REI Campwell Chair Review: A Mesh-Heavy Camp Chair After Three Years

Introduction

The REI Campwell Chair is a folding camp chair built around mesh. At least 80 percent of its surface is mesh, with the remaining portion made up of ripstop polyester fabric strips that run across and down the length of the seat and back. That ratio is unusual in this category, and it shapes almost everything about how the chair feels to sit in, how quickly it dries, and how it holds up season after season.

Setup is quick: the chair opens in about 7 seconds by grabbing opposite ends and pulling. Packing away takes roughly 24 seconds, including getting the frame back into the carry bag. Folded, it measures about 32.5 inches long, about 6 inches across the poles, and about 7 inches across the fabric and poles together, which works out to roughly 26 percent longer than a two person tent. The chair alone weighs 7.6 pounds, and the carry bag adds an estimated 0.4 pounds.

This chair was purchased in July 2022, back when it carried the CampX name, so the example discussed here has seen about three and a half years of real use, including many weeks of rain and hot sun. The fabric is still in great shape with no loose stitching, and while the poles are starting to show a little rust, none of them have broken and the chair remains fully functional and in regular use.

Who This Product Is For

The Campwell is aimed at campers who want a comfortable, breathable chair for warm weather without paying a premium. Its heavy mesh construction makes it especially appealing if you spend long afternoons sitting outside in the heat, or if you camp in places where rain is frequent and gear needs to dry fast.

It is also a sensible pick if you want a chair that holds up over several seasons rather than one or two. The steel frame uses the standard X-pole structure found on most folding chairs, the feet are a standard size, and overall stability is good. Stitching quality was checked across the entire chair and found to be good throughout.

Where it fits less well is for anyone who struggles to rise from a low seat. The seat sits noticeably lower than the marketed figure once body weight is applied, and that single characteristic will decide whether this chair suits you.

Main Strengths

Breathable Mesh and Fast Drainage

Mesh is the defining feature here, and it delivers in practice. During a one hour sitting test, the temperature of the mesh barely rose at all, while the fabric strips warmed by roughly twice as much. Even the armrests are at least half mesh, and the thin fabric used on them does not run hot.

The drainage behaviour is just as convincing. After the chair was caught in heavy rain and became completely soaked, it shed the water very quickly and took only about two hours to dry completely. Because mesh is more expensive to manufacture than fabric, the modest price of the chair is a genuine surprise. Among a group of mesh-heavy camp chairs compared side by side, this model carried the lowest list price by a wide margin.

The seat itself is nylon mesh reinforced with fabric strips, and those strips are made of ripstop polyester. The steel frame uses poles about 0.6 inches thick, which is typical for the format. Practical details follow the same pattern: a cup holder on the right armrest measures almost 6 inches across with a widest width of 3.5 inches and a narrowest width of about 2 inches, so a one liter bottle drops neatly into the wide end, while a canned drink sits less securely at the narrow end. A drop-down pocket on the left armrest is 3.5 inches in diameter and 6 inches long, large enough for a bottle or a phone, with a cinch to hold contents in place and a Velcro tab underneath the armrest for stowing the pocket when it is not needed.

Setup and Pack-Away Speed

Opening the chair is a two step process that barely qualifies as a task. Grab opposite ends, pull the frame open, and the seat is tensioned and ready. Timed from a standing start, setup took 7 seconds.

Packing away is slightly more involved but still quick. Grab opposite corners and pull everything together, then, if you are not especially strong, lay the chair flat on the ground so the feet slide into the bag more easily. Stand the frame back up and fold the rest in. The full process, including getting the chair back into the carry bag, took about 24 seconds.

X-Shaped Webbing and Lumbar Support

The X-shaped webbing that tensions the seat looks like a marketing gimmick at first glance, but it changes how the chair behaves under load. Sitting down, the seat sank by only about 3.25 inches rather than the deeper sag common to many folding chairs, and the result is surprisingly decent lumbar support.

That matters more than it sounds. On many comparable camp chairs the seat can sink by as much as 5 inches, and scoop-shaped designs can drop by close to 7 inches, which is uncomfortable for anyone with a sensitive back. The Campwell keeps you closer to where you started.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The most important caveat is seat height. The marketed figure is about 15 inches. Measured at the front of the chair, the seat comes in at 14.5 inches, very close to the claim. But once you sit down, the distance from the ground to where you are actually sitting is only about 11.25 inches, meaning the seat sinks by roughly 3.25 inches under body weight. If you need a chair that sits as tall as a dining or office chair, this is not the one.

Seat width deserves a closer look too. Total seat width is about 21 inches, but the usable width at the front, once the two steel bars along the sides are accounted for, is closer to 18 inches. That is more than 3 inches narrower than the headline number, and it may feel tighter than expected.

Other measurements are worth knowing before you commit. Unfolded, the chair spans about 32 inches from armrest to armrest, about 23.25 inches from the very back of the chair to the front of the seat, and about 31 inches from the ground to the top of the chair, slightly larger than the marketed dimensions. Seat depth is 16 inches. The backrest is 19 inches tall and 23.5 inches wide, which covers almost the entire back and reaches to just below the neck, but it is not tall enough to serve as a neck rest. The recline angle measured about 10 degrees, so it is only very slightly reclined. Armrest connections are not adjustable, though the fixed height works well for many users.

One long term wear point is worth flagging. After three and a half years, the fabric over the cinch on the drop-down pocket has broken down, even though everything else continues to work well.

Buying Advice

Value is where the Campwell makes its strongest case. The list price is low for a chair with this much mesh, and these chairs see regular discounts of around 30 percent at points through the year, which pushes the value further. Three and a half years of rain, sun, and steady use have left the fabric intact and the frame functional, so the money spent has been spread over a long service life.

If your priorities are breathability, fast drying, and a low running cost over several seasons, this chair is an easy recommendation, provided you are comfortable with a lower seat and a slightly narrower front seat area than the numbers suggest.

Before ordering, measure the seat height of the chair you currently use at home. If it sits near 15 inches or higher and you rely on that height, look elsewhere. If you are happy with a lower, more relaxed position, the Campwell delivers a lot of comfort for the money.

Conclusion

The REI Campwell Chair is a mesh-first camp chair that earns its place through breathability, drainage, quick setup, and durability rather than through clever extras. The trade-offs are specific and easy to check: a seat that sits about 11.25 inches off the ground under load, a front seat width closer to 18 inches than 21, and a drop-down pocket cinch that eventually wears out.

For warm weather camping and buyers who do not need a tall seat, the strengths clearly outweigh those caveats. It is a budget-friendly chair that has stayed in service for years, and that combination is hard to argue with.