REI Wonderland Chair

The REI Wonderland Chair looks like an unassuming camp chair at a good price. Give it a sturdy frame and recycled materials and it bumps it up a notch. REI took it one step further with a simple subtration. They chucked the bag. In it’s place is a sleep carry strap that clips together, holding it folded. This simple feature makes it a joy to carry and use without having to fuss around with a bag and earns it our Editor’s Choice.

Verdict: Editor’s Choice – Highly Recommended ^{_{see our rating system}}

$99.99 USD ($135.95 CAD) on REI.com

Big Agnes Big Six Armchair

The Big Six Armchair from Big Agnes is a cross between utralight and full size chair. It snaps together like a tent and then then the seat is hung on top. The poles are very sturdy but still lightweight. It has a capacity of 300 pounds.

Like the ultralight chairs, it takes a bit of setup but only about a minute. The fabric is taut an holds a drink nicely in either of the 2 cupholders. After you’re done it folds all down into a bag about the size of 2 water bottles.

Verdict: Highly Recommended ^{_{see our rating system}}

$249.95 USD ($319.95) on BigAgnes.com

Strongback Elite Chair

The Strongback Elite is a beefy chair with exceptional lumbar support. The back and side are wide and comfortable and the arms well-padded. Larger feet keep the legs out of the sand. Being so big and comfortable, it’s a bit bigger to carry but well worth the weight.

It comes with a god bag that’s easy to fit the chair into. The bag has 2 carry straps that can be used like a backpack. 1 small cupholder flips down from the side. It could be bigger for tumblers and phones but holds cans no problem.

Verdict: Highly Recommended ^{_{see our rating system}}

$149.95 USD on StrongbackChair.com

MEC Basecamp Chair

The MEC Basecamp chair is a sturdy addition to the campsite. I was impressed with the stability and sturdy feel to it. The back could be reclined a little more and the armrests a little wider but overall it was nice and comfortable. The cupholder holds a can easily as well tumblers with narrower bottoms. For carrying, the bag has a wide opening and shoulder strap for easy packing.

This exact model may have been discontinued so it might be harder to find in the future.

Verdict: Recommended (if your on a budget) ^{_{see our rating system}}

$35.48 USD ($47.97 CAD) on MEC.ca

Helinox Chair Zero Highback

The Chair Zero Highback is a ridiculously lightweight camp chair. It’s perfect when you don’t have a lot of room for a bigger chair like in a small car, a bike pannier or a pack pocket. The DAC poles fold out like a tent and the non-stretch seat hangs in them. The higher back is more supportive and just enough to rest your head on if you’re shorter than 5’10”. The whole thing packs up in 1 minute to less than 2 water bottles.

Verdict: Highly Recommended (if you need lightweight) ^{_{see our rating system}}

$179.95 USD ($229.95 CAD) on Helinox.com

Snow Peak Luxury Low Beach Chair

The Luxury Low Beach Chair from Snow Peak is a small, low chair with solid metal-work and high quality parts. It’s got a unique frame work it sits on the sides of the back legs. It packs up quickly into a close-fitting bag. The back is quite short but the recline, thick canvas, and seat edge are comfy for long sits around the campfire.

Verdict: Recommended (if you need a smaller chair) ^{_{see our rating system}}

$249.95 USD ($340.95 CAD) on Snowpeak.com

Dometic Go Compact Chair

Dometic makes camping and outdoor living gear like battery powered fridges, tables and, in this case, chairs. The Go series is all about living outside and taking life to the outdoors whenever.

The Compact chair weighs is made with a aluminum frame and weighs about 9.4 pounds and holds 280 pounds. A zippered bag has plenty of space for the chair when it’s folded. The recline on the back and arms is more than all the other chairs we tested but still plenty comfortable for chilling around the campfire or the dock.

Verdict: Recommended ^{_{see our rating system}}

$149.99 USD on Dometic.com

Alps Mountaineering Rocking Chair

The Rocking Chair from Alps Mountaineering is exactly that, a rocking chair. It’s big, wide, stable and rocks well. You do feel the ground under it while rocking so it’s nicer on smoother ground but patio, grass, deck and smoother dirt are great. It folds in half and latches closed when you’re not using it. It also locks open so you don’t fold yourself into the chair, or a campfire, while having a nap.

Verdict: Recommended (if you want a rocking chair) ^{_{see our rating system}}

$149.99 USD ($200 CAD) on AlpsMountaineering.com

The post Best Camp Chairs of 2023 first appeared on Pack & Trail.

Does the Captain Comfort earn the Deluxe title? We tested it to find out.

What is the Captain Comfort Deluxe?

The Captain Comfort Deluxe is a very thick, very comfortable sleeping mat from Big Agnes. It’s not small, it’s not light, but it’s crazy comfortable. We tested the 41″ x 72″ version. Let’s get into the details.

First, pros, cons and specs.

Best Camping Mattresses of 2023

The Captain Comfort was part of our Best Camping Mattresses of 2023 test. See the rest of the mattresses here:

• Exped MegaMat Max
• NEMO Roamer XL
• Big Agnes Captain Comfort Deluxe
• REI Camp Dreamer XL
• Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3D XL
• Alps Mountaineering Vertex Twin Air Bed
• Elegear Double Sleeping Pad

Specs

Inflating and Deflating

Inflating and deflating the Captain Comfort is pretty painless.

Two flat-lay valves sit at one end of the mattress. The top main plugs pull off and you get to the flippable 1-way valves. Pull it out, flip it and push it back in and it’s the opposite direction.

Inflating was easiest when it was already self-inflated. I just opened both valves completely open and let it self inflate. It didn’t take long to self-inflate, about 4 to 5 minutes.

To inflate from self-inflated was only about 45 seconds.

Times to inflate:

Comfort

The top of the Captain Comfort is a stretch spandex that’s very soft to the touch. It’s nice sleeping right on the mattress. I prefer to put a sheet down first if I’ve just got a quilt but it’s not a problem with this mattress.

Inside the mattress it’s a high-density foam with parts cut out so it’s not 100%. Air inside helps provide some insulation and keeping the foam propped up. The foam helps prevent the bouncy air mattress or waterbed feel. It feels more like a regular foam mattress than an air mattress with no bouncy feel.

Packing

Packing up the Captain Comfort is pretty quick. My first time deflating and packing entirely into the bag was 3 minutes. I’m faster now having done it many times.

I find the fastest way to deflate these mattresses is to pull the valves completely and do a quick roll while putting a bit of pressure on it. This gets a lot of the air one.

Once the first roll is done put the valves back in so they’re both one-way and pointed out. Unroll and reroll the whole thing more carefully, squeezing the rest of the air out. The valves will keep any air from going back in.

When it’s rolled nicely, apply pressure or sit on it when you put the straps on. Once strapped, it’s easy to put it back into the side-access bag.

Even without a tight roll, it was pretty easy to put it back in the bag. A couple small clips hold the bag shut and a light webbing strap makes for easy carry.

Weight

The 41″ wide Captain Comfort isn’t light at 7 pounds 8 oz (3.4 kg). You pay for all that comfort with a bit of weight. This mattress is squarely aimed at car, truck and van camping so I wouldn’t take it backpacking for a week.

It does weigh a little bit more for it’s size than similar offerings from other brands. When the car is 10 feet from the tent, that doesn’t matter to me. If you are in a more weight-restricted mode of transportation then you might have to take it into account.

The 30×78 version is 6 pound 6 oz (2.9 kg). The 52×78 version is is 11 pounds 2 oz (5 kg).

Size

The Captain Comfort comes in 3 different sizes 41″x72″, 30″x78″, and 52″x78″. We tested the 41″x72″.

41″ is a bit of an odd size but it fits well between truck wheel wells so it’s great for sleeping in the back of the truck.

30″ wide is a pretty standard size for these bigger mats. They won’t fit 2 across in a 2 person tent which are usually 45 to 50 inches across but they’ll fit fine in larger car camping tents. Of course if you’re by yourself in a two person then it’s home away from home.

The 52″ wide version is enough for 2 people though I prefer for everyone to have their own mat for less bouncing around when someone moves. Two 30″ matts usually fit most places a 52″ would.

Weights and prices of the 3 different sizes:

Who is Big Agnes?

Big Agnes is a smaller company born in the mountains of Colorado. They make gear for playing and being comfortable outside. It all started with getting a better sleep outside and grew from there. Over the years, Big Agnes has made many changes to all their gear to get the most out of the weight and comfort of their tents, sleeping bags and mattresses.

Conclusion

The Captain Comfort air mattress from Big Agnes is a huge step up from closed-cell foam mats or even lightweight backpacking mattresses. The comfort level is getting very close to comfort of a mattress at home. It does come with a cost though.

At 7 pounds 8 oz for the 41″ wide version, the Captain Comfort isn’t light but it’s not meant to be. As long as you can stuff it in your car, you’ll be sleeping on any kind of rough ground all night no problem. Deflating and storying in the big side-open bag is easy when you’re done with it.

Usual price: $299.95 USD ($398.95 CAD)

Verdict: Highly Recommended _{^{see our rating system}}

The post Big Agnes Captain Comfort Deluxe Camp Air Mattress Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

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)

More Photos

The post Big Agnes Big Six Armchair Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.