CLIQ Chair - Review 2023

Cliq Chair and Comfort

As is always my position, I rarely care how light or portable a chair is if it isn’t worth sitting in. Fortunately this is far from the case with the CLIQ Chair. Not only is it more stable and comfortable than anything else we’ve tried with comparable size, but it also outcompetes many of our favorite full size models in the same categories.

Stability, in particular, is an essential factor when considering anything that emphasizes packability. Fully weighted, the CLIQ Chair felt rock solid. It took quite a bit of effort for me to get any of the four legs to lift off of the ground.

Still I’d call it far from rigid, the seat allows for quite a bit of natural flex as you sit forward to stand, and settle in when you sit.

In regard to how it actually feels when you’re sitting in it, the CLIQ chair favors a more natural seated position than anything else in its size category, even the REI Flexlite which we felt shined in that category.

If anything, I felt that the CLIQ chair felt like it was on the relaxed side, allowing you to lean back in the pod-style seat in a way reminiscent of a black bear leaning against a tree.

The seat itself is wide with flexible and lowrise sides that allow you to leave your knees out, compared to alternatives in a similar size category where the walls of the seat tend to be too steep and keep your legs trapped together.

I spent some serious time with the CLIQ Chair, more so than with other models that I tried out solely on the merit of finding it hard to pull myself out of the CLIQ and settle into anything else.

With The high-grade materials that CLIQ employs and its unique design, I found that the CLIQ chair was best described as a series of charming paradoxes. Firm yet forgiving, compact while comfortable, small but spacious. They’re able to toe the line on many of these “convenience” factors without sacrificing any of the forward-thinking comforts that is so essential in any chair.

The one place I felt that the CLIQ chair was lacking, particularly if you’re considering it an alternative to a full-sized camp chair, is the low back.

While it avoids the common problem of supports digging into your middle back due to the generous width, the CLIQ chair came only as far as the middle of my shoulder blades. It’s also pretty low to the ground, but not particularly so compared to anything else within its proportions. Compared to ultralight models, I had no trouble getting in or out of the chair.

Lacking a headrest is the only thing that keeps the CLIQ chair from being an alternative to a lightweight hammock for a portable place for an afternoon nap, but short of that I have absolutely no comfort complaints.

Weight and Packability

While far from the smallest or lightest chair on the market, one of the biggest appeals of the CLIQ chair is nonetheless its relative low-weight and ease of transport. As mentioned in the introduction, I would leave the CLIQ chair at home for most any backpacking trip. But as a substitute for bulky ballpark or folding chairs- you won’t find much better.

At just under 5lbs, the CLIQ chair is less than half the weight of some of our other full-sized models on our best-of list. Be that as it may, the CLIQ chair is notably heavy for its size and has a certain cudgel-like quality when held in a single hand.

Since we’re talking about weight, it’s worth going into materials. Based on my experience, CLIQ chairs are nigh-indestructible compared to backpacking and full sized foldout alternatives alike. The struts are made of thick strips of aircraft-grade aluminum, which stand in stark contrast to the ultralight poles that I’ve grown accustomed to over the course of this testing period.

The fabric is also conspicuously more durable than what we see from most other chairs- ballistic nylon which is common in other high-stress textiles like chainsaw chaps. These high grade materials account for the dense in-hand feel of the CLIQ chair, but don’t inhibit any of the portability.

Perhaps more impressive than the weight is how well the chair collapses down. Despite the seat’s width and the chair’s rotund build, the CLIQ chair still packs down to an appreciably modest bulk, even when compared to the packed volume of infamous ultralight models like the Chair Zero. I think that the bottomline in this regard is you have a chair that feels similar to a fold-out camp chair, that you can reasonably make room for in a daypack– not to mention that back of your car. CLIQ makes a variety of products to help you tote your chair along- but we’ll dig a little deeper into that later.

Setup

One of the CLIQ Chair’s biggest self-advertised selling points is a quick and painless setup. While no “set it and forget it” foldout chair, getting one of CLIQ’s fold outs in action doesn’t take much guesswork. Sans instructions I was able to figure the whole thing out with no more trouble than I’d have setting up a tripod or telescoping camera pole for the first time. In other words, I think your 8-year old would have a pretty easy time getting the whole thing together but kids much younger than that would start to struggle.

The legs and back struts lock to the central support- and though it looks like quite a bit of hardware and moving parts- detaching them is as simple as pressing the large button near the bottom of the locking mechanism. From there all that’s left to do is pull the collapsed supports around the seat and back until they lock into their fully-extended positions. After your arms are locked out, the legs will stay fixed in place via the same central locking mechanism that keeps them collapsed when the chair is packed down.

Price

For all of its merits, the CLIQ chair comes at a high price unmatched by even the most expensive ultralight chairs we’ve reviewed this season. Full-priced, the chair is a staggering $130, though it is pretty often on sale for a full $40 less. In terms of value- we can only work by comparisons. If you factor in convenience, durability, and the high overhead production costs of this product, the price tag seems more justifiable; particularly if you manage to find it at a deal.

You can find chairs that rank similarly in terms of comfort, and you can find chairs that are easily transportable for significantly less money; but you certainly won’t be able to find anything that does both at any price. It’s also worth noting that CLIQ offers a sizable discount if you invest in more than one chair at a time.

Features and Accessories

Due to the light and fast attitude of the CLIQ Chair it doesn’t offer much in the way of features or amenities. The sole exception are a pair of mesh pockets sewn into the fabric behind the seat. Surprisingly, these pockets aren’t mentioned in any other copy I’ve read regarding CLIQ products, so if they’re a new feature it was an astute addition I feel deserves to be further highlighted.

In regards to additional accessories, CLIQ offers three different sized totes to help you lug around chairs for your whole squad. These carrying totes come in increments 2, 4, and 6. Finally, if you are interested in ordering chairs for a team, company, or event you can invest in custom logoed CLIQ Chairs, available at minimum orders of 50.

Other Models

The CLIQ Chair is the first model that this company has released- and so far it’s their only one. We have high hopes for what the future might bring, but for now if you’re not satisfied with the CLIQ Chair, you’ll have to settle for alternatives either in the lightweight or full-sized foldout categories. In my experience, the closest you’re going to get is REI’s Flexlite, a mid-sized offering in the backpacking category that costs about half of what the CLIQ Chair does at full price.

If comfort is your sole concern, I’d say you should check out the GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker or their smaller, more portable models– unique foldout camp chairs that had more than a few eyebrows raised over the course of our testing period. Beyond this, you’d be well-served by anything on our best of list this year. Seeing as the CLIQ Chair is a bit of a niche product, our buyer’s guide has a breakdown of more of the specific details of camp chairs across the industry so you can narrow down all the features you’ll value most.

While the CLIQ Chair is a little on the expensive side- there’s really nothing else like it currently on the market. It’s the perfect balance between the portability and convenience of an ultralight chair, with all of the stability and comfort that you would expect from a full-sized alternative. Though people with mobility issues might have some trouble with the seat’s height, I can certainly say that it felt more stable and accessible to me than anything else in its size category.

With the stellar deals on bundles, I think that couples and families looking for a quick solution for camping needs, or who struggle with the transport aspect of fold-out camp chairs should definitely take a closer look. I’ve tested and reviewed quite a few chairs in preparation for this season, and I don’t know if any surprised me more than CLIQ.