Rating

Durability: 10

Comfort: 8

Portability: 2

Features: 5

Setup/Packdown: 8

OVERALL: 6.6

A comfortable option for those who need good support.

The YETI Trailhead Camp Chair is a portable (albeit heavy) chair that feels like a real, solid chair. It's high off the ground and has high, comfortable back support, so is perfect for those who may have mobility issues or might need a little more support when at the beach.

Comparison

Rank: #3

Open Size: Wide 

Packed Size: Heavy but portable

Weight: Heavy

Capacity: Highest

Pros: Quality construction that you would expect from YETI, folds and unfolds easily, supports up to 500lbs/226kg!

Cons: No capacity to recline, expensive, heavy.

Verdict: Durable, comfortable and high quality - but it comes at a hefty price.

Skip ahead to First Impressions, Transportability, Sitting, or the Final Verdict, or check out how the YETI Trailhead Camp Chair compares to others in our list of the Top Ten Beach Chairs.

Specs:

Open Size: 76 X 92 X 64cm

Packed Size: 109 x 23 x 30cm

Weight: 6kg

Capacity: 226kg

Approx Price: $399.95

We have trouble faulting YETI on the quality of anything they make, and this is yet another example of their top-level manufacturing process. Their proprietary FlexGrid fabric is very heavy duty, its mesh-like structure able to support full-on weight, and the frame joins all operated smoothly on the single-step unfold.

The Trailhead Camp Chair is the only chair we reviewed that comes with backpack straps on the included carry bag, which we really appreciated given that it’s a relatively heavy chair at 13.3lbs/6kg. The straps were well-placed and well-constructed, and made the chair easy to carry hands-free down a rocky path to the beach.

Given that it is heavier and packs down to a relatively large, it’s not as portable as other chairs. The packed down length is much longer than others as well, and given I’m a shorter person, I did notice the chair banging against the back of my legs when carrying - so if you’re looking for something extremely portable, this isn’t the chair for you.

First off the bat, it needs to be said that this is a chair very much designed for upright sitting. It’s high off the ground, and while the back is by no means ruler-straight, it’s definitely much more upright than, for instance, a reclining beach chair (it felt to us like a similar slope to most of the other chairs we tested, just without that bucket-seat feel, which made it feel much more upright).

Unlike many other models, it has locks on the frame to keep it in place once set up, which provides an astounding level of rigidity to the chair and removes that bouncy feel found in many other beach/camp chairs. It’s definitely comfortable to sit in for long periods, and we thought this was a fantastic, durable option for people with any mobility issues.

The feet at the base of the chair were wide enough in our experience to deal with a variety of surfaces, including sand, and we appreciated the inclusion of a drink holder, although it’s not as fully featured as other chairs.

We’d happily sit in the YETI Trailhead Camp Chair all day, and would particularly recommend it for people of a larger build or those with mobility issues. We loved that it was clearly high quality and extremely durable, and though it comes at a high price and isn’t particularly portable, think the price is worth it for a versatile chair that will last a lifetime.

While you’re here, why not take a look at the other chairs that made our Top Ten list?

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.