Snow Peak Folding Chair review: a beautiful and durable camping seat

The Snow Peak Folding chair has a beautiful Japanese design that will last for years – but at a hefty RRP

Snow Peak Folding Chair
(Image: © Snow Peak)

Advnture Verdict

Beautiful quality and smart minimalist looks – but we’re not sure the Snow Peak Folding camp chair is worth the eye-watering price tag.

Pros

  • +

    Beautiful quality

  • +

    Sleek and simple

  • +

    Reasonably lightweight

Cons

  • -

    Very expensive

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First impressions

The Snow Peak Folding Chair is a seriously stylish camping chair that wouldn’t look out of place in a glamorous safari setting. This Japanese brand specialises in beautifully made compact furniture for small spaces, and their director’s chair is our top pick of their outdoor-ready designs.

Lightweight (under 4kg), it folds down small and flat for easy storage and transportation, and comes complete with an integrated carry handle and strap that clips the seat and frame together to square everything away. It’s easy to stick these slim chairs in back of your car, to store them in small campervans or to pop them in a shed over winter. The chair itself is made with a tough grey polyester canvas that looks good even with plenty of use, plus a strong black aluminium frame.

Specifications

RRP: $160 (US) / £170 (UK)
Weight: 3.6kg /8lb
Size (WxDxH): 59 x 58 x 84 cm / 23x23x33in
Capacity: 113kg / 250lb
Colours: Grey / red / black
Compatibility: Portable and versatile for camping, picnics and beach days

In the field

This chair isn’t just good-looking and handy to store and carry, it is also extremely comfy to use, with a wide back panel that looks on the low side at first glance but actually offers good support to the lower back, and is designed to promote good posture. The armrests may look slim, but their padded sleeves are comfy enough to lean your arms on for extended periods of time as you kick back and stare at the stars, or into the campfire. So, on pretty much every level we give this Snow Peak Folding Chair top marks – but is this throne worth its high price tag? If you rate style as highly as substance and want gorgeous chairs to go with your top-of-the-range bell tent, Snow Peak may be for you. Otherwise you’ll find decent quality for far less elsewhere. If you love their simple aesthetic, Snow Peak also does a range of beautiful bamboo camping chairs and mini versions of their designs for kids.

Sian Lewis

An award-winning travel and outdoors journalist, presenter and blogger, Sian regularly writes for The Independent, Evening Standard, BBC Countryfile, Coast, Outdoor Enthusiast and Sunday Times Travel. Life as a hiking, camping, wild-swimming adventure-writer has taken her around the world, exploring Bolivian jungles, kayaking in Greenland, diving with turtles in Australia, climbing mountains in Africa and, in Thailand, learning the hard way that peeing on a jellyfish sting doesn’t help. Her blog, thegirloutdoors.co.uk, champions accessible adventures.