8 Best Stadium Chairs, Tested and Reviewed

The Oniva Ventura Seat stood out for all-around comfort. It has foam cushioning throughout, including a thick seat cushion, padded armrests and a plush backrest. It offers great back support and can be adjusted to six recline angles. Since the armrests limit the seat width, you can invert them to increase it by 5 inches.

This is a backpack-style stadium chair, meaning it has shoulder straps for carrying it on your back. It folds out flat instead of into itself, so it’s not the most compact. But the straps are padded and adjustable — plus, carrying it this way evenly distributes the weight, which is ideal for walking longer distances.

We found this stadium seat easy to fold, unfold and adjust. While it doesn’t have a bleacher hook, the grippy, water-resistant underside helps it stay in place. And although there’s no cupholder, it does have a zippered pocket. Considering the exceptional comfort, versatility and portability, we think the price is reasonable — and the brand backs it with a lifetime guarantee.

For budget shoppers, we recommend the Coleman Stadium Seat. Made of water-resistant nylon and foam (without any metal components), it’s lighter than most other options we tested. It also rolls up compactly and secures with Velcro straps for easy carrying with the long crossbody strap.

While it’s not super thick, it still provides some cushioning and back support. We felt totally supported, even when leaning back with our full body weight. We also appreciate that you can adjust the recline with the cinch buckle straps.

Since this stadium seat is so lightweight, it doesn’t stay up very well when no one is sitting on it. But you also have the option to lay it flat on a bleacher to create a two-person cushion. Coleman backs this product with a one-year warranty, which is generous considering it’s under $20.

Football season weather can be unpredictable. If rain is on the forecast, you’ll be glad to have a waterproof stadium seat, like this one from Alpcour. The extra-sturdy, 600-denier polyester not only repels water but also prevents stains and is a breeze to wipe clean.

It doesn’t have armrests, but this actually allows for a wider seat while the partially open back extends the depth. We found this bleacher chair comfy to sit in with good back support.

The Alpcour Stadium Seat folds flat and can be carried with the shoulder strap. Though the weight isn’t evenly distributed when carrying it like backpack-style options, the Alpcour Stadium Seat is pretty lightweight since there are no metal components.

Prefer something wider? The Rio Gear Bleacher Boss might be your best bet. This stadium seat is just over 22 inches wide, whereas most others we tested are under 20 inches. (But we should note it has a relatively low weight capacity of 225 pounds.)

Similar to a beach chair, it has a metal frame and a slightly padded nylon seat and backrest. We found it comfortable and supportive enough to sit in for multiple hours. Although the armrests don’t have thick cushioning, they’re wrapped in foam and have a grippy surface to prevent your elbows from slipping.

This stadium seat has a mesh pocket for things like snacks or sunglasses and a somewhat narrow cup holder that could fit a plastic water bottle or canned drink. The comparatively lightweight design attaches to bleachers with spring locks. It folds in half, secures with Velcro, and can be carried with the shoulder strap.

Supporting up to 500 pounds, the Flash Furniture Grandstand Seat has the highest weight capacity of all the stadium chairs we tested. But that’s not all we like about it. With a 3-inch-thick seat cushion and a supportive backrest, it’s very comfortable to sit in.

At first, it seemed like the aluminum frame may not stay in place on a metal surface. But the attached bleacher hook secures it, and rubber grips prevent it from sliding around.

This stadium chair folds down to roughly the size of a briefcase. It’s on the heavier side, and without any shoulder straps, the only way to carry it is with the grab handle. Still, we think the Grandstand Seat a good value based on the durable, comfy design.

If armrests are a priority, we suggest the Sportneer Stadium Seat. This comfy bleacher chair has thick, supportive cushioning throughout the seat, backrest and armrests. And if you ever want the seat to be wider, you can invert the armrests. (The brand also has an extra-wide version about 3 inches wider than this one.)

This chair can be adjusted to six recline positions. We like the feature-rich design, which boasts two cup holders and four pockets for things like snacks, sunglasses or your phone. There’s also a buckle on the bottom to secure it to bleachers.

The Sportneer Stadium Seat folds flat instead of into itself, so it’s not compact. And while it’s slightly heavy, the padded, adjustable shoulder straps allow you to carry it like a backpack with the weight evenly distributed.

If back support is a must-have, consider the Sheenive Stadium Seat. This bleacher chair has a padded backrest with plenty of height. We could sit upright in it without straining our lower backs and felt like we could fully relax and lean all our weight back. At 380 pounds, the weight capacity is on the higher side for those we tested.

We also like that the seat cushion is nearly 3 inches thick. One thing to note is that the backrest is perpendicular to the seat, and you can’t adjust the recline. Still, we think it’s comfortable enough to sit in for multiple hours.

We think the quilted design is appealing and like that there are a handful of neutral colors available. This stadium seat has a cup holder and handy mesh pouches, and you can carry it with the grab handle or padded shoulder strap. Considering the lower-than-average price tag, it’s an excellent value.

We also liked the Sport Beats Stadium Seat. The comfortable design has a thick seat cushion and a padded backrest — though you can’t adjust the recline angle. There’s also a mesh cup holder that stretches to fit most bottles, cups or cans.

This bleacher chair is easy to fold and unfold. The frame has a grippy base to prevent it from shifting when you sit down, and you can secure it with the two bleacher hooks.

While it weighs over 6 pounds and isn’t the most compact, the padded shoulder strap makes it easy enough to carry. You can also stash the strap in the zippered pocket and tote it around by the grab handle.