REI Just Discounted the Camp Chair Every Other Brand Is Chasing

The Kelty Low Loveseat is the best two-person camp chair on the market — and REI’s Anniversary Sale just made it even harder to pass up.

Tan fabric chair armrest pocket holding a silver water bottle, white smartphone, green notebook, and white pen.

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By Gear Patrol

Published May 18, 2026

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Updated May 18, 2026

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The best seat at any campsite shouldn’t be a compromise — and for car campers willing to share, it hasn’t been since Kelty introduced its Low Loveseat.

The two-person chair does everything a solo camp seat does, only better: lower to the ground for a more relaxed, lounge-friendly posture, wide enough for two adults to sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder, and built with the kind of hardware that doesn’t rattle apart after a season of use. REI’s Anniversary Sale has it on discount right now, which makes an already easy call an obvious one.

Welcome to Shop Smarter: A series dedicated to highlighting not just what’s on sale, but why it’s worth owning. Discover more here.

The camp seat experts love

Teal and brown Kelty double camping chair with rust-colored metal frame and cup holder on armrest. — The powder-coated steel frame supports up to 500 pounds combined, a capacity that signals structural confidence rather than a minimum standard.

The Kelty Low Loveseat earns its reputation through specifics. The low-slung seat angle — closer to a stadium chair than a standard camp throne — distributes weight across a broader base, which means longer evenings around the fire without the lower-back complaints that plague taller designs. Padded armrests on both outer edges include built-in cup holders, and each armrest houses a side-pocket organizer deep enough for a phone, a book and a headlamp. The steel frame is powder-coated and rated to hold 500 pounds of combined weight, a figure that signals overbuilt confidence rather than a marketing floor.

Teal fabric armrest with built-in cup holder holding an orange water bottle with a blue lid. — Side cup holders on both armrests keep drinks within reach without anyone having to lean forward — a small detail that pays off over a long evening.

The expert community agrees across the board. Clever Hiker called it a standout in car camp seating, praising the seat depth and back angle as genuinely comfortable for extended sitting. Outdoor Gear Lab ranked it among the top camp chairs it has tested, noting that the low-profile geometry creates a more social, fire-pit-friendly experience than conventional high-backed chairs. The Inertia’s reviewers, who tend toward surf and outdoor adventure use cases, found the Loveseat held up to demanding weekend use without any structural complaints.

Green Kelty Low Low 32 sleeping bag rolled up next to a green REI water bottle. — Kelty’s Low Loveseat stores tidily despite its generous two-person footprint — a design detail that makes it genuinely practical for car campers.

Gear Junkie put the wider Kelty two-seater lineup through its paces and concluded that the low-slung design outperforms upright alternatives for relaxed, long-haul camp sitting — exactly the use case that defines a car camping basecamp.

The consensus is rare and consistent: this is the seat you want when weight and pack size aren’t constraints.

Three versions, one sale — pick the one that fits your camp setup

Teal and brown Kelty folding camping loveseat with red metal frame and cup holders on armrests, with firewood on a teal mat. — Whether it’s a weekend car camp or a music festival, the larger couch version handles any social seating situation with ease.

REI’s Anniversary Sale brings all three Kelty multi-person camp seats under one discount umbrella. The standard Low Loveseat is the flagship — the version that earned all those five-star reviews — and it comes in multiple colorways, including teal, canyon brown and a neutral sand tone that works at any campsite.

Folded brown camping chair with orange metal frame on a black quilted mat. — The included wrap doubles as a log carrier, dog bed or other rugged pad.

If you want to go bigger, the Kelty Lowdown Couch stretches the same frame geometry into a three-person footprint, essentially a camp sofa. It carries the same powder-coated steel construction and side pockets, just scaled up for a full crew.

Foldable camping chair with brown fabric seat and backrest, orange padded cushions, and red metal frame. — The Kelty Low Loveseat Nest bundles two stowable blankets into the seat’s integrated side pockets — a smart add for cold-night camping.

The most outfitted option in the sale is the Kelty Low Loveseat Nest, which bundles two blankets that stow directly into integrated pockets on either side of the seat — a detail that earns its keep the moment temperatures drop after sundown.

It’s the obvious pick for shoulder-season camping or anyone who camps somewhere that gets cold at night and doesn’t want to dig through a duffel for an extra layer.

Get it before the sale ends

Woman wearing a black and gray long-sleeve top carrying a large olive green padded bag with a shoulder strap. — The Low Loveseat’s carry bag rides comfortably on one shoulder — manageable for the walk from the car to the campsite.

REI’s Anniversary Sale doesn’t run indefinitely, and Kelty’s best camp seating rarely sees meaningful markdowns outside of it.

All three versions — the Low Loveseat, the Lowdown Couch and the Low Loveseat Nest — are available now on REI’s site in their current color assortments.

If any of these were already on your gear list, there’s no better time to pull the trigger.

Brown and orange Kelty double camping chair with armrests and an orange blanket draped over it.

Kelty Low Loveseat Nest

The Kelty Low Loveseat Nest builds on the standard Low Loveseat with the addition of two removable, machine-washable blankets made from insulated soft-touch fabric — a practical upgrade for cooler evenings at the campsite or backyard. The rest of the chair carries over what works: a powder-coated steel frame, 600-denier polyester seat, adjustable armrests, two insulated cup holders and a low-profile reclined design that keeps you comfortable without blocking anyone’s view. The carry wrap doubles as a padded dog mat, and the whole setup folds down compactly for easy transport.

$136 at Amazon

$170 (20% off)

Teal and brown padded outdoor folding bench with red metal frame and cup holders on armrests.

Kelty Lowdown Couch

$150 at REI

$200 (25% off)

Beige and olive green Kelty double camping chair with red metal frame and armrests.

Kelty Low Loveseat

$112 at REI

$150 (25% off)

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