Best Beach Chair 2024
We’ve looked through the best beach chairs available in the US and selected our top picks to review. The beach chairs can be separated into two distinct design styles: front folding and crossbar. The chairs we selected are deliberately a combination of these styles, as what will suit you best depends on your intended use and what works for your body. We tested these chairs by walking with them and by sitting in them for hours on sand, pebbles and grass. Comprehensive reviews of each product can be accessed via the ‘Read Full Review’ buttons below. Be sure to also check out our top camping chairs.
Updated 12th February 2024
Beach Chair Reviews
Utopia Multi
Price At Time Of Writing | $160.00
Overall Rating | 90
Construction/Design | 8
Setup/Packdown | 7
Portability | 7
Comfort | 10
Durability | 8
Open Size - 21x24x30in
Weight - 8.8lbs
Load Capacity - 331lbs
Materials - Polyester, Aluminum, Wood
Pros - Good-looking, transportable
Cons - Wood can rot in the elements
Overall - Comfortable to sit and recline in
Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair
Price At Time Of Writing | $72.99
Overall Rating | 86
Construction/Design | 8
Setup/Packdown | 5
Portability | 8
Comfort | 8
Durability | 7
Open Size - 24x25x30in
Weight - 7.88lbs
Load Capacity - 300lbs
Materials - Aluminum, polyester
Pros - High quality, good-looking, lightweight
Cons - Flimsy carrying straps, low back
Overall - Great for lounging with everything to hand
RIO BEACH Folding Chair
Price At Time Of Writing | $55.53
Overall Rating | 85
Construction/Design | 9
Setup/Packdown | 7
Portability | 9
Comfort | 5
Durability | 5
Open Size - 23x25.25x32in
Weight - 7.7lbs
Load Capacity - 250lbs
Materials - Aluminum frame, polyester seat
Pros - Lightweight, well constructed and good looking
Cons - Shallow seat and no headrest
Overall - A portable option if looks are important
Kijaro Beach Sling Chair
Price At Time Of Writing | $55.00
Overall Rating | 85
Construction/Design | 5
Setup/Packdown | 9
Portability | 8
Comfort | 8
Durability | 5
Open Size - 29x33x33.8in
Weight - 6.6lbs
Load Capacity - 300lbs
Materials - Alloy steel, polyester, mesh
Pros - Comfortable, good pockets
Cons - Seat is quite low, mesh less durable
Overall - A great price chair for what you get
Fiam Dondolina Steel Frame
Price At Time Of Writing | $175.00
Overall Rating | 84
Construction/Design | 8
Setup/Packdown | 9
Portability | 2
Comfort | 7
Durability | 8
Open Size - 30.75x24.75x38.75in
Weight - 6.6lbs
Load Capacity - 220lbs
Materials - Steel, textilene
Pros - Sturdy and comfortable
Cons - Creaks a bit
Overall - A portable and robust chair
Ostrich Deluxe 3-in-1 Beach Chair
Price At Time Of Writing | $136.90
Overall Rating | 82
Construction/Design | 8
Setup/Packdown | 6
Portability | 4
Comfort | 7
Durability | 7
Open Size - 61.76x38.1x39.73in
Weight - 10.8lbs
Load Capacity - 275lbs
Materials - Aluminum, textiline
Pros - Comfortable, reclinable
Cons - Heavy
Overall - A sturdy sun lounger for sun baking
Homevative Folding Backpack Beach Chair
Price At Time Of Writing | $69.99
Overall Rating | 81
Construction/Design | 8
Setup/Packdown | 5
Portability | 7
Comfort | 5
Durability | 6
Open Size - 32x17x19in
Weight - 8lbs
Load Capacity - 240lbs
Materials Aluminum frame, polyester seat
Pros - Thoughtfully designed pockets, durable materials
Cons - Uncomfortable when reclining or if tall
Overall - Portable and ideal for having everything to hand
Brunner Beach Chair Bula
Price At Time Of Writing | $60.92
Overall Rating | 81
Construction/Design | 6
Setup/Packdown | 7
Portability | 7
Comfort | 5
Durability | 6
Open Size - 22x20x29in
Weight - 6.8lbs
Load Capacity - 225lbs
Materials - Steel, texteline
Pros - Wide, comfortable, sturdy
Cons - Not adjustable, low armrests
Overall - A very comfortable and easy to transport beach chair
GCI Outdoors Waterside Sunshade Backpack Beach Chair
Price At Time Of Writing | $80.00
Overall Rating | 76
Construction/Design | 6
Setup/Packdown | 7
Portability | 3
Comfort | 7
Durability | 3
Open Size - 45x24x43.7in
Weight - 10lbs
Load Capacity - 250lbs
Materials - Aluminum/steel hybrid frame, polyester/mesh seat
Pros - Built-in sunshade
Cons - Heavy, too big to carry, not the best looking
Overall - The best option with a built-in shade
Advice We’d Give to A Friend
The Basics
How do I know if it's going to be comfortable? - Consider whether you want a chair that reclines or something more upright. Look for a good amount of space between the seat fabric and any metal frame to ensure no frame digs into you, check the depth and width of the seat matches your size, and look for extras like armrests, cup holders and storage pockets.
How important is portability in a beach chair? - If you've ever carried a whole bunch of stuff down to the seaside, pretty important. Look for lighter-weight chairs with backpack or carry straps.
Will it last? - Well-constructed chairs made of strong steel or aluminum frames that have been rust-treated and high-denier fabric, will last for years, so look for those qualities when choosing a beach chair.
Budget
You can definitely find a decent beach chair without having to spend a ton of money. For a better comparison, we can divide the market into three main categories:
Under $70 - You're generally looking at chairs with a much simpler design that probably won't recline. You can get some good durable picks in this range if you're happy with that.
$70 to $100 - You're usually looking at some less well-constructed reclining chairs, or chairs with more features. There are decent chairs here too, but if you're after a quality reclining chair that will last, we'd suggest spending a bit more.
Over $100 - You'll get a high-quality, durable reclining chair with lots of features. In most cases, we don't think you should be spending over $180 on a beach chair.
Purpose of Use
Think about how you will use your beach chair. Is it just for you or will you be sharing it with the family? Will you be buying multiple? Do you prefer reclining or reading a book more upright or do you bring a lot of items with you to the beach that you need to store somewhere? Consider these questions when choosing a beach chair as they will determine the type of chair you buy and how simple the design is.
Ratings By Category
Method
We selected the top beach chair in each category after evaluating the chairs currently on the market and each chair instantly earned 50 points just for being chosen. To then rank them out of 10 in Construction/Design, Setup/Pack Down, Portability, Comfort and Durability, we conducted field tests and in-person evaluations.
Rankings are modified or weighted according to their significance and degree of variation, for example, certain categories will be rated from 1 to 10, while others will be rated from 4 to 9, etc. However, there are occasionally outliers. We have done our best to accurately depict how each beach chair ranks overall and why.
Our aim is to give you all the information you need to find the best beach chair in the US. At The Equipment Guide, we believe that thorough reviews of beach chairs should give you all the information you need to choose one.
Construction/Design
Construction and Design looks at how well the beach chair is made and the quality of the fabrics and frame. It also looks at how well the chair is designed for use.
The difference here does tend to be in line with the price: cheaper chairs will be less well-constructed, except for our top pick. The RIO BEACH came out on top as it's a great combination of lightweight, durable materials, thoughtful design and comfort, especially for the price. The Tommy Bahama Deluxe and Ostrich Deluxe chairs both have features like reclinable backs, armrests, pockets and drink holders. The second cheapest of our picks, the Kijaro Beach Sling Chair, does have durable fabric, but its metal frame is low quality and it has no extras.
Setup/Pack Down
Setup/Pack Down focuses on how easy it is to set up a beach chair, how large it opens to, then how easy it is to pack away and how small its packed size is.
Most chairs are really simple to set up, so there's not a huge amount of difference here between the ratings. Usually non-reclining chairs are slightly easier to set up. It’s best to get a reclinable chair that has something to keep it in place, like the GCI Outdoors Backpack. The Tommy Bahama is quite complex to set up for a beach chair, requiring different stages of clips and openings which can be annoying. The Kijaro Beach ranks highest here, with a smooth open and close with its folding design.
Portability
Portability looks at the important mix of weight, packed size and ease of carrying a chair. In selecting the most portable beach chair, also consider its carry style — does it have in-built backpack straps or come in a carry bag with a shoulder strap?
There are two clear styles here: chairs that fold in half and chairs that fold more into a tube shape. Smaller chairs will obviously tend to be lighter, but the key thing for us is to think about how you want to use it. If it's just a chair for you then backpack chairs are great, whereas if you're a family of four carting a lot of stuff down to the sea then you might want several smaller chairs that you can fit in a cart. The Tommy Bahama has the word in its name — it has a great backpack design to carry it around. The RIO Beach Folding Chair has a carry strap to sling over your shoulder, although the single strap may not suit some people.
Comfort
Comfort considers the size of the sitting area, how high the back rest is, how the material and frame feels when sitting and how its design comes into play when sitting, such as accessibility to pockets and cup holders.
Make sure chairs have a deep and wide-enough seat to accommodate you. Low-backed, non-reclining chairs can definitely be comfortable, just make sure that's what you want, and if you're after a high-backed chair, also make sure the back will be high enough to rest your head against. Something with armrests, or at least places to rest your arms, is key. Finally, make sure you choose a chair without an obvious frame that's going to dig into you while you're sitting. The Homevative Folding Backpack chair has quite a short back so it can dig into your back if you’re taller, although it does fully recline for lounging. The Utopia Deluxe ranks highest here with comfortable fabric, sturdy armrests and lots of handy features. Like most low-back chairs, the Tommy Bahama can be a pain when upright, especially with the pillow hitting you under your neck, but it’s fine when reclining.
Durability
Durability looks at how well a chair is made compared to how well it will last. There's not always a clear correlation here between price and durability, so you need to know what to look for.
We'd recommend chairs using at least 300-denier polyester, which will last well over time. Aluminum frames are much lighter-weight than steel but not quite as strong, so choose based on what you prioritize, and make sure everything metal is rust-treated as repeated exposure to salty air will cause the joints in the metal frame to corrode and weaken over time. The sunshade and attachments of the GCI Outdoors feel easy to bend or break, especially during transport, and while the Ostrich 3-in-1 is solid, its stitching isn’t the greatest. While overall, the Brunner Beach is durable, it has plastic joints that can wear out and break over time.
Overall Ratings
About Our Testing Process
Here at The Equipment Guide we write reviews for the US with the goal of providing a genuine personal assessment of the best products on the market right here at home.
All products are reviewed and ranked in a methodical and careful manner and we assess them on relevant key features. We do not accept free products from manufacturers.
Our mission is simple: To create the US’ best outdoor gear reviews.
Afterword
We hope you liked our reviews of the best beach chairs available in the US.
There really is a lot of similarity between beach chairs and to be honest, the biggest factor in determining what the best beach chair is for you will come down to your personal preference. If you would like us to review a product or have any feedback we’d love to hear from you, so feel free to drop us a note.
If you do purchase and are out in your beach chair please share some pics with us, we’d love to see you in action.