Our curiosity got the best of us, so we strolled into our local store and bought one to see what it’s made of in every sense of the word. Owing to its extra-wide seat, the first thing you’ll notice about this oversized director’s chair is that it looks rugged and robust. The Ozark Trail XXL Director chair’s metal frame also has an all-business look about it too, which clearly sends the message that this is a go-anywhere chair. A functional cupholder, a convenient carry strap, and durable fabric distinguish this kids’ chair from similar seats.
Its best features are, in our view, the width of the seat, the generous amount of supported weight, and its surprisingly modest price. While most of the furniture you can buy online today comes unassembled, that’s rarely the case for things like camp chairs. If you order one of these, it will arrive ready to go right out of the box.
But keep in mind that your kid will eventually outgrow this one. Several Wirecutter staffers have owned the Coleman chair for years, using it on camping trips, in backyards, and at sporting events. For the most part, it’s held up well, but one common quibble is that the seat bottom begins to sag after several years of use. Like others in its category, this chair comes with an over-the-shoulder carry bag, but some testers found it was light and compact enough to carry without the case. The Coleman Cooler Quad has been our pick since 2016, through numerous camping trips and several testing sessions.
They are lightweight and fold up for easy and compact storage when not in use. Other chairs we tested sacrificed too much comfort in order to shave mere ounces off of their weights, and we don’t think the trade-off was worth it. Keep in mind that lightweight chairs won’t be nearly as comfortable as traditional camping chairs, so take the word comfortable with a grain of salt. It has the most comfortable and supportive seat shape of any chair we tested. The Dual Lock chair has a firmer backrest and seat bottom than the competition.
Just unpack, unfold, and sit down—that’s all there is to it. The seatback has some slightly padded sections that do at least a little something to enhance comfort, and the armrests are nominally padded, too. But this isn’t the chair you’ll want to spend most of the day in. The Ozark Trail XXL Director Chair is a reasonably comfortable, versatile camp chair, offered by a reliable company.
Most other chairs in its price range don’t match its quality, features, or ozark trail canopy reputation. Stumps, stools, boulders, and picnic tables are fine for sitting briefly outdoors. But if you want to kick back and stay comfy, the right camping chair can make all the difference.
That way, you’ll have all the information you need to decide for yourself if this is the high-weight capacity camping chair you’ve been looking for. If that sounds good, let’s jump right in and take a closer look. Simply put, it can be notoriously difficult to find big and robust furniture to support you properly.