Snow Peak Luxury Low Beach Chair Review

Snow Peak has made a name for itself with high-quality metal-work and camping gear. Everything they make has had care and attention throughout the manufacturing process and it shows using it. The Luxury Low Beach Chair has had this care and attention in the design and build.

We reviewed the Luxury Low with all our other favourite chairs for camping, the beach and backyard. Is it a good buy? Who is it good for? Read on.

Specs

Carrying

The Luxury Low Beach Chair is easier to carry because of it’s smaller size. It’s lighter at 7.5 pounds and physically smaller than a lot of the other camp chairs.

The bag is easy to pick up with it’s large handle. It’s just long enough to put over your shoulder but could be a bit longer. The drawstring at one end pulls it tight. The bag is a tight fit with just enough space for the chair.

Without the bag on, there’s not really a good spot to hang onto the chair with one hand. A couple spots on the bars make for a decent handle if you can keep it from sliding open.

Setup

The Luxury Low is easy to set up. Once it’s out of the bag, pull the arms apart and it opens. All the joints feel very solid and tight so it has to be pulled open. Because of the leg design it doesn’t stand on it’s own when it’s folded up.

There’s a mesh pocket on the back of the seat that goes the width of the seat. It’s a great place to store a sweater or the bag for the chair. When the whole bag is stuffed in there, it does push out the fabric on the back of the air. It’s soft and creates a bit of lumbar support. Anything hard or pointy in that pocket is uncomfortable to sit against.

Comfort

Sitting in the Luxury Low is nice and comfortable. It’s well-suited for shorter people as it’s got low arms and a shorter back. I’m 5’7″ and it’s very comfortable if I slide down a little. The back isn’t quite as tall as I’d like it to be to sit straight up.

The height if the seat is very comfortable. It’s low to the ground but not too low. It’s still easy to get in and out of.

Snow Peak also makes the Low Beach Chair with a taller back. It’s frame is silver but other than that it’s the same chair with a taller back. It will be a little bigger and heavier because of it but it only adds 8 oz so that’s probably the way to go unless you want the smaller size.

The front feet are a bit wider and help keep it up in the sand. The back has a unique design and rests on the bottoms of the legs. This does scratch up the paint in that area since it’s not covered in plastic or rubber.

Cupholder

The Luxury Low doesn’t have a cupholder. You’re pretty close to the ground so it’s not hard to put it there. Just try not to kick it when it’s down there.

Packing

Folding the Luxury Low is pretty quick. Because the frame connections are stiff and solid it takes a bit to squeeze it together. I think the chair will last longer because of this but it does take a little more effort to fold together.

Getting the chair into the bag takes a bit of fiddling because the bag is quite tight. The arms and feet stick out a little on the chair. It was quite a tight fit compared to the other chairs we tested.

Because of the leg design, the chair doesn’t stand on it’s own when it’s folded, so you’ll have to lay the bag down on the ground. This isn’t usually a big deal but I do find myself standing the chairs up for storage sometimes or keeping them out of the mud.

Size and Weight

The Luxury Low is very solid and well built but because it’s smaller with a lower back, it only comes in at 7.5 pounds. Most of the other full size chairs were 10 pounds or more. The high back version adds 8 oz up to a total of 8 pounds.

Unfolded it’s 23 inches long, 26 inches wide and 27 inches tall.

Packed up it’s 6.4 inches long, 7 inches wide and 33 inches tall.

Quality

Snowpeak doesn’t mess around with quality. Everything I’ve had from Snowpeak in the past is still going strong. They make things to last. They certainly know how to work with metal. I use my titanium mug, pot and stove from them nearly every backpacking trip in the last 15 years with no issues so far.

Every joint on the chair is solid and doesn’t move at all when you’re sitting in it. The canvas fabric is thick and soft. The wood arms don’t move at all with weight on them.

Who is Snowpeak?

Yukio Yamai returned to his hometown after World War II. He would often be found climbing in the mountains but was unhappy with the climbing gear at the time.

In 1958, he founded Snow Peak in the Niigata Prefecture of Japan, known for it’s metal-working.

Yukio’s son, Tohru, started his career in finance but found adventure and camping roaming around the west of the US. He moved to working for Snow Peak and eventually succeeded his father as CEO. From experience in the US, the started Snow Peak’s car camping line of tents, chairs, tables, and tarps.

“I started a camping brand because I enjoyed camping with my friends, but along the way, I realized we were healing humanity.”

In the mid-1990s Snow Peak was struggling when they launched the Snow Peak Way, a full experience out camping that changed their path.

Eventually Tohru’s daughter would join and with her experience in the fashion industry, launch Snow Peak’s apparel we see today.

Conclusion

The Luxury Low Beach Chair from Snow Peak is a solid and durable low chair for the backyard, beach or campsite. It is low at 12 inches off the ground with a low back and low arms, great for folks with smaller frames. Another version of the same chair, Low Beach Chair, is identical with a 7 inch taller back.

The Luxury Low isn’t for everyone at this price range but if you do need something small, the high quality metal-work, wood arms and thick canvas is comfortable and will last like all Snow Peak’s products.

Verdict: Recommended (if you’re looking for something smaller) ^{_{see our rating system}}

Usual Price: $249.95 ($340.95 CAD)