Rating

Durability: 5

Comfort: 3

Portability: 6

Features: 2

Setup/Packdown: 5

OVERALL: 4.2

You can sit on it.

This chair scraped onto our list as a simpler option that's not too heavy, fairly sturdy, fairly comfortable, and all round a fairly decent chair. Is it going to win any awards? No. But if you just want something to sit on that works equally well at the beach, park or campground, this could be your guy.

Comparison

Rank: #10

Open Size: Very low, compact

Packed Size: Small

Weight: Light

Capacity: Low

Pros: Sturdy steel and aluminium frame, mesh back to keep you cool

Cons: For heavier users, the seat will come to close to the frame below your legs and it digs in

Verdict: A compact and durable chair - but there are probably cheaper options out there.

Skip ahead to First Impressions, Transportability, Sitting, or the Final Verdict, or check out how the Cascade Mountain Tech Camping Chair compares to others in our list of the Top Ten Beach Chairs.

Specs:

Open Size: 53 x 51 x 51cm

Packed Size: 63cm x 17cm x 17cm

Weight: 3.1kg

Capacity: 110kg

Approx Price: $143

It’s clear that Cascade have definitely put thought into this offering, and we don’t want to knock them unnecessarily. The materials used feel thick and durable, with the bag a similar standard of construction to the chair (which is not always the case). The bag has a longer, side carry handle for slinging over the shoulder, and a shorter carry handle on the top where the drawstring is, which is considerate but also kind of gets in the way.

We do have concerns about the durability of the mesh used on the back of the chair, just because it’s a much finer material and therefore potentially more prone to nicks and cuts.

The chair packs down to a small package that’s pleasingly lightweight and not at all a chore to carry over your shoulder. It’s a little bit of a shove to fit it into the included bag, but it gets in there eventually and the drawstring keeps it nice and compact.

Because of its cross-frame design as opening out simply by grasping the top corners of the frame and moving them apart, it’s easy to set up and pack away again.

I’m a lighter, smaller build so sitting in this chair was quite pleasant for me. It’s low to the ground so you can stretch your legs out on the sand/grass/pebbles in front of you and be quite comfortable. The mesh back probably had some cooling effect on the hot day of testing, but I’m not sure that I’d trade the decreased durability of that fabric for it.

However, my testing buddy, who is much larger and heavier than me, found the seat uncomfortable. His weight on the fabric was such that he rested on the cross-bars of the frame below the seat itself, so wouldn’t want to spend any length of time on it.

The foam-padded armrests are utilitarian and while their inclusion is appreciated, they certainly didn’t offer the same level of comfort as a chair with proper armrests. Also, keep in mind that this is a really simply-designed chair, so all those extras like cup holders, towel racks etc aren’t here.

The Cascade Mountain Tech Camping Chair is a simply-designed, reasonably durable chair much more suited to generalist use than as a specialised beach chair. We think it’s high quality and that’s why it’s made our Top Ten list, but there are much cheaper versions of this chair out there that, to be honest, will probably suit you just as well.

Water & Outdoors reviews are written by our staff writers, who combined have over fifty years of experience on the water and outdoors. We may earn commissions if you choose to buy through a link you’ve clicked on our website, however this does not influence our reviews. For more information, please see our Editorial Policies.