In a Nutshell:
The Ozark Trail XXL Director Chair is a reasonably comfortable, versatile camp chair, offered by a reliable company. Recommended for anyone up to 500 pounds who is looking for a basic camp chair.
Value for the Money
Comfort
Brand Reliability*
Aesthetic Flexibility**
Overall Rating
3.7/5
Benefits
Drawbacks
Recommended For: Anyone up to 500 pounds who is looking for a basic camp chair.
Would you describe yourself as a bigger, taller, or heavier person? Do you love spending time in the great outdoors?
If you answered yes to both of those questions, then you’ve undoubtedly run into a problem that’s all too common where bigger folk are concerned.
Simply put, it can be notoriously difficult to find furniture that’s big and robust enough to support you properly. That’s as true for camp chairs as it is for recliners and the like. Where camp chairs are concerned, most of them top out at around 300 pounds of supported weight. That works for the majority of the market, but if you happen to be heavier than that, you’ll find that pickings can be slim.
The good news is that there are options available, and the Ozark Trail XXL Director Chair is a great option. We’ll be quick to point out that it’s not a perfect option, but it definitely belongs on your shortlist of options to consider.
In the sections that follow, we’ll tell you everything this well-priced chair has to offer, and we’ll be quick to point out its shortcomings. That way, you’ll have all the information you need to decide for yourself if this is the high weight capacity camp chair you’ve been looking for. If that sounds good to you, let’s jump right in and take a closer look.
An Overview of the XXL Director Chair By Ozark Trail
Owing to its extra-wide seat, the first thing you’ll notice about this oversized director’s chair is that it looks rugged and robust. The Ozark Trail XXL Director chair’s metal frame has an all-business look about it too, which clearly sends the message that this is a go-anywhere chair.
It would be overselling it to call this a handsome chair. That term rarely applies to camp chairs anyway, but it’s actually not bad looking. If you want something in camo, though, this isn’t your chair. Your only color options are red or blue, both with black trim. In terms of basic stats, here’s what you’re looking at:
As you can see, just by looking at the numbers, this is a big chair. It’s also somewhat heavier than a lot of other camp chair options you’ll find on the market, so you’ll need a strong back to pack it in with you, especially if you’ve got a long hike to get to the other side of before you set camp for the evening.
Aside from the impressive amount of weight the chair can support, the thing we like best about the numbers above is the width of the seat. At a whopping 28”, this chair can accommodate just about anyone.
Normally, we’d caution against buying a chair with a seat that’s significantly wider than you need. In the case of a recliner or lounge chair, it matters because if the seat is too wide, you won’t be able to make effective use of more than one of the armrests. But where camp chairs are concerned, it’s not the end of the world. These are occasional seating options, and you won’t typically be spending such extended periods sitting in one that it starts to be an issue.
Adjustability, Comfort, and Extras
Nothing about the XXL Director chair by Ozark Trail is adjustable. Also, it is marginally above average, where camp chairs are concerned as far as comfort goes. The seatback has some slightly padded sections that do at least a little something to enhance comfort, and the armrests are nominally padded too. But, this isn’t the kind of chair you’re going to want to spend most of the day in.
If you think you may be in a position where you’ll be spending several hours in this chair, it’s probably worth investing in a throw pillow or a bit of block foam (have the width cut to taste) and have it upholstered, so you wind up with a custom-fitted seat pad for a bit of added comfort.
In terms of extras, the Ozark Trail XXL Director camping chair comes with a fold-out side-table attached to one of the chair arms. The table is big enough to hold a small plate, which makes camp-dining convenient, and is big enough to hold a few miscellaneous supplies if and as needed.
In addition to that, you’ll find a handy cup holder built into the tray, which will virtually eliminate your risk of spilling your drink. The one thing this chair doesn’t have, however, is storage. Fortunately, this is also easy to remedy via a bit of DIY engineering. Simply buy a mesh bag for storage and attach a D-Ring to it, then clamp it onto one of the support struts on the chair.
If you want something a bit easier to access, you could always drill a small hole in one corner of the tray table and affix the D-Ring there, but many people will balk at the idea of defacing their chair. Either way, it’s easy to add a bit of storage if you want or need it.
No Assembly Required
While most of the furniture you can buy online today comes to you unassembled, that’s rarely the case for things like camp chairs. If you order one of these, it will arrive ready to go right out of the box. Just unpack it, unfold it, and sit down. That’s all there is to it.
Pros and Cons of Ozark Trail XXL Director Chair
We like almost everything about this sturdy little chair, with its best features, in our view, being the width of the seat, the generous amount of supported weight, and its surprisingly modest price.
On the other hand, the Ozark Trail 500 lb. Capacity XXL Director chair is a bit on the heavy side, it lacks any kind of built-in storage, and it’s only offered in two (bright) colors. If you’re looking for something a bit more subdued, that might be a little off-putting to you. We don’t regard any of these as outright deal-breakers, and at least where the storage issue is concerned, there’s an easy DIY fix.
Ozark Trail XXL Director Chair Review Conclusion
The Ozark Trail XXL Director chair is a good, if somewhat basic director’s style camp chair, offered by a company with a solid reputation in the market. While it does have a few shortcomings, these are generally easy to fix and easy to overlook. We recommend it.
REFERENCES & RESOURCES:
- Around Home: A Director’s Chair, Los Angeles Times.
- How to Replace the Seat on a Director Chair, SFGate.
- 8 Ways to Reuse Camping Chairs, Green Eco Services.