Big Agnes Big Six Armchair Review

The Big Six Armchair from Big Agnes is a unique combination of an ultralight backpacking chair and a large camping chair. It’s tent-pole frame can hold 300 pounds but it weighs just under 4 pounds.

Does the lightweight frame sacrifice stability and ease of use? We tested it to see what it was like for camping. This is the Big Agnes Big Six Armchair review.

Specs

What is the Big Six Armchair?

The Big Six Armchair from Big Agnes is a lightweight camp chair made of a collapsible tent-pole like frame and a stretch seat with 2 cupholders.

The frame starts folded up like backpacking tent poles. Setup (covered in the next section) is plugging each of the poles into it’s designated spot. The poles have bungees inside they so they can’t come apart.

Once the frame is put together the separate seat can be attached.

The whole package is much lighter than a full camp chair but is heavier than the ultralight backpacking chairs like the Helinox Chair Zero. It’s great for truck and van camping where the weight doesn’t matter as much but space might be an issue. It still weighs nearly 4 pounds but is only 5″ x 6″ x 22″ packed.

The seat sits about 20″ off the ground so it’s taller for it’s size. The backrest is quite tall rising to 30″ from the seat. The armrests are quite big at 18″ long, expanding to 6″ wide at the end.

Inside both armrests are two cupholders, both 3.5″ wide and 3.5″ deep. They easily hold a bubbly or beer can upright but can still hold larger tumblers like the Yeti Rambler or Stanley 40 oz Quencher.

Sitting in the Big Six feels comfortable and sturdy, unlike some of the tiny backpacking chairs. Tip to far one way in those and you’re on the ground. It’s got a nice amount of lean to it, enough to relax and recline but not too much where I felt stuck in the chair. The end of the seat didn’t dig into my short legs.

The rubber feet aren’t huge and dig into sand a bit if you’re at the beach. As long as you are on some sort of solid ground, they’re plenty stable.

Setup

Setup is a little more involved than just pulling it open like the larger chairs in the test.

The back poles are a bit longer so be mindful not to smack a campmate.

I started with the centre pole and then inserted all the other poles into it. Each pole has a little notch to line it up correctly going through the centre pole. Slide 3 poles into one end and then do the other side.

Once the frame is built line up with 4 feet on the ground and then set down to put the seat on.

For the seat, slide it onto the back poles first, then front seat poles. Finally hook on the armrests then back clips.

For the whole thing, it takes just over a minute to set up.

Size and Weight

The Big Six is in a bit of a class by itself when it comes to camp chairs. It’s smaller and lighter than full size camp chairs but larger and heavier than the tiny backpacking gears and still has a 300 pound weight limit.

Coming in at 3 pounds 14 oz, it’s the second lightest in our test and far lighter than most of the others which came at 8 or 10 pounds or more.

When packed up the Big Six is only 5″ x 6″ x 22″, considerably smaller than most camp chairs. It can fit into some tight spaces when packing everything back into the car.

Who is Big Agnes?

Big Agnes is a company based out of the mountains of Colorado. They aim to make the best gear for playing and being comfortable in the mountains. All their gear is made and tested in the mountains.

They started with just a few products around better sleep outside and 20 years later it’s grown from there to all number of patents and innovations to help make staying outside more comfortable.

Big Agnes partners with over 20 organizations to help protect public lands, support sustainable practices and lead in equality and inclusivity.

Conclusion

If you’re short on space but need a strong but small chair, the Big Agnes Big Six Armchair is a great pick. It takes a minutes to put together but it considerably lighter when packed up compared to other 8-12 pound camp chairs.

I liked how stable it felt even though it’s just metal poles that hold it up. The seat and arms are stiff and stable with big cupholders. This is a great chair for those that don’t have a lot of room.

Verdict: Highly recommended, especially when space is an issue

Usual Price: $249.95 USD ($319.95 CAD)

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