Best camping chairs, tried and tested for summer 2026

Rocking up at a festival with your camping gear is not just about comfort and practicality, but about what your kit says about you too. With this bamboo and canvas designed foldaway number – which not only takes a reasonable weight, packs down easily to fit in your car/campervan and features a long back and decent seat height for maximum comfort – it shows that you care as much about sustainability as you do about style.

As well as the wood being responsibly sourced, the chair is guaranteed to last a lifetime, with Snow Peak pledging to repair it no matter how old it is. It may not be the lightest offering here, but those eco-creds do take a weight off your mind and thanks to the removable and washable canvas seat, you can enjoy the festival knowing that any food or drink mishaps are easily dealt with.

Key specifications

• Weight: 3.5kg
• Seat height: 36cm
• Maximum load: 100kg (15.7 stone)

Which is the comfiest camping chair?

There are a lot of padded options, including the Vango Embrace which I have made my number one pick. Some also have extras, such as reclining functions or built-in tables. But these are bulky and best suited to people heading to their campsites by car.

I believe the most important thing when choosing a camping chair is to check out the seat height: some are low and not easy for everyone to get in and out of. Child-sized camping seats are available, too.

For wild camping aficionados like me, or those who want to take minimal gear with them, look instead for small pack size, low weight and fabric durability.

Finally, no matter if you’re going wild or mild, always check the chair’s maximum load weight. You want to be sure that every member of your party can be safe and comfortable.

What material are camping chairs made of?

The first portable folding stool is believed to have been made over 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia, but JB Fenby’s 1881 folding chair in wood and canvas set the standard and still inspires many of the camping chairs made today, including the Snow Peak bamboo chair above. The arrival of lightweight aluminium post-WW2 expanded the possibilities and nowadays there’s a huge range of specially-designed outdoor seats to choose from, usually made from weatherproof synthetic fabrics and meshes.

Phoebe Smith is an adventurer, author of Wilderness Weekends: Wild Adventures in Britain’s Rugged Corners and host of the Wander Woman Travel Podcast.