The life of a sports parent is certainly no easy task. Consistently visiting sports events on a regular basis can tire anyone out. That's why it’s essential to go to these events with some degree of preparation.
A sports event can mean hours upon hours of standing for those who aren't ready. What's the solution? A portable outdoor chair. Here’s everything that you need to know about portable outdoor chairs!
What Are Outdoor Portable Chairs?
Outdoor portable chairs are essentially exactly what they sound like. These are usually foldable chairs that you can easily carry with you anywhere. It’s one of the easiest and most convenient ways of ensuring that you can always find a place to rest in a long sporting event. Simply unfold the chair, and you have a very convenient place to sit that you can use to rest anytime.
What To Look For In an Outdoor Portable Chair
If you get the wrong outdoor portable chair, it can end up causing you more trouble than actually doing you any good. If the chair is too uncomfortable or feels too chunky, you won’t really want to use it a lot. Here are the key features you should watch out for when trying to buy a portable outdoor chair.
Size and Weight
While people might focus on comfort or the design, the number one feature to look for in an outdoor chair is weight. If you get the most comfortable outdoor chair but it weighs a lot, you'll struggle to carry it around. You'll be able to carry a lightweight chair alongside you without requiring you to expend a lot of energy.
Similarly, you also need to look at the size of the chair. The ideal outdoor portable should be small enough to easily fit inside a backpack. This makes it easy to carry.
Comfort
If you manage to find a chair that is a good size and weight, it’s also important to focus on the comfort of the chair. Sporting events can tend to be several hours long, so an uncomfortable chair can end up doing more harm than good. Luckily, it’s definitely possible for a lightweight and portable chair to be comfortable.
A standard fabric camping chair is incredibly comfortable while still maintaining its lightweight nature.
Design
Outdoor portable chairs are available in a variety of different designs. These designs can impact both the portability and the comfort of the portable outdoor chair. Aside from the basic structure of the chair, the folding mechanism is also an essential part of the design.
If the folding mechanism isn't intuitive, you'll end up getting very annoyed when you’re trying to set up a chair. Aside from just setting it up, you'll have to consider how long it takes to fold back. No one wants to hold up a tired kid by trying to fold up a chair.
These are the three key features that you need to consider when trying to buy an outdoor portable chair. Aside from these features, another key deciding factor is the type of outdoor portable chair. From a lawn chair to a canopy chair, let’s take a look at all the different types of outdoor portable chairs available.
The Best Types of Outdoor Portable Chairs for Sporting Events
With so many different types of outdoor portable chairs in the market, it can be confusing to pick the correct one that will match your needs. There’s no need to worry, though. Here’s a basic rundown of all the different types of portable chairs that you can choose between!
Lawn Chairs
Lawn chairs are super basic and employ a simple folding mechanism that users can easily access whenever they’re outdoors. These lawn chairs are available in a variety of different materials. The most common material choice is aluminum.
The aluminum frame helps ensure that the lawn chair is lightweight and offers a significant level of durability as well. Lawn chairs are a bit of a summertime classic, and you see them everywhere. You can also get as creative as you want with the variety of different styles available in the market.
Thanks to the intuitive folding mechanism, the deluxe folding lawn chairs will fold down to a very compact size.
Camping Chairs [Director’s Chairs]
This is another very common outdoor portable chair, which is great if getting a lot of comfort in a practical manner is your goal. Camping chairs are also known as director chairs and offer a simple folding mechanism.
Their design means that you can often fold these up into a very small size that you can easily carry in a backpack. In addition, the canvas material provides you with a degree of comfort that other outdoor portable chairs will struggle to match.
Not all director’s chairs will fit inside a backpack, though. If you’re going for something larger or with a more intricate design, there’s a chance you'll just have to store it in your car and take it out when necessary.
Canopy Chairs
If the sun is a major concern in an outdoor sporting event, and your local stadium doesn’t provide adequate shade, a canopy chair can be your best bet. It’s a lightweight, portable chair with an often-detachable canopy that will help provide shade.
Due to the design mechanics of the chair, these tend to be larger than other portable options. However, if you want to ensure that you always have shade when you require it, a canopy chair is a good idea.
These are also generally made from a combination of a lightweight metal alloy and canvas fabric. They’re very comfortable, but it’s important to pick one That's easy-to-use and stable. If it gets windy, the canopy should not just blow away.
The canopy chair can provide you with a bit of privacy, too, while you’re out at your child’s sporting event.
Backpack Chairs
As the name suggests, these are chairs that you can fold up and carry on your back to take with you wherever you need to go! It might seem hard to believe that someone actually thought about this, but backpack chairs are incredibly particle. They will often feature an aluminum or plastic construction with fabric padding.
A backpack chair is perfect if you have to carry a lot of other items with you to practice or an event. Simply fold the chair up and wear it on your back. It’s a good idea to look for a model that offers a bit of storage as well. While it isn't necessary, it will help make backpack chairs even more practical.
Beach Chairs
The classic beach chair needs no introduction as it’s another summertime classic. Super comfortable and provide you with the ability to chill out in the sun while enjoying some sports. Their portable nature means that you can pretty much fold them up and take them anywhere you want.
Beach chairs tend to be rather large in size, and some people might not want to spend their time carrying a large chair around with them. However, if you’re willing to go through a little bit of effort, you'll be enjoying the most comfortable sports day of your life!
Quad Rockers
A quad rocker chair is essentially a camping chair with a rocking mechanism at the bottom. While it might seem a tad bit unnecessary, rocking back and forth on a chair can actually help reduce stress. If you’re the kind of parent that tends to get anxious while watching their child compete, a quad rocker can actually help a bit in reducing your stress.
The construction and design are very similar to a standard camping chair. However, they tend to be a bit heftier to help support the rocking mechanism. So, it is important to take the weight into consideration when buying a quad rocker chair.
Web Chairs
If you think that a standard folding chair isn't airy enough and feels too suffocating, then going for a web chair is a good option. The webbed pattern on the chair makes it much more breathable and lightweight in comparison to standard chairs.
While they might look a little flimsy, these chairs are capable of withstanding a decent load capacity. They’re ideal for carrying around in your car and then taking them out when necessary.
Stadium Seats
If the local stadium where your kids are playing has bleachers. Then a stadium seat is one of the most practical outdoor chair options that you can choose between. Stadium seats are essentially a layer of padding that you can put on a bleacher or a stand to make sitting on it more comfortable!
Even though stadium seats are supremely comfortable, what holds them back is that they only work when there’s a bleacher present. We don’t recommend using them when you’re on the ground at all!
There's an Option for Everyone
Thanks to the variety of different outdoor portable chairs on the market, there’s an option out there for everyone. Learning a bit about the chair and how they function is all you need to know to decide which one is the best for you!
