The cheapest way to enjoy the sun and surf is to lay out an old blanket on the sand and use your soggy beach towel as a pillow. Money-wise sunbathers can bask in style, however, with a low-cost beach chair that lets you soak up some rays, or remain comfortably tucked under an umbrella, in comfort.
The following beach chairs are all available from online retailers, some with free shipping.
Nylon mesh fabrics in a variety of summery colors make the Sol Lite Folding Beach Chair (pictured below) perfect for hot days at the beach. Available at Target.com (online only), the ultra-light beach chair sits five inches off the ground and measures 33 inches long and 20 inches wide. Despite its relatively diminutive size, the foldable steel frame supports a sun worshipper weighing up to 260 pounds. At press time, yellow, green, blue, and red chairs all sell for $33.99 with free shipping. Get the light pink chair for two dollars more.
The WearEver Beach Chair, available at ShadeUSA.com, (see photo below) performs double duty as a backpack and a sturdy reclining beach chair. At nine pounds when the backpack compartment is empty, the aluminum tube frame supports a fabric seat and back as well as two hardwood arms and one netted drink holder. The attached backpack’s storage pouch measure 16 inches high by 13 inches wide by 5 inches deep. Available in hunter green, navy blue, and jet black. Price: $29.95; shipping varies with UPS.
Beachchairs.com sells an all-in-one Canopy Beach Chair, pictured below, that combines a lightweight folding chair with a substantial canopy that blocks out the sun. When the steel-and-canvas chair folds closed, the canopy turns into the chair's carrying bag. The canopy also sports mesh pockets for storage and features two padded shoulder straps for easy carrying. Weight: 8 pounds. Price: $39.98 with $7 shipping.
Taking inspiration from massage tables, the Ostrich Chaise Lounge is a lightweight folding lounge chair with a padded opening for your face as you lie on your stomach. The Ostrich chair features two armhole on the side to allow for reading a book in this position. The chair measures 72 inches long, 22 inches wide, and 12 inches high. The 11-pound chair holds a sunbather who weighs up to 250 pounds. Available from Ostrich Outdoor Products for $48.95 with free shipping.
Designer Larry Laske sells these whimsical beach chair backs, dubbed the “Beach Thingy,” on his website at $12.50 each plus shipping and handling. Portable, light (2.2 pounds), and colorful, the plastic chairs sport long prongs that sink deep in the sand to provide stable support. Simply push the Beach Thingy in the sand, set your beach towel in front of it and lean back to watch the kids frolic in the surf or read a book. The chairs come in bright green, blue, yellow, and orange and measure 25-1/4 inches high and 15-1/4 inches wide. Order at the Beach Thingy website by sending an email with your color choice.
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