A bright, sunny day is everybody’s idea of a day out at the beach. If you’re out at the beach or otherwise camping in the summer, a camp chair with canopy is an excellent accessory. It’s a convenient, comfortable, and simple solution – and that’s what anybody can ask for.
The canopy on your chair will provide protection from the direct rays of the sun. But that doesn’t mean you get to skip your sunscreen! Remember to lather up, even if you intend to spend all the time under the canopy.
Editor’s Choice: Kelsyus Original Canopy Chair
Good looks and comfortable seating are the bread and butter of any chair. Kelsyus Original Canopy Chair has got that in spades. Also, it’s got an excellent canopy that’s easily adjustable and folds quite nicely with the chair. The canopy offers 50+ UPF sun protection, which is sufficient for the sunniest of days.
Top Camping Chairs With Canopy In 2020
- Quik Shade Adjustable Canopy Folding Camp Chair
- Kelsyus Original Canopy Chair
- ALPHA CAMP Heavy Duty Canopy Lounge Chair
- GCI Outdoor Pod Rocker Collapsible Rocking Chair with SunShade
- Goplus Outdoor Canopy Chair
- Kamp-Rite Chair with Shade Canopy
- COSTWAY Portable Folding Picnic Double Chair W/Umbrella
- ALPHA CAMP Camp Chairs with Shade Canopy
- Goplus Folding Zero Gravity Chair w/ Shade Canopy
Quik Shade Adjustable Canopy Folding Camp Chair
A durable steel frame provides an excellent foundation for this chair. Quik Shade Adjustable Canopy Folding Camp Chair is rated for 225 lbs weight. Thanks, in part, to its rather sturdy steel frame. A 600D polyester fabric wraps the frame and provides comfortable seating. Overall, the construction of the chair remains robust and comfortable.
Two wide armrests flank each side of the chair, each with its own cup holder. That’s great for whatever dominant hand you have, so your choice of drink is always close at hand. Or, do better and put a drink in each cup holder!
The camping chair has two storage pockets, located on each side of the chair. Considering the armrests, cupholders, and pockets, it seems they really have thought of user convenience.
The star here, of course, is the canopy. It can be raised, lowered, or tilted to suit individual requirements. Its flexibility is a useful feature and one you’ll find yourself depending on often.
Chair Highlights:
- Steel frame and 600D polyester fabric
- Adjustable sunshade can be raised, lowered, or tilted as needed
- Canopy is not removable, but can drop down behind the chair
- Maximum weight 225 lbs
- Chair seat height: 18 inches
- Chair dimensions: 36″L x 24″W x 51″H
- Includes two cup holders and mesh pockets
- Weight: 9 lbs
Kelsyus Original Canopy Chair
Our editor’s choice for this category is the remarkable Kelsyus Original Canopy Chair. I like the elegant and simple look of this design. It makes a statement without going overboard. Perhaps it’s because this chair uses mesh and fabric combination quite effectively.
In any case, the color accents look good, and the generous use of mesh keeps the chair well-ventilated. Having good airflow is a necessity for those bright sunny days when you’ll be using this chair.
The powder-coated steel frame is covered by a high-quality nylon fabric for comfort. The wide armrests on the chair are convenient, as is the O-ring mesh cup holder that’s placed with one armrest.
Moving on, the adjustable canopy can be moved to block the sun. You could move it up, down, or tilt towards the sides to get shade. It is rated for 50+ UPF, so the sun protection is adequate. If you’d prefer to soak in the sun, the canopy can be moved to behind the back of the chair. It’s not removable, but behind the back is good enough!
When It’s time to leave and pack, the canopy serves a dual purpose of working as the carry bag for the collapsed chair. It includes a strap that makes it easier to carry the chair.
Chair Highlights:
- Powder-coated steel frame and nylon fabric
- Adjustable sunshade can be moved to suit your requirements
- Canopy not removable, but can drop down behind the chair
- When moving, the canopy works as the carry bag for the chair
- Maximum weight: 250 lbs
- Chair dimensions: 37″L x 24″W x 58″H
- Includes cup holder and armrests
- Chair weight: 11 lbs
ALPHA CAMP Heavy Duty Canopy Lounge Chair
ALPHA CAMP Heavy Duty Canopy Lounge Chair has a powder-coated steel frame for optimal weight handling. They even added extra supporting tubes to push up the weight capacity. That said, this isn’t a heavy duty camping chair, despite what they claim. The maximum weight limit of this chair is somewhere from 250-300lbs, and that doesn’t quite make the heavy-duty cut.
However, looking beyond that, this is a fairly good canopy lounge chair. The durable and comfortable oxford fabric works wonderfully. It also has plenty of mesh to keep the chair well-ventilated and breathable for warm sunny days.
Each armrest of the chair has one pocket. One is the conventional mesh cup holder, while the other is a slide-in small pocket suitable for your phone or similar accessories. The canopy is adjustable and provides 50+ UPF protection.
Alpha Camp chair folds up easily and can be packed into the included carry bag. The chair is a bit on the heavier side and weighs 14 pounds. That’s perhaps due to their attempts at getting some heavy duty action going.
Chair Highlights:
- Powder-coated steel frame and oxford fabric
- Adjustable sunshade
- Armrests include cup holder and small pocket for mobile phones
- Max weight: 250-300 lbs
- Carry bag for chair included
- Chair dimensions: 36.6″ x 23.6″ x 53.1″
- Chair weighs 14 lbs
GCI Outdoor Pod Rocker Collapsible Rocking Chair with SunShade
GCI Outdoor Pod Rocker Collapsible Rocking Chair with SunShade is a perfect pick for spending your time in the great outdoors. It’s big, comfortable, and best of all, it’s a rocking camp chair.
The design builds on other rocking chairs from GCI. So rather than having a curved base to enable the rocking motion, this one makes use of spring action at the back of the chair. This allows the chair to have flat and adjustable legs, which are more suited for the average campsite.
GCI Outdoor Pod Rocker has an aluminum frame that supports the fabric which is styled as a sling-style seat. It’s great for comfort and you could really spend a full day sitting in this chair. There are two pockets here; a mesh cup holder and a small mesh pocket.
Its canopy is equally impressive as the chair. While it cannot be tilted, it is large and can effectively work as a sunshade. Plus, you could move it freely and use it to cover the sun effectively. Similarly, it can be moved back when/if you choose to soak in the sun.
This is designed as a compact chair, but the seating area is large enough to hold an average person comfortably.
Chair Highlights:
- Aluminum frame with spring rockers
- Comfortable and breathable seating fabric
- Easily adjustable canopy
- Max weight: 250 lbs
- Carry bag for chair included
- Chair weight: around 13 lbs
Goplus Outdoor Canopy Chair
Like most chairs on our list, Goplus Outdoor Canopy Chair is supported on a sturdy steel frame. It uses a sturdy 600D polyester fabric, which is convenient for the chair. The chair veers towards simplicity, rather than presenting a big offering of features.
The armrests are slightly padded and there’s a cup holder in each armrest. Goplus Outdoor Canopy Chair has a rather well-placed canopy and its adjustable so that the sun can be blocked adequately.
Chair Highlights:
- Steel frame with 600D polyester fabric
- Adjustable canopy
- Maximum rated weight: 265 lbs
- Carry bag included for chair
- Dimension: 38″x 26.5″x 51″
- Cup holder on each armrest
- Chair weight: 13 lbs
Kamp-Rite Chair with Shade Canopy
Kamp-Rite Chair with Shade Canopy is styled something like a high-backed camping chair, albeit with the addition of a canopy. The camping chair with shade attachment is made from an alloy steel frame, which allows it to have a large weight capacity.
This provides an excellent foundation for the strong fabric, and holds the chair together rather well. A cup holder is present on each armrest of the chair, though it could perhaps benefit from large pockets as well.
As for the canopy, it is made from the same material as the chair fabric. There is no specific sun protection rating here and some light does penetrate the fabric. Keep in mind, this isn’t necessarily a negative. The canopy blocks the sun, it just doesn’t have a specific number attached.
Kamp-Rite has made sure that the canopy is adjustable to match with various positions of the sun. You could also adjust the canopy to be out of your way.
The canopy pulls double duty as the carry case for this chair. A strap is included on the canopy to allow for easier movement and portability of the chair.
Chair Highlights:
- Steel alloy frame and quality fabric
- Adjustable canopy
- A cup holder on each armrest
- Canopy doubles as carry bag for the chair
- Maximum suggested weight: 300 lbs
- Chair weight: 9 lbs
COSTWAY Portable Folding Picnic Double Chair W/Umbrella
This lovely double camping chair can be expected to win some attention (and love). It doesn’t take a loveseat-like design that’s popular with double chairs. Instead, it’s pretty much two separate camping chairs joined together. But there’s a gap between the two chairs formed by the placement of a small cooler.
The cooler has slight insulation and reflective covering, so it will keep its contents cooler for a longer time. Of course, it won’t beat your average camping cooler, but it’s better than having no cooler at all!
There are two pockets on the exterior of the cooler for extra storage. While the cooler covers one arm of each chair, the other one has an armrest with a cup holder. A pretty neat design.
COSTWAY Portable Folding Picnic Double Chair W/Umbrella has an alloy steel frame with oxford fabric to account for build quality and strength. A large umbrella is attached to work as the canopy.
It can be tilted to provide shade, though it isn’t as easily maneuverable as the smaller canopies attached directly to chairs. But it could also be considered more intuitive and conventional for use than smaller canopies.
The combo chair weighs around 13 lbs and has an alloy steel frame. Though it has two chairs, they can feel rather small. Even average-sized adults might find the chairs to be a bit tight for their comfort.
Chair Highlights:
- Double camping chair
- Alloy steel frame and oxford fabric
- Includes a cooler between the chairs
- Armrest for each chair includes a cup holder
- Large umbrella for shade.
- Attractive pricing
- Runs small – can feel small even for average-sized people
ALPHA CAMP Camp Chairs with Shade Canopy
ALPHA CAMP Camp Chairs with Shade Canopy could very well be a twin of the brand’s heavy-duty chair that also finds a place on this list. However, there are differences between both models. For one, this one doesn’t have mesh on the chair and relies entirely on solid fabric.
The frame of the ALPHA CAMP Camp Chairs with Shade Canopy is made from powder-coated heavy-duty steel to ensure better performance and longer life. It has slightly padded armrests, each with an O-ring cup holder. This setting can work well for most people. Your beverage goes to the armrest cup holder towards your dominant hand, and the other cup holder can work as a pocket.
Alpha Camp has included an adjustable canopy with the chair. It can be moved to account for different angles of the sun and provide adequate protection. The seller claims that the canopy is rated at 50+ UPF.
Chair Highlights:
- Steel alloy frame and oxford fabric
- Chair dimensions: 36.6″ X 23.6″ X 53.1″
- Chair weight: 14 lbs
- Includes a cup holder with each armrest
- Adjustable canopy
- Canopy rated at 50+ UPF sun protection
- Maximum suggested weight: 350 lbs
Goplus Folding Zero Gravity Chair w/ Shade Canopy
Goplus Folding Zero Gravity Chair w/ Shade Canopy is a fun reclining camp chair. It has a steel frame and fabric is tied to it for a comfortable and zero gravity feel. Overall, the construction of the chair can be considered to be fairly resilient and capable of handling the elements.
Other touches of comfort include a removable headrest and side table with a cup holder. It’s a well-designed chair with thought given to user comfort and expectations. And that, of course, includes the canopy. Given the style of the chair, this canopy is different than the others we’ve seen so far.
It feels small but is adequate to cover the face of the person on the chair. And while it can be adjusted for height, there isn’t quite a mechanism to handle tilting.
Chair Highlights:
- Steel alloy frame with sturdy, fade-resistant fabric
- Convenient reclining chair
- Includes removable headrest
- Adjustable canopy
Considerations For Choosing Your Chair And Canopy
Expectations From The Chair
The best canopy chair doesn’t have to hide you from the sun. It won’t be a cocoon to protect you completely from the sun. It’s simply a covering that will protect your face and surrounding area from the sun. The setup is geared more for convenience, so you don’t have the sun glaring on your face throughout the day.
A canopy, even if it promises substantial sun protection, is not a replacement for proper sunscreen lotion. Keep yours handy, and use it generously!
Portability And Packing Factors
Portability isn’t that big of a problem with these chairs, since they’re best used with car camping. It can be reasonably expected that you won’t have to walk for too long while carrying these chairs. So while weight isn’t as critical a factor as it would be for backpacking chairs, it is still important.
After all, we need the chair to be compact enough for storage and easy movement. Besides, a convenient weight also means that it would be easy to set up the chair, even if you only have to move a small distance.
All of the chairs listed here have their own carry bags. Some have separate bags to use when the chairs are collapsed and ready for storage. Others take a different approach and have the canopy pull double duty as a carry bag for the chair.
The Right Combination Of A Camping Chair And Canopy
A camp chair with canopy is an excellent, perhaps indispensable, accessory for a visit to a sunny campground or beach. The convenience and the sun protection of the canopy add to the usefulness of the chair.
Our top choice for this category is the Kelsyus Original Canopy Chair, partly because of its clean design and easily adjustable canopy. Others on the list serve important functions as well, including catering to different requirements and preferences. Take a look!