Wooden beach chairs? Shame! For our annual trip to the Caribbean we bring cheap beach chairs-usually $25.00 or less,use them for the week we're there and either leave them at our rental or give them away.Cloth seats are not for wet bathing suits.It beats renting loungers for $40 per chair per day from a local and we bring them down with us on the plane.
Great article! However, you forgot to include photos of the $15 million homes in the Hamptons that go with these chairs! Where will the beach attendant put the ice bucket for the Dom Perignon?
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@JP haha, best summation of who this article is for. My "beach house" is a tiny brick single family in the Rockaways and our beach chairs to match our lifestyle are 3-position Rio loungers from the local Rite Aid.
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Who did the research on this? $300 for a beach chair? That’s nuts.
The Tommy Bahama one or others similar can be purchased for $30-75.
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To add to the pile on to those blasting the wooden chairs. How long do you think the comfort lasts on a wooden hard slated chair? 300$ for a beach chair? Out of touch NYT really. The Costco Tommy Bahama is all you need and they do go on sale and I have gotten them in the low 20 range, I put my towel between the space of the seat when closed and I often will hang an umbrella or another bag on the armrest part while I am backpacking it and freeing up my hands. It does look a little like John Candy in Summer Rental when you have things hanging off your chair you can thank me later.
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When I saw the mention about backpack chairs, I was almost certain that the Tommy Bahama chairs would be included here. Less than $30 a pop at your local Costco. By far one of the best, and most practical, purchases we've ever made. Save yourself $300 and get all the function you need -- including an insulated zipper pocket to keep all your beach picnicking items cool and fresh!
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I agree with previous comments! Nobody ever brings a wooden chair to the beach! The best chairs are aluminum ones with pockets for sunscreen and cold drinks and can be carried like a backpack. Tommy Bahama makes a nice one. They are an investment at around $75 but will last for years. Those pricey wooden ones will wear out quickly in the salty air. Let be real NYTimes!
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These chairs won't last 1 season. And they will sink right into the sand leaving the poor sucker who bought it with a bum full of sand. White sling fabric? Not a great idea. 3 of these chairs don't even have arms or a place to put a water bottle and cell phone. Heck, I don't think 3 of them even recline! I actually own the little one from Rio. It's only for a child!
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This is a meaningless article. Everyone knows the Tommy Bahama beach chair is the best. Can carry like a backpack; cooler in back for drinks, and side pockets. Reclines flat too.
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thoroughly useless article, especially for city dwellers who take transit to the beach
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As an avid beach lover since I was a child, Mr. McKeough has never been to any beach that I know of!
The important characteristics of a good beach chair are closeness to sand, portability and price....the $18 chair is the only one I would ever use. Who carries a teak beach chair? Rather use the extra weight for the cooler!
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Beach chair is an extremely useful accessory. My dream is to find one that is a cocoon of straw, called in Germany "Strandkorb" = "beach basket" for protection against the wind, that can be unfolded into a reclining chair with a sun umbrella and a side table for various paraphernalia.
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@Tuvw Xyz I just googled this and have never seen such an awesome beach chair. Yet another wonderful thing Europeans have that we have not even begun to imagine.
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How could this writer overlook the high-quality, comfortable products offered by Telescope Casual, a 100+ year old New York company? The chair of choice for those in-the-know at our beach is the Original Mini-Sun Chaise with the canopy for sun and wind protection. Some older people who prefer the more upright option go for the Light 'n Easy High Boy.
An unfortunate design element of many backpack chairs is that they include a rigid stretcher at the front of the seat, which for me places uncomfortable pressure on my legs. The open sling of the Telescope Casual chairs is much more comfortable.
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@Rick I have it and I agree. My husband liked the wooden chairs but they weigh a ton and are no longer used.
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Odd story because I have NEVER seen wooden chairs used at the beach. Who buys wooden chairs to carry when aluminum is so much lighter and probably durable (and cheaper?). And the last chair featured is the only one that is aluminum, and it’s low and simple, which is fine but there are so many others out their that actually get purchased and used. Don’t know what kind of rarified audience the Times is serving, but it’s not the people who go to the beach.
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@Julie N.
Perhaps folks who own beach houses buy the wooden beach chairs.
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Other than the Amazon beach chair, chairs for the rich, not the rest of us. But it is in the NYT's what can you expect.
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5 out of 6 chairs features are made of wood, and the 6th is bottom of the line cheap metal - really?
It's apparent no one writing/editing NYT Shopping Guide ever really spends time at the beach.
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Who pays $200-$300 for a beach chair?
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@Johnny Rap
Those with more money than brains.
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