Yeti Takes a Slightly Different Approach With Its New $225 Outdoor Chair

SPRING IS IN the air and the outdoor chairs are coming out in droves. We’re searching our garages for our favorite outdoor furniture as the days get increasingly longer and warmer, pulling up a seat at music festivals, softball games, tailgaters, and more.

The new Trailhead Field Chair from Yeti, like so many of the brand’s products, has been a highly-anticipated affair. Like a new Doechii track, a Yeti drop comes with a pre-established bar already set pretty high. What’s a bit different about this item is that while it showcases Yeti’s signature durable and mighty build, there’s some serious restraint, which leads to one of the most packable folding chairs out there right now.

What I Like About the Yeti Trailhead Field Chair

Yeti is not known for minimalism—in fact, you could say the brand takes a maximalist approach with nearly all of its products. Coolers that can seemingly withstand bomb explosions, mugs that can be dropped from 10 stories high, and bags that can withstand all the elements. But the Field Chair presents a slightly different approach (more minimalist) while still adhering to brand standards for quality, durability, function, and construction.

I enlisted the new chair as my trusty companion for several weeks’ worth of camping, travel sitting, game-watching, marshmallow-roasting, and more. I came away not entirely convinced that it’s the best option in the category (although still a strong one) but instead, with a new respect for a brand that generally goes over-the-top in the build department. This is a more refined chair, with a super durable frame but lacking additional bells and whistles. It’s a Yeti chair less tailored to the reclining concert-goer or tailgater who needs a hand holding a beer and more towards the ultralight-curious camper, hiker, or long-haul explorer who wants a straightforward yet strong chair they can pack with ease. That, and the soccer dad and weekend warrior who just respects a streamlined chair.

A Small Sidekick of a Chair

There’s a lot to like about this outdoor chair. From the hands-free towing (it comes with a bag and comfy padded shoulder strap) to the quick and decidedly brainless assembly, it’s basically immune to operator error. The quad-fold design means it packs up super compact, and the wider-than-normal feet consistently provide a stable base in any terrain. And the fabric is UV-resistant, meaning it ought to be able to stand up to a lot of hot weather or just shade-free outings.

It weighs under 10 pounds (~9.3 pounds) while able to support up to 350 pounds, which feels like a pretty healthy weight to strength ratio. Keep in mind that Yeti’s original Camp Chair is around 13 pounds and is an over-engineered beast able to hold 500 pounds. It’s also a decidedly smaller footprint that the OG chair. And its Beach Chair (new last year) has the same 350-pound capacity but weighs 11.10 pounds itself.

SHOP YETI TRAILHEAD FIELD CHAIR

Strong Minus Any Excess

Lean and mean is a safe tag to apply to this camp chair. When broken down, it’s only about 3 feet in length, with a depth of about seven inches. The simplicity of the chair does work and counts on the fact that if you’re likely to go the long haul into your setting zone, you’re likely not much of a sitter anyway. In other words, you’re not trying to pack in a glamping-approved chair that reclines, has an ottoman, and comes with more cup holders than you can count. This is a chair, in the basic sense of the word, with a sturdy skeleton and a deceptively comfortable seat. The ability to carry it all day without complaint makes up for the scaled-back design. And Yeti holding back on it is almost its biggest perk—the brand already has the can-hold-500-pounds chair.

The aluminum frame is plenty tough still, and the proprietary feet grip fairly well and the collapsibility rating of the chair, if there was such a thing, is a perfect 10. It’s a savvy mechanism that folds into itself quickly and with little effort. With all full legs fully outstretched, the chair feels pretty locked-in to its position without much sway. And that kind of grounded-ness is all the more welcome without arm rests, which tend to offer more of that very thing.

SHOP YETI TRAILHEAD FIELD CHAIR

Watch Out for

While it’s a Yeti chair through and through, the cons reside in the minimalism of the chair. As with so many Yeti products, the Field Chair is compatible with other things but doesn’t necessarily come with them. A cup holder is perhaps the most obvious example here. The chair lacks arm rests, which this writer doesn’t mind as the chair is less flabby as a result but it is worth noting as many outdoor chairs do offer such a thing. If you’re looking to really get your lounge on, try the original Yeti Trailhead Camp Chair.

It’s also not really an ultralight option for true weight shavers if you’re heading into the backcountry, as something like the Helinox Chair One is about as minimalist as it gets and is just a mere 2.11 pounds while still holding 320 pounds of weight.

And of course, the price is well, a Yeti price at $225. Yes, it’s cheaper than the OG Yeti Chair by $75, but it’s still a lot to spend on a camp chair. If you’re just looking for something basic, decent, and cheap, the Kijaro Dual Lock is an alright choice at ~$55 (depending on color).

SHOP YETI TRAILHEAD FIELD CHAIR

The Verdict

And now, the $225 question: Should you buy this chair? If you’re in need of an trusty outdoor chair with a strong warranty (five years) made by a brand with a lot of built-in trust, this is a safe bet. In fact, it’s even an attractive bet, as the chair’s elegant folding legs and simple fabric make it quite fetching.

I like where Yeti has gone with this. It’s a savvy release catered to campers and more minimally-minded folks who want that expected structural muscle without any deadweight. I can’t help but endorse, as it’s especially attractive to those looking to pack a lot of chair into a small amount of volume.

SHOP YETI TRAILHEAD FIELD CHAIR