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Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Add a pop of modern style to your backyard that's made from eco-friendly materials that are durable for all-season use. Read More
This Keter Adirondack Chair is strong, sturdy, and has great weatherproofing features. It can support up to 400 pounds and folds down for portability. Read More
The Lifetime chair has a sturdy build and comfortable design. It also looks good. The only downside is it's difficult to assemble. Read More
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If you’re looking for a straightforward all-weather outdoor chair, this looks like a great product. Read More
Nothing screams cozy like a circle of Adirondack chairs around a fire pit. It’s a social piece of furniture and the best Adirondack chairs bring friends and family together. Adirondack chairs can also be enjoyed solo with a good book and a lakeside view. While we only included traditional chairs for this guide, there are many different types of Adirondack chairs.
After weeks of use, we found that the Polywood Modern Curveback Adirondack Chair (available at Amazon) , is the best Adirondack chair we tested because it’s sturdy, attractive, and supportive. However, there are plenty of great Adirondack chairs on our list to choose from.
The Polywood Modern Curveback Adirondack Chair is the best Adirondack chair.
This Keter Adirondack chair is the best one if you're looking for a portable option that folds down easily.
Tip-resistant
Cool design
Comfortable
Hard to assemble
Easy to assemble
Sturdily made
Not fully waterproof
Easy to paint or stain
Comfortable
Assembly can be tricky
The Adirondack chair has a long history named “The Westport Chair” and originally designed by Thomas Lee as a wooden chair for the outdoors. Another designer named Irving Wolpin also created a “lawn chair” better molded to the human shape and has come to define the modern Adirondack chair.
While different designs and materials are used today, all Adirondack chairs are traceable to the original “Westport Chair.” Adirondack chairs now come in many different shapes and sizes and can be used as lawn chairs or to compliment your front porch or back deck.
Overall comfort, ease of use, and aesthetics play a part in choosing the right Adirondack chair, but you’ll also want to consider how durable they are since they’ll be responsible for holding you for years to come. Weather-resistant chairs are available if you plan on leaving your chairs out from time to time or live somewhere especially wet, like New England.
While Adirondack chairs come in different materials, the most popular options are wood and plastic. There are pros and cons to both. Wood chairs are more attractive than plastic ones but are also more expensive. The material you choose depends on how much you want to spend on it. A material like resin will last you longer than plastic.
Plastic chairs are more weather-resistant than wooden ones, but some are flimsy. Plastic chairs heat up less than natural wood when left in the sun. Wood chairs are often far more sturdy but are prone to weather damage and require more upkeep.
For a long-lasting Adirondack chair, choose one made of resin or Polywood.
That really depends on your height. Taller people will likely need larger chairs to be comfortable, while shorter individuals might need something smaller.
Another factor to consider is your available outdoor space—if you have limited space, you may want smaller chairs or ones that fold down for better storage. Some of the chairs we reviewed were more difficult to store than others.
Adirondack chairs can double as patio chairs if you don't have a lawn.
Plastic Adirondack chairs are relatively easy to clean, as they only require gentle dish soap and water. A pressure washer can help remove caked-on dirt and gunk. We recommend using a low setting to avoid accidental damage to the chair.
Beware that a lightweight plastic chair might tip over if you clean it with a pressure washer. A garden hose is a good alternative cleaning method.
Like plastic chairs, gently scrubbing your wooden chair with soap and water is an effective way to clean it, although you may want to use an oil-based soap for natural wood.
Rinse your wooden chair with a garden hose instead of a pressure washer to avoid stripping the paint or sealer. Let it air dry before storing it to reduce your chances of mold or rotting.
Pastic is more weather-resistant than wood, but we recommend storing both inside a shed to protect the material from the elements. Weatherproof chairs that are UV-resistant and repel water can be left outside.
Wooden Adirondack chairs require more work to keep them looking good because they are more prone to damage from outside weather. Excess water left on a wooden chair can cause it to rot, so cover or store them when not in use. You may need to refinish some wood periodically to keep them from fading in the sun.
Cailey Lindberg
Staff Writer, Updates
Cailey Lindberg is a Staff Writer at Reviewed and full-time Dog Mom to @sandor_thebassethound. In her spare time, she writes about music and history for Mental Floss.
Alex Kane is a senior editor at USA Today’s Reviewed and the author of the Boss Fight Books volume on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He has written for Fangoria, PC Gamer, Polygon, Rolling Stone, StarWars.com, and Variety. He lives in west-central Illinois.
Eden Strong
Contributor
Eden Strong is a freelance writer residing in Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children. She is passionate about connecting people with household and children’s products they can trust and rely on, but as a special needs parent, Eden also has a heart for finding accessible products that make parenting children with disabilities a little bit easier and a whole lot more fun.
When she’s not writing for USA TODAY’s Reviewed, you can find her covering domestic violence and social justice issues within our legal system in a variety of publications including Yahoo, Disney, Time, Good Morning America, and more.
You can also watch Eden and her family on the Disney+ reality TV show, Family Reboot.
Sam Gardner
Contributor
Sam Gardner is an APSE award-winning sportswriter who worked at the Orlando Sentinel before spending nine years at Fox Sports, including seven as a senior writer at FoxSports.com.
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