What makes this chair different from the ones sold at pretty much any sporting goods store in the summertime for less than half the cost? A little cooler in the armrest that holds four cans. And that's about it. You might get slightly more padding or a vaguely taller back with the Coleman Cooler Quad than you would from other brands, but it's really the cooler that sets it apart from the rest. If you like to keep your beer separate from the rest of the gang or avoid bringing a separate cooler at all, you may like this combo piece of furniture. However, we're not sure if the performance of the rest of the chair warrants purchasing it for more than the novelty.
Coleman Cooler Quad Review
A slouchy, rickety chair, but inexpensive and with a tiny attached cooler.
Price: $35 List | $27.22 at Amazon
Pros: Simple to use, attached cooler storage, inexpensive
Cons: Not vary durable, difficult to fit in bag, poles feel rickety, "headrest" difficult to use.
Manufacturer: Coleman
Cons: Not vary durable, difficult to fit in bag, poles feel rickety, "headrest" difficult to use.
Manufacturer: Coleman
By Maggie Brandenburg ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Nov 5, 2019
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Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Coleman Cooler Quad is a fairly standard-sized folding sports chair. It comes with an over-the-shoulder carry bag and features a single cup holder, a side pocket, adjustable armrests, and a 4-can mini cooler.
Performance Comparison
Good enough for an afternoon with Grandpa.
Comfort
As far as comfort goes, this chair is a pretty average slouchy seat, upright back combo, like many others we tested. It is slightly thicker, with at least a couple layers of fabric making up the body. The armrests are technically adjustable, though they are only attached through the round discs, making it easy to accidentally push them down with your elbow during a routine readjustment. Coleman advertises this chair as having a headrest, which we think is a bit of a stretch. The back of the chair does go up behind where a head could theoretically be (based on height and posture). However, unless you get that positioning exactly right, that unsupported fabric does very little to hold your head up. And even if you do manage to wiggle into the perfect placement, it's truly just an extension of the regular chair back and not an actual headrest. In all other ways, we think the comfort of this chair is average at best.
This "headrest" is suspiciously identical to the backrest...
Portability
Another area in which the Coleman is about average. It's of average size and shape and weight. It comes with a bag that has a shoulder strap to cart it around. Weighing just over 8lb, it's fairly average. The carry bag is rather thin though, letting you feel whatever section of the chair happens to rest upon your back or side. But you probably won't be carrying it terribly far, and it's not awful over short stretches.
Though adjustable, these armrests lack straps to keep them where you want them to be.
Durability
We aren't particularly impressed by the durability of the Coleman Quad. Nothing broke during our testing, but we are left with some serious doubts about this chair's ability to last for years. The poles are quite thin and bendy. We're unsure if, after several seasons of abuse, they might bend or snap as you push your way out of this chair. Despite having a steel frame, it feels rather rickety. This makes it not particularly sturdy or inspiring when it comes to lasting longer than a much cheaper chair. Ours also came with some sloppy seams and ends poking out, which certainly did not look better by the end of our testing period. The carry bag, in particular, is thin and fragile, with seams that look like they're just waiting for the moment to explode open and dump your seat on the ground. Again, nothing broke on this chair during our few months of testing, but we are nevertheless skeptical of its longevity.
Fortunately, the chair seems to us more durable than the included storage sack.
Ease of Setup
By far the best thing about this chair is how easy it is to set up. It just folds outwards and ta-da! The cooler is also easy to use, with a handy pull-on top that unzips both sides simultaneously. A small patch of velcro is all that's left between you and your four cold beverages.
However, this chair is tricky to fit back into its bag. The cooler in the armrest sticks out at an odd angle and resists being squeezed back into a sack that's barely large enough to hold it. And if you don't take the time to carefully compress it into the right crevice, it could be the straw that broke the camel's back and spells the end of that flimsy bag.
Though sometimes a handy feature to have, the armrest cooler makes it tough to get the chair back into its carry bag.
Features
Beyond the cooler, the Coleman has a single mesh cup holder that's just barely wide enough to squeeze in an iPhone 8+, and a side seat pocket with one large pocket and two smaller mesh pockets to keep you organized.
If you like the cooler, more power to you. We're less enamored with its construction and comfort.
Value
Though it's one of the least expensive chairs we tested, we're still not sure it's worth it. A lackluster performance and a cooler that's only moderately useful but surprisingly in the way make us feel like there are much better options out there, even if the chair and cooler have to separate.
Conclusion
If you're after a novelty chair with an included cooler, you've found it. But if you want something comfortable enough to watch an all-day soccer tournament and durable enough to bring back every season, we don't think this one is a winner.
The overall profile of the Coleman Quad.
— Maggie Brandenburg