The Problem with Camp Chairs
Camp chairs, or lawn chairs, are just outdoor folding chairs. Most are lightweight and designed to fold into a relatively small space. This makes them perfect for taking on camping trips, hiking, the ballfield, or just hanging out with friends in the back yard. But, these same things that make them popular, are the same things that can make them a bad fit for a big guy.
Have you ever worried you’d break a camp chair by sitting in it, so you just stood instead? I have. I’m a big man, and I need a big chair! And that’s one reason I decided to write this guide.
I’m a big man, and I need a big chair!
Things to Consider When Choosing a Camp Chair
When choosing a good quality camp chair, whether you’re average sized or a big guy, things like stability, folded size, durability, and even its cosmetics can be important. If you’re a big guy like me, you know we have even more to consider. We have to worry if the chair will hold our weight without a leg bending, a rivet popping, the fabric tearing, or maybe worst of all… the feet pressing into the ground.
Here are 4 things to consider when choosing a great chair:
Weight Capacity: As a big guy, this is one of the biggest considerations. The weight capacity of a chair will not only give you peace of mind when using the chair, it can also give you an over idea of the quality. In general, a chair made of thin plastic and other lightweight materials is not going to be rated to hold 400 or more pounds.
Size: Maybe the next most important consideration when choosing a camp chair for a big person might be size. Unless most of your weight comes from height, it’s probably a good idea to choose a chair with a wider seat. If you can’t try out the chair, I would recommend looking for a seat width of around 24 inches. For some comparison many average chairs have a width of around 19 inches.
Materials: I recommend looking for a chair made of 600D polyester. It’s heavy duty and very durable. (The D means ‘denier’ and describes the thickness of the fabric). Also, don’t forget to pay attention to the frame size.
Comfort: Some chairs include padding in the seats and back. These will be bulkier, but if you don’t plan on carrying your chair long distances, it might be worth the comfort in the long run.
Our Top 10 Camp Chairs for Big Guys
Here’s our Top 10 List of the best camp chairs for big men. These all have high capacity and most have the highest quality materials. In the event we weren’t able to get our hands on these chairs, we did our best to research the details. We not only looked at the star rating other customers had given, but we read through them and gathered details so you don’t have to. Here’s our Top 10 List:
- LivingXL 500-lb Capacity Heavy-Duty Portable Chair
- Cabela’s Big Outdoorsman XL Fold-Up Chair
- Coastrail Outdoor XXL Oversized Director Chair
- RTIC Big Bear Folding Chair
- Ever Advanced Oversized Padded Arm Chair
- KingCamp Oversized Camping Chair with Lumbar Support
- Alpha Camp Oversized Camping Chair
- Realead Adjustable Oversized Camp Chair
- Guide Gear Oversized Director’s Camp Chair
- Timber Ridge Oversized Folding Camping Chair
Compare Our Top 10 at a Glance
| Rank | Photo | Name | Weight Capacity (lbs.) | Seat Width (in.) | Materials | Why I chose it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  | LivingXL 500-lb Capacity Heavy-Duty Portable Chair | 500 | 24″ | 22mm tubed frame, 600D Polyester | Wide and deep seat, excellent materials. |
| 2. |  | Cabela’s Big Outdoorsman XL Fold-Up Chair | 450 | 25.5″ | 22mm tubed frame, 600D Polyester | Wide and deep seat, excellent materials, padded seat. |
| 3. |  | Coastrail Outdoor XXL Oversized Director Chair | 600 | 28″ | Powder coated frame, 600D Polyester | Wide and deep seat, excellent materials. |
| 4. |  | RTIC Big Bear Folding Chair | 400 | 28″ | Powder coated frame, 600D Polyester | Wide and deep seat, excellent materials, padded seat. |
| 5. |  | Ever Advanced Oversized Padded Arm Chair | 300 | 24.5 | Steel Frame | Capacity, Good Padding, Headrest. |
| 6. |  | KingCamp Oversized Camping Chair with Lumbar Support | 350 | 24.5 | Steel Frame | Moderate Weight Capacity, Good Padding, Headrest. |
| 7. |  | Alpha Camp Oversized Camping Chair | 450 | 24″ | Powder coated frame, 600x 300D Polyester | Slightly lighter materials than some others on the list. |
| 8. |  | Realead Adjustable Oversized Camp Chair | 400 | 25.6″ | Steel Frame | Wide Seat, Padded, Adjustable Backrest. |
| 9. |  | Guide Gear Oversized Director’s Camp Chair | 500 | ~22″ | Powder coated Steel Frame, 600D Polyester | Possible Poor construction of side table. |
| 10. |  | Timber Ridge Oversized Folding Camping Chair | 400 | 24.75 | Steel Frame | Padded back with headrest. |
Our Thoughts About Each Chair on the List
1. LivingXL 500-lb Capacity Heavy-Duty Portable Chair
This chair is my top choice of camp chairs for big men. It covers all the bases: capacity, materials, and comfort. It’s sturdy and at nearly 400 lbs, I felt well supported and stable. The stationary weight capacity is 500 lbs.
Its frame is made of 22mm tubular steel with extra cross beams for even more support. The fabric itself is 600 denier polyester. It’s probably the thickest, most durable materials you’ll find on this type of chair. Also, one of my favorite features is the large feet for more stability and so the feet don’t drive into the ground while under weight.
Beyond the build quality, this chair has quite a few features. It has a padded seat and headrest, a cupholder, mesh side pocket, and tote bag.
2. Cabela’s Big Outdoorsman XL Fold-Up Chair
Cabela’s is known for outdoor gear, and they continue their quality offerings with this oversized chair. With a weight capacity of 400 lbs., it’s plenty sturday for, as they say, a “big outdoorsman”.
This chair is also well constructed, and like most of our top choices has 22mm steel tubing frame and 600D heavy duty polyester fabric. This chair also has aluminum arms and “patented corner support braces”.
Cabela’s didn’t hold back on features either. It features a padded seat and back, built-in cup holder/organizer pocket, and a step above heavy-duty zip carry bag with shoulder strap. I’ve noticed most bags are made of cheap material, and in my experience, they tear up faster than the chair. This one is a step up.
3. Coastrail Outdoor XXL Oversized Director Chair
I’ve sat in this chair a lot and it’s definitely sturdy. There’s no doubt you’ll have plenty of room and feel completely stable and secure in this one. The seat is huge at 28″ wide and it has a weight capacity of 600 lbs.
I thought the lack of padding in the seat might be uncomfortable for sitting long periods of time, but I never felt that way and I’ve used it for a couple of hours at a time. By the way, it does have some padding in the back rest.
Like others at the top of the list, this chair has a powder-coated steel tube frame with 600D polyester material.
This chair has a side pocket organizer, and padding on the arms for comfort. It also has a built in cup holder in the side table that folds down. I’ve heard mixed reviews of the table, but the one I used had been removed.
4. RTIC Big Bear Folding Chair
RTIC is widely known for their coolers that rival Yeti in function, but at a lower price. Everything I know about this chair, it follows suit. The weight capacity is 400 lbs. One person reviewed it as being too big, but that might be just right for a big guy.
It has a powder coated steel frame and durable materials. I wasn’t able to find the exact material and thickness, but I read reviews that said it was very good material.
The features are one thing that make this chair stand out. It’s got lots of padding from the bottom of the seat all the way up the back. Lots of people love the wide armrests, the built-in cooler and cup holder, and claim that it’s super easy to fold and unfold.
5. Ever Advanced Oversized Padded Arm Chair
This chair is on the lighter end of the scale when it comes to capacity. It has a total weight capacity of only 300 lbs., but still made it to the middle of the list because of its quality and features.
Like a lot of the chairs on this list, it has a collapsible steel frame but this frame is 17mm tubing where some of the heavier chairs use 22mm. The advantage is that it weighs a more than a pound less that some other chairs. The fabric is 600D polyester which equals the best and most durable.
This chair is meant to be comfortable. It’s fully padded top to bottom; even the arms are padded. It has a wide seat area and high back for relaxing.
If the weight capacity works for you, and you want a lighter chair, it might be a good choice. The reviews I read averaged a 4.5/5 stars with over 2000 reviews.
6. KingCamp Oversized Camping Chair with Lumbar Support
I think the main selling point of this chair has to be a combination of the 350 lb. weight capacity, the 24.5″ seat width, and the lumbar support.
It has a nice steel frame, and overall seems to have good quality build, but the 300D polyester is slightly less thick than some others on our list. This isn’t all bad. I personally think 300D can be more comfortable at times.
King Camp describes this chair as luxurious comfort. I can see it. It has a high back, fairly tall off the ground, rounded seat sides, and wide arms. And that’s before mentioning the lumbar support. One reviewer said this was the only camp chair they’ve been able to sit in without back pain.
This chair is also full of features. Along with the normal features like cup holders, this chair has a storage bag on the side and an insulated cooler that will hold 3 12oz. cans. Did I mention lumbar support?
7. Alpha Camp Oversized Camping Chair
The Alpha Camp Oversized Camping chair has a weight capacity of 450 lbs. That is outstanding, but it comes with a price. This chair weighs 13.2 lbs. and that’s one of the main reasons this chair comes in at number 7 out of 10.
This build of this chair is good. It has a heavy duty steel frame with extra framing on the bottom. The fabric is 600x300D and looks great both cosmetically and for durability.
Special items on this chair include a side storage pocket for items like cellphones and a side coolers bag that can keep drinks cool.
8. Realead Adjustable Oversized Camp Chair
This is the first and only adjustable camp chair to make the list. The back reclines and then be reset to sit upright and is still sturdy. It has a weight capacity of 400 lbs.
It has a steel frame and durable fabric. I haven’t used this chair, but reviewers seemed to like it. I’ve seen hundreds of reviews and it had nearly 5 stars. I read a lot of reviews to make sure I was comfortable recommending this chair as an option and the owners used words such as “no flex”, “heavy duty”, and “awesome for us big guys“.
It has a fully padded seat, headrest, and arms for longer lasting comfort. Like many others it has storage pockets to hold items such as cellphones.
9. Guide Gear Oversized Director’s Camp Chair
Another directors chair made the list. Somehow these things are just comfortable to me. Not as much padding on the seat, but when they fit, they’re comfortable. This one is especially sturdy and has a weight capacity of 500 lbs.
The materials are a big reason this chair made the list. Powder coated steel frame, and 600D polyester. It doesn’t get much better than that. These materials are how you make a chair hold 500 lbs.
It has a side table with a drink holder in it, but as I said on a previous review. I’ve heard mixed reviews on the side tables and the director’s chair similar to this that I used had removed it.
Be sure to check the reviews about the side table and also the width on this one.
10. Timber Ridge Oversized Folding Camping Chair
This chair may be number 10, bottom of the list, but it could have easily been higher. It has a weight capacity of 400 lbs. and I personally think it’s one of the best looking chairs of the group.
It has a heavy duty steel frame, but I wasn’t able to find the exact diameter of the steel or the thickness of fabric. This is one reason I had to move this nice chair with a nearly 25″ wide seat to the bottom of the list.
It has all the features most people want including drink holders and storage bags. It’s also built to be comfortable with padded back and headrest. The listed padded arm rests are narrow. I would look closely at that before making a decision.
