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.

In this REI Camp Dreamer XL mattress review we’ll see how it is to inflate, sleep on and pack up and why it earned the rating it did.

What is the REI Camp Dreamer XL mattress?

The REI Camp Dreamer XL is large, comfortable air and foam mattress for camping in tents, trucks and vans. It’s 78″ long, 32″ wide and 4″ thick. It packs down to 11 x 30″ and weighs about 6 lbs 6 oz (2.9 kg).

It comes with 2 velcro straps and a generous-sized side entry bag. The foam inside is horizontally cored so it rolls up easier. Two one-way valves, one ‘in’ and one ‘out’, sit flat on one end of the mats vertical sides.

Best Camping Mattresses of 2023

The Camp Dreamer 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

Inflating the Camp Dreamer is pretty straightforward.

It has two valves, one in and one out.

Opening the ‘in’ valve let’s it self-inflate and then you can add air with a pump, pump sack or breathe.

I found the self-inflating a little slower than other mats. Sometimes getting the foam and fabric away from the ‘in’ valve helped and I could hear air going in. I had to get it started a bit and then could walk away. If it was stuck, it could take 20 or 30 minutes to self-inflate compared to 5.

Once it was self inflated it was only 30 or 40 seconds to fill depending on how you do it.

Inflating from scratch was a little faster than waiting for it to self-inflate but more work. It’s really nice to let it self inflate when you set up camp and then close the valves and top it when when it’s done most of the work for me.

The valves are easy to tell apart, the ‘in’ being orange with three tabs and ‘out’ being grey with 1 tab. Feeling around in the dark the three tabs on the ‘in’ valve were easy to find.

Inflating with the pump sack was just like other pump sacks. REI recommend catching air with it and rolling it down instead of breathing into it. The pump sack is long enough to do this although I wish the opening was a little bigger and had a stiffer material to hold it open. The nozzle stayed attached to the mat well.

Comfort

The Camp Dreamer was as good or better compared to all the mats we tested.

The ridges from the horizontal coring couldn’t be felt. The top was soft and flat all the way across. I didn’t slid around at all on the soft polyester top.

The extra 2 inches of width was noticeable as I moved around at night. The 78″ length was more than enough for all my pillows and blankets or sleeping bags.

As with all the mats, I have to have a taller pillow than at home and usually end up raising it with clothes or a towel since I sleep on my side. That’s been the same across the board.

The 4″ thickness was plenty to keep me off any kind of ground and was plenty warm. With an R-value 6.6 it could easily do cold-weather trips and keep you off the cold. It’s been warm for all the trips in this test.

For micro-adjustments while laying on it, the ‘in’ valve can be used to let a little bit of air out. Just pop the cover and press on the one-way valve inside to let a bit of air out.

Deflating and Packing

Deflating the Camp Dreamer is simple: pull the out plug and roll up.

I usually do a quick roll to get the air out and then a nice roll to get it rolled tightly. The one-way valve keeps the air out while you’re doing this.

It took me about 1:30 to deflate, roll and pack the Camp Dreamer.

The big, side access bag is easy to pack. The elastic around the opening takes a bit to get used to but actually helps when you get packing. Chucking the mat in the bag and clipping the top on doesn’t take long. The bag is plenty big even for a loose roll of the matt.

The bag has a handle on either end of the bag and a carry strap. These haul handles are nice when you’re packing and throwing the mat around.

Weight

The Camp Dreamer is on the heavier end of the the mattresses we tested at 6 pounds 6 oz (2.9 kg) but only by a bit.

When a mattress is this big, being a pound heavier than another probably doesn’t matter.

Size

At 78″ x 32″ the Camp Dreamer XL is a nice big mattress. Most mattresses this size stop at 30 inches but REI decided to tack on another 2″ which is very welcome. With a few mattresses this size, you’ll need to check the size of your tent. I usually car camp with an 8 person for 4 people so we’ve got extra room for gear.

Packed up it’s just rolled, not folded, so it’s still about 30 inches long. After rolling it ends up being about 11 inches across.

Who is REI?

In 1938, 23 climbing friends decided to get together and start sourcing quality and affordable gear for their adventures.

REI Co-op was born.

Today, they have 23 million members, 16,000 employees, and 181 locations.

They help people get gear and knowledge to explore wild and natural places. They also help protect them too.

They have no shareholders so they can decide to donate $7 million to non-profits that help people get outside and protection those places. Read their Stewardship Report.

And, instead of partaking in the mayhem that is Black Friday they #OptOutside.

Conclusion

If you can find a Camp Dreamer XL, grab it. They’re out of stock at REI right now and I’m not sure if they just restocking or it’s gone for good.

The valves on the Camp Dreamer are simple and it takes a little longer than other mats to fill and deflate but it’s well worth it. Sleeping on the Camp Dreamer is literally a dream. I’ve got some of the best sleeps on an air mattress on this one right here.

My only issue with the mat is ‘in’ valve being blocked slightly for better self-inflating but other than that it’s a great mat for a great price. Just make sure you have room to travel with it.

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

Usual Price: $179.99 USD

The post REI Camp Dreamer XL Mattress Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.