Quechua Low Folding Camping Chair review: a lightweight and affordable seat

First impressions

Decathlon, perennial purveyors of affordable and functional camping kit, have come through yet again with the Quechua Low Folding Camping Chair, which weighing in at just 1kg is light enough to work for wild-camping escapades, weekend-long camping adventures and backpacking and bikepacking quests.

• Sit outside your tent n comfort with the best camping chairs
• Whip up a delicious meal with the best camping stoves
• Make sure you have everything you need with our camping checklist

It’s also handy to have on-hand for all-day sports such as fishing or climbing where you might fancy a breather or want to get comfy for a lunch break. If you’re in the market for a lightweight bucket chair but don’t want to splash too much cash, this is a very good option.

In the field

This little chair packs down very small indeed – we even managed to squeeze the pack into a large mesh water-bottle pocket on our backpack – which makes it perfect for multi-day hikes, backpacking and for popping in your pannier for a pit stop on longer cycle rides. You’ll need to assemble the chair when you want to use it – which we found a real faff to figure out on our first attempt as no instructions are included – but it does only take a minute or two once you get the hang of things. Like with all the smaller chairs we tested, there’s some sinking if you’re on soft ground due to the slim chair legs (a pity, as wider ski pole-style basket tips would stop this problem). The Quechua Low Folding Chair doesn’t feel as strong and sturdy to sit in as the Helinox Chair Zero, which it otherwise resembles, and you might feel slightly like you’re liable to tip over, but then again it does cost a fraction of the price, and it’s definitely comfy enough if you’re stopping for a cuppa or stirring your evening meal.