What are the best heavy-duty beach chairs for this year?
If your summer plans include some time at the beach, or even just chilling in your back yard, you know you need a good chair or two to stay comfortable. The challenge is finding strong beach chairs if you are bigger than the ‘average’ human.
I know what I’m talking about here as I exceed the weight rating on most folding chairs and so sitting in any camping or beach chair makes me a bit nervous. To that end, I’ve assembled this list of my top 10 heavy duty beach chairs, with weight capacity ratings of over 300 lb. and that will hold up to all of your summer fun.
What is the difference between a beach chair and a camping chair?
At least for the purposes of this article, we are defining beach chairs as those that sit lower to the ground, and are built more for stretching out and getting your feet in the sand.
Camping chair typically are taller and are designed for you to sit upright with your feet on the ground.
A Comment On Beach Chair Quality
One thing that all the beach chairs I’ve looked at for this article have is common is a certain percentage just fail.
From the most poorly made to the ones that have the best reviews, all of them have at least a few reviews that comment that their chairs broke very soon after getting them. I’m not sure what the cause of this is, but I suspect that the issue falls with mass production.
I would encourage you to keep the packaging your chairs came in, and that if you have any problems, you promptly start working on doing a return on them. Most of these chairs are pretty decent quality, but it is always a dice roll on if you will get the one that will fail.
PROS
- Comes with backpack straps
- 3-Position Recline
- Built in cupholder
CONS
- Only one cupholder
- Cupholder Storage
Chair Specs
- Weight: 8.9 lbs.
- 400lb. Capacity
- Anodized Aluminum Frame
- Seat Height: 12"
The Water Buffalo Beach Chair is a hit among virtually everyone that has purchased one. Common comments are on how nice and sturdy it feels. There are some comments though stating that the weight rating in the documentation that comes with the chair is lower than what is online.
PROS
- Comes with padded shoulder straps
- 4-Position Recline
- Built in cupholder
- Built in pillow
CONS
- Cupholder isn't very good
- Backpack straps aren't super sturdy
Chair Specs
- Weight: 10 lbs.
- 300lb. Capacity
- Powder Coated Aluminum Frame
- Seat Height: 13.5"
- 22" Wide Seat
RIO Big Boy Beach Chair also rates very highly with owners. Many people comment that they like the wide seat and the included pouch on the back for storage.
The bulk of any complaints about this chair are that the backpack straps aren’t incredibly durable, and that the cupholder leaves a lot to be desired.
PROS
- Easy To Set Up
- No Assembly Needed
- Lightweight
CONS
- Fabric on back is prone to tearing
- May have quality control issues
- One position only
Chair Specs
- Weight: 6.6 lbs.
- 300lb. Capacity
- Alloy Steel Frame
- Seat Height: 8.6"
- 23" Wide Seat
Looking at most people’s experiences with the KingCamp Low Folding Beach Chairs, the vast majority of people are super happy with them. Most remark about how easy they are to set up and how comfortable they are.
My guess is that occasionally they do have quality control issues and there are a few complaints that the rivets in the back fell apart, or that the fabric in the back tore soon after getting them.
PROS
- 4-Position back rest
- Insulated cooler pocket
- Backpack straps for carrying
CONS
- The plastic arms are not sturdy
- Fabric Tears
- Poor durability
Chair Specs
- Weight: 11 lbs.
- 350lb. Capacity
- Alloy Steel Frame
Definitely not a chair without problems, the Dr.Quark Beach Chair definitely comes with some mixed reviews. People seem to either love it or hate it, but it for sure has the most deeply negative reviews of all the chairs we looked at on this list.
PROS
- 5-Position back rest
- Built in towel bar
- Insulated cooler pocket
- Backpack straps for carrying
CONS
- Order fullfilment issues
- Lightweight alluminum
Chair Specs
- Weight: 16 lbs.
- 300lb. Capacity
- Aluminum and Steel Frame
- 9" Seat Height
As beach chairs go, the Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair makes the majority of it purchasers very happy. Common comments are that they love all the pockets, and insulated cooler pouch. This chair does feature 5 reclining positions including a full lay-flat position.
Most of the negative reviews with this chair revolve around it being sold on Amazon as a two-pack but only one chair showing up.
PROS
- 4-Position back rest
- Very high weight rating
- Insulated cooler pocket
- Zippered storage pocket
CONS
- Very heavy compared to other chairs
- Some concerns about the arm connections
Chair Specs
- Weight: 16 lbs.
- 500lb. Capacity
- Anodized Aluminum Frame
- 16" Seat Height
If you need a beach chair that is ultra-heavy duty, the Big Jumbo Heavy Duty Beach Chair might just be the thing for you. With a weight rating of 500# this is the beefiest chair that I’ve found. In addition to that, it is also the tallest, with a seat height of 16″, making it a little easier to get up and out of.
The downside to this is of course that all that extra strength adds some significant weight. This beach chair weighs in at easily double other beach chairs.
If you are going to get the Big Jumbo Heavy Duty Beach Chair, you might consider picking up a beach cart for transporting it from the car to your spot in the sun.
PROS
- 5-Position back rest
- Towel bar
- Insulated cooler pocket
CONS
- Plastic arms are weak
- The drink holder is flimsy
- Can be difficult to fold
Chair Specs
- Weight: 8.8 lbs.
- 300lb. Capacity
- Anodized Aluminum Frame
- 8.6" Seat Height
Another middle-of-the-road contender in the heavyweight beach chair category, the Old Bahama Bay Reclining Beach Chair comes up about average.
The weight rating for his chair is 300 lbs. and while people like the oversized cooler bag, and that it lays flat, people commonly comment that the plastic in the arms is too thing and flexes under pressure.
PROS
- Lumbar support
- Backpack style straps
- Insulated cooler pocket
CONS
- No headrest
- Only one position
Chair Specs
- Weight: 4.5 lbs.
- 300lb. Capacity
- Alloy Steel Frame
- 4" Seat Height
The featherweight of this list of beach chairs that hold over #300. This super low chair doesn’t quite sit you down in the sand, but it comes pretty close.
PROS
- Built in bottle opener
- Backpack style straps
- 5-Postion back rest
CONS
- Backpack straps are not durable
- Quality issues with the fabric
Chair Specs
- Weight: 11 lbs.
- 300lb. Capacity
- Aluminum Frame
Another middle-of-the-road chair, I’ve included this beach chair because it comes up in searches. Honestly the price is utterly average and from the reviews, the quality is at best ok.
PROS
- Backpack style straps
- 5-Postion back rest
- Build it storage pouches
CONS
- Legs collect water
- Plastic fittings break too easy
- Some parts rust
Chair Specs
- Weight: 15.5 lbs.
- 330lb. Capacity
- Aluminum Frame
This would be a good budget choice of a beach chair that holds over 300 lbs.
As with most of these chairs, the biggest issue is the quality of the hinges and connections.
