Summer's Here, the Sun's Out, and All You Need Is a Beach Chair That Works. We Got You.

New York Times

11-07-2025

I've worked for Wirecutter for nearly a decade in various capacities, writing about everything from travel backpacks to camping stoves to luggage to road-trip gear to car-camping tents. I live on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, and spend a large amount of time at the beach working on our guide to the best beach and surf gear. I use our top picks weekly (okay … almost daily!) for long and short sessions at the beach.
For this guide: I tested these chairs in salty sea air, shifting sand, and uneven terrain. I looked at how easy they are to carry, how stable they feel on sand, how quickly they dry, and whether their many pockets, straps, and built-in coolers are actually useful or just more stuff to worry about. I considered how well they held up after long exposure to sun, salt, and sand.
I took input from friends, family, and testers of different body types, ages, and mobility levels, because a chair that's perfect for one person might feel like torture to another.
Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I'm never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.
Kit Dillon/NYT Wirecutter
Offering five reclining positions, a built-in lightweight cooler, and backpack straps, this chair is a longtime favorite of ours.
If you want a classic beach chair that nails the basics without too many frills, the Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair is your choice. It's been a staple for beachgoers for years thanks to its laid-back comfort, reliable construction, and smart storage features — all at an affordable price.
It's easy to carry and to adjust. Thanks to its built-in, lightly padded backpack straps, the Tommy Bahama chair, which weighs about 8 pounds, is simple to carry to the beach. Once it's set up, you can adjust the chair between five seated positions by lifting the handles, moving them forward or back, and locking them back in place.
It's thoughtfully designed. The polyester backing and seat are reasonably comfortable and strong enough to hold 300 pounds. The chair also features a headrest, a large zippered pocket, a cupholder, and a cooler on the back (though we recommend bringing your own cooler to the beach).
It's reasonably priced. This chair costs much less than our other picks, the Shibumi Tall Chair or the Yeti Hondo Beach Chair.
It comes in multiple options. Tommy Bahama makes an alternate, less expensive version of the Backpack Beach Chair that has plastic, not wooden, arms — you can find it at Costco and other retailers — as well as an ever-so-slightly larger, pricier deluxe version with an extra armrest pouch, which is available on the Tommy Bahama site. We recommend all three versions, and suggest choosing whichever's available and within your budget. Flaws but not dealbreakers
The lower price shows. The Tommy Bahama chair isn't as rugged as the Yeti Hondo or as sleek and minimal as the Shibumi chairs.
The chair probably won't last forever. After 10 years of testing the Tommy Bahama chair, we have noticed rust developing in spots.
Caleigh Waldman for NYT Wirecutter
This taller chair is easier to get in and out of, yet it's remarkably light. It has a zip pocket under the seat, wide feet that stay steady on sand, and a few optional accessories worth considering.
If you prefer a beach chair that sits a bit higher, the Shibumi Tall Chair is a standout.
Its seat is a full 17 inches above the sand. A higher seat height is easier on some people's knees and backs, especially compared with the more common low beach chairs.
It's very comfortable... The chair features a breathable mesh back to keep you cool, and it has a thoughtful underseat zip pocket for stashing sunscreen, sunglasses, or a book. The wide base, 24 inches across, helps to somewhat prevent the chair from sinking into the sand, and the overall frame feels stable without being bulky. The chair itself has a powder-coated aluminum frame and is made with marine-grade stainless steel hardware for extra corrosion protection. Shibumi makes the same chair in two heights. We recommend the tall one, on the right, for people who prefer a beach chair that's easy to get in and out of. Caleigh Waldman for NYT Wirecutter
…while remaining portable. Despite its tall profile, this chair still folds down easily and slips over your shoulder without too much effort. Shibumi also makes clips that allow you to carry two chairs together. At 9 pounds, the Shibumi Tall Chair is remarkably light for a chair of its luxuriant size. When folded up, it's also an extremely narrow 3.5 inches, which makes it easy to carry and far easier to store than our other picks. You can stack two chairs where, for instance, only a single Yeti or Tommy Bahama chair could sit. Shibumi offers an accessory for connecting two chairs together to carry. It works decently well. Caleigh Waldman for NYT Wirecutter The connector can be a little fiddly to get right. It's easiest to do with two people. Caleigh Waldman for NYT Wirecutter Shibumi offers an accessory for connecting two chairs together to carry. It works decently well. Caleigh Waldman for NYT Wirecutter
Shibumi also makes a classic beach chair that's 5 inches lower to the ground, similar to the Tommy Bahama. Flaws but not dealbreakers
The Shibumi chairs are costly. Both the tall and the classic versions are more than double the price of the Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair.
Caleigh Waldman for NYT Wirecutter
Very sturdy and supportive, with a tensioned fabric seat, a rock-solid frame, and wide feet that don't sink in sand, the Hondo is heavier (and more expensive) than our other picks — but it's built for a lifetime.
If you're looking for a beach chair that prioritizes durability and support — especially for all-day use — consider the Yeti Hondo Beach Chair.
It's built like a tank. Like Yeti's coolers, this chair is overbuilt in the best possible ways: rock-solid, comfortable, and clearly designed to withstand years of heavy use. The frame is made from thick, powder-coated aluminum, with a taut mesh fabric that distributes weight evenly and won't sag over time.
It's genuinely a dream to use. The tension of the fabric is in the Goldilocks zone of just right. With four reclining positions, it's a very easy chair to fall asleep in, an attribute I've tested extensively this summer.
It fits nearly every body. The body of the Hondo (25 inches, an inch wider than the Shibumi chair and 5 inches wider than the Tommy Bahama chair) is supportive across the back and shoulders, and it's wide enough to accommodate a range of body types without feeling cramped. The Yeti Hondo Beach Chair comes with a single shoulder sling for carrying the chair. However, it's a bit cumbersome and prone to knocking you in the knees as you walk. Kit Dillon/NYT Wirecutter Flaws but not dealbreakers
It's heavy. The Hondo weighs 13 pounds, and it's not as easy to carry with its one shoulder strap as our other picks. If you're going long distances over sand, this is not the best choice. And the single shoulder sling isn't our favorite for carrying a large chair like this over long distances.
It's very expensive. The chair is about twice the price of the Shibumi Chair and more than three times the cost of the Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair.
We started by looking for beach chairs that were comfortable, easy to carry, and durable enough to survive more than one summer without rusting, ripping, or becoming permanently infused with sand. That meant filtering out the usual suspects: chairs that folded into awkward triangles, models with handles too short for actual human arms, and anything that looked like it might snap if you sat down too hard after a long swim.
We focused on chairs with aluminum frames (lighter and less corrosion-prone than steel), breathable mesh or fabric seats (because plastic-backed nylon turns into a sauna), and design details that make a difference after hour three at the beach: wide feet that don't sink, reclining backs, built-in storage that's actually usable, and carry straps that actually work.
Then we tested them the way anyone would — on actual beaches. We packed them into car trunks, hiked them across dunes, unfolded them, and let them (and ourselves) bake under the sun for hours. We judged how easy they were to carry, how quickly we set them up, and whether they felt good to sit in for a full afternoon (not just the first five minutes). We also made people of different heights and builds sit in them, because 'comfortable' means something different when you're 6-foot-3 versus 5-foot-2.
A good beach chair shouldn't require instructions. It shouldn't jab your thighs, collapse under shifting sand, or remind you of your chiropractor. It should just work — quietly, reliably, without fanfare. That's what we looked for. And the best ones did exactly that.
Coleman Utopia Breeze Beach Sling Chair: It's lightweight and comfortable enough, with a cupholder and seat-back pocket. But the low seat puts you so close to the ground that even slight dips in the sand make it awkward to stand up — and the steel frame showed early signs of rust when exposed to salt spray.
Helinox Beach Chair: This is a better chair for hikers. It's exceptionally lightweight and packs small, but the narrow aluminum legs sink into soft sand without add‑on feet or a mat, which sort of defeats the portability.
KingCamp Low Sling Beach Chair: It's affordable and light, but the low seat height means you're more or less reclining in the sand. The frame feels flimsy under weight, and the fabric stretches quickly, leading to a saggy, uncomfortable seat after just a few uses.
Sunday Supply Co. Beach Chair: This chair has an Instagram-worthy sleek design, but the fabric is thinner and less durable than that of other chairs we tested, leading to early wear and sagging. Its lightweight aluminum frame feels less than stable on uneven sand, and it lacks built-in storage or cupholders, limiting its convenience.
Birch Lane Chutney Folding Beach Chair: Sporting a stylish design with canvas sling seat, the Chutney's hardwood frame is prone to weathering and requires regular maintenance to prevent deterioration. It lacks features such as cupholders or built-in storage, so it's less practical for beach use compared with other models.
ParkIt Voyager Chair: This chair is sturdy, lightweight, and easy to carry, making it a solid option for simple beach seating. However, its fixed upright position means it doesn't recline, which makes it less comfortable for longer lounging sessions. For beachgoers who want to kick back and relax, this chair falls short compared with adjustable reclining models, but it's very well built for patio use.
This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.
What I Cover
I've covered luggage and travel gear for Wirecutter for over a decade. In that time, I've covered various topics related to this coverage and sometimes far afield from it.