfolds in one go and weighs 3.21 kg in its bag. It’s rated to 120 kg and Kings says not to use it on uneven ground. It’s light and compact enough to pack amongst everything in the back of the Prado, and it came with us on a three-week loop from Sydney to Adelaide and Melbourne. It doesn’t have the comfort of a higher-end chair and isn’t super durable, but it’s really basic, and that’s the beauty of it. At $65 for a pair, it suits car campers, families and weekend trips who want a cheap, simple chair.
A basic, light camp chair that's easy to pack and hard to break.
Not the comfort of pricier chairs.
- Car campers
- Families
- Weekend trips
Yes. I paid $65 for two, and we've used them so often. Just don't expect the comfort of a higher-end chair.
