GCI Outdoor Waterside Sunshade Backpack Beach Chair
Summary
Price At Time Of Writing | £120.02
Our Overall Rating | 76 out of 100
Pros - Built-in sunshade
Cons - Heavy, too big to comfortably carry as a backpack, not the best looking
Overall - The best option with a built-in shade, but not our pick of the bunch
Technical Specifications
Open Size - 113.5D x 61.5W x 110.5H cm
Weight - 4.63 kg
Load Capacity - 113kg
Materials - Aluminium/steel hybrid frame, polyester/mesh seat
Our Analysis & Ratings
If you're specifically after a chair with built-in sunshade, then the GCI Outdoor Waterside Sunshade Backpack Beach Chair (try saying that five times fast) is worth a look. It folds down into a fairly compact size for storage, so as it fulfills the role of part beach chair part umbrella, it's not a bad option.
Construction and Design - Let's start with the frame - the combination of steel with aluminium means you are going to get a bit more strength in the frame. However, the fabric wasn't as heavy duty as some of the other chairs we tested, and although the shade construction was made as lightweight as possible, it did this by sacrificing quality in both the fabric and metal struts - we found the sunshade almost bouncy each time we adjusted it. We like the integration of a sunshade with the beach chair, but have to say that it doesn't make the chair look the best - though we have no idea how we'd improve the design whilst still making it this functional.
Setup/ Packdown - Easily unfolded and placed on the sand - we had no particular issues here.
Portability - While it does add strength, the steel in the frame also adds a fair amount of extra weight to this chair, and for the few extra kgs of weight capacity the steel gives the chair, we don't think the tradeoff is worth it. We also found that though the chair folded quite flat, it was wide and with the backpack straps placed along the outsides of the legs rather than under the chair, was a struggle to get on your back properly. For those reasons, this chair was one of the least portable we tested.
Comfort - We were pleasantly surprised by the comfort level of this chair. Unlike some others, there was no bar across the front to dig into your legs, and the mesh along the seatback, though unattractive, provided nice ventilation while testing during a heatwave. The sunshade generally did well at keeping the sun off our faces, and being fully adjustable, we were able to move it as the sun changed position, and take it down entirely once the sun was less savage. We appreciated the built-in drink holder, and liked that the head cushion was able to be flipped to the back of the chair.
Durability - Here's where we have real questions. We're fairly sure that the frame, with its steel components, would hold up reasonably well over time, but the sunshade struts and attachments were a different matter - catch them on something the wrong way when taking the chair out of the car and they'd be very likely to bend or break.
Summary - We liked the built-in sunshade, but in terms of portability and durability, there are better options out there.
