ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous Review

The Rendezvous is a low-profile chair that sits just off the ground. This chair is feature-free aside from a mesh back, foam-wrapped arms, and carry case.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Rendezvous is an incredibly supportive chair. Unlike some chairs that are all slouch and become uncomfortable after 20 minutes, this one continues to provide structure and is quite breathable with a mesh back and seat to keep that airflow coming. The armrests are foam-coated to add comfort and the wide base provides stability. That said, the incredibly low profile might create a lack of upper back support for taller folks. Additionally, at a measly three inches from the ground, some may have a hard time getting in and out of this chair. At the end of the day, we found this chair to be pretty comfortable — as long as you're not trying to nap in it.

Portability

The Rendezvous weighs 7.1 pounds and comes with a convenient carry case with a wide, adjustable shoulder strap.

Durability

Constructed of thick, canvas-feeling 600D polyester and a “sturdy powder-coated steel frame,” we feel secure sitting in the Rendezvous. All the seams are double-stitched and reinforced at pressure points, and even the storage bag is made of the same durable polyester construction.

The only thing that gives us a moment's hesitation is extra movement in the frame when pushing down on the armrests to stand up. Looking at the frame, you can see where the sides of the seat poles are meant to sit. Since they don't snap into place, it is then theoretically possible for you to sit down and cause those poles to put pressure on the plastic supports, which may fail over time. However, we had no such issues during testing.

Ease of Use

The Rendezvous is a simple fold/unfold camping chair, though the back tends to slide up and off the poles when you fold it up. This model is also weirdly hard to fold together. Unlike most other folding models, you can't choose any two opposing points on the frame to squeeze together to put this chair away. We found (through some trial and error) that the Rendezvous folds up only when you flip it over and push from the two front legs. Once we discovered that little trick, we had no issue fitting this chair back into its carry bag to be ready for the next adventure.

Aside from the foam-coated armrests, this chair has no other features, not even a cup holder. However, we found that sitting so close to the ground, we had no issues just setting our beverage down next to the chair.

Value

This chair is a little pricey, though it provides very good support and utility; we think you'll find plenty of uses for this versatile little chair if you chose to pay up.

Conclusion

With universal comfort, a low profile, and a relatively low weight, the ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous is a durable, sturdy, and supportive solution to potentially all your seating dilemmas.