Kids camp chairs light enough for them to carry

Our recommendations

Best for grade-schoolers

REI Co-op Camp Chair - Kids'

The REI chair gives grade-schoolers a roomier padded seat and a shoulder strap for the walk from the car. Its weight rules out backpacking.

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Worth knowing.

• The steel frame is rated to 125 lb
• Padded seat and back for a long sit at the fire ring
• Has a cup holder too, like the Coleman

Community discussions: r/camping

The cheap quad chair

Coleman Quad Chair - Kids'

Coleman does the basic job for less money. The low seat means it suits younger kids best.

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Worth knowing.

• Cheap, and the quad-fold frame is still stable
• Coleman still includes a mesh cup holder at this price
• Small kids can get in and out easily from that low seat

Community discussions: r/camping

The preschool one with a face

Melissa & Doug Giddy Buggy Chair

The cheerful pick for a preschooler, cup holder included. Its small size is what limits how long you’ll use it.

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Worth knowing.

• Kids who want their own seat tend to go for the bug eyes
• A light pole frame keeps it easy to bring along on short outings
• Built-in cup holder sized for a small drink

Community discussions: r/camping

Packs smallest for travel

Mountain Summit Gear Foldable Camp Chair - Kids'

The road-trip chair. It packs small, and like all kid furniture, it won’t fit forever.

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Worth knowing.

• Folded, it fits under a stroller seat or in a sedan’s trunk well
• Polyester seat fabric, which copes with a bit of dew or damp grass
• A lock on the frame makes a surprise collapse less likely

Community discussions: r/camping

How I narrowed it down

A kid-size chair is only useful while the seat and back still fit, so growth room came first. After that, packed weight and how the chair gets carried. Owners on r/camping supplied the part listings leave out: how quickly kids outgrow the toddler chairs.

• REI’s spec table confirms the steel frame, the 125 lb limit and the carry bag dimensions.
• Coleman Quad Chair: checked the mesh cup holder, seat height and folded size on retailer pages.
• Pulled the Giddy Buggy’s maximum weight, pole construction and storage sack from the Melissa & Doug listing.
• Read how Mountain Summit Gear describes its frame lock, and noted the seat back height and the Sleepy Astronaut print.
• Ran all four through the CPSC recall database.

I'm Matt, a dad of two boys. If we've used something at home, the card says personally tested. The rest I read up on. I keep a weekly list of kids' product recalls. How I pick.