REASONS TO BUY
Good recline
Sturdy flex frame
Packs small
Made entirely of breathable mesh
REASONS TO AVOID
Seams are stiff and pokey
Poor cupholder design
Narrow shoulders
Nemo Stargaze Recliner Luxury Review
This hammock-like reclinable chair looks dreamy but overall could use some improvements, especially for the price
Credit: Nemo
RELATED: Best Camping Chairs of 2023
Our Verdict
The Nemo Stargaze Recliner Luxury looks amazing, but we're not sold. The reclining feature is comfortable, the headrest is appreciated, and the fine mesh aids in breathability and helps the chair pack down relatively small for easy transport. However, we found the seams to be full of pokey ends that kept bothering us while we were trying to relax, and the overall shape of this chair is too narrow for broad shoulders.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on May 26, 2023, to include info on some updates to the Stargaze Recliner.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Nemo Stargaze Recliner Luxury | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  |  | | |
| Price | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $120 List $79.99 at Amazon | Check Price at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $60 List | $39.99 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Good recline, sturdy flex frame, packs small, made entirely of breathable mesh | Fits just about anyone, comfortably padded seat, super robust, plenty of storage, simple to use | Durable and sturdy design, amazing comfort, quality fabric and materials | Comfortable, well-ventilated, stable, great storage, easy to use | Easy to set up, tall angled back, supportive, high seat height, less expensive |
| Cons | Seams are stiff and pokey, poor cupholder design, narrow shoulders | Fairly large and heavy, holds water, not breathable | Very expensive, heavy | Low back height, slightly lower seat height, cup holder not ideal for thin beverages | Very tall seat, limited pockets, no locking mechanism, long when packed |
| Bottom Line | This hammock-like reclinable chair looks dreamy but overall could use some improvements, especially for the price | Our favorite among all contenders, this robust chair makes camp lounging a simple and comfortable affair | A favorite amongst our group of testers for its superior comfort, sturdy cross-over design, and lasting durability | A solid and affordable option for carrying your camp seating longer distances | A tall chair with a simple set up that's easy to use and less expensive to buy |
| Rating Categories | Nemo Stargaze Recli... | ALPS Mountaineering... | Yeti Trailhead | REI Co-op Camp X | GCI Outdoor Comfort... |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Portability (25%) | |||||
| Quality (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Nemo Stargaze Recli... | ALPS Mountaineering... | Yeti Trailhead | REI Co-op Camp X | GCI Outdoor Comfort... |
| Weight | 7.7 lbs | 14.1 lbs | 13.3 lbs | 8.0 lbs | 8.3 lbs |
| Weight Capacity | 300 lbs | 800 lbs | 500 lbs | 300 lbs | 300 lbs |
| Folded Dimensions (length x width x height) | 24" x 7" x 7" | 39" x 8" x 8" | 43" x 9" x 12" | 33" x 7" x 7" | 45" x 7" x 5" |
| Unfolded Dimensions (depth x width x height) | 25" x 36" x 45" | 24" x 37" x 38" | 30" x 25" x 36" | 21" x 31" x 31" | 25" x 35" x 37" |
| Seat Height (middle) | 12.6" | 15" | 16.75" | 11.5" | 15" |
| Features | Swings and reclines, movable headrest, cupholders, and a pocket | 2 cup holders, 2 side pockets, storage pocket behind headrest, adjustable armrests | Adjustable cup holder, carry bag | 1 uniquely shaped cup holder, "stowable" armrest pouch, adjustable armrests | Beverage holder, small sleeve pocket |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Stargaze chair we tested is pictured on the left, and the updated version is on the right.
Stargaze Recliner Updated — May 2023
Since our test period, Nemo updated this chair with a new pole configuration that is designed to be more intuitive and facilitate easier setup. The new chair is also revised to accommodate broader shoulders and provide more elbow room, and the padded headrest is larger. It's also offered in some fun new colors, like the aqua pictured above on the right. We're linking to the updated chair, but since we haven't tried it out yet, our review text still references the previous model.
Since our test period, Nemo updated this chair with a new pole configuration that is designed to be more intuitive and facilitate easier setup. The new chair is also revised to accommodate broader shoulders and provide more elbow room, and the padded headrest is larger. It's also offered in some fun new colors, like the aqua pictured above on the right. We're linking to the updated chair, but since we haven't tried it out yet, our review text still references the previous model.
The Stargaze Recliner is a uniquely designed chair that both swings and reclines. Featuring a flexible aircraft aluminum frame with a bacteria-resistant monofilament nylon mesh seat and an adjustable headrest, this chair also packs down into an impressively small case.
Performance Comparison
The fully reclining Nemo Stargaze saves your neck for stargazing and provides a potential napping space, even if it is a little tricky to setup.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Comfort
The Stargaze Recliner provides a swinging experience similar to that of a hammock chair. The newest version somewhat lowers the user's center of gravity with a curved bar in the middle to bring you closer to the ground — the newest version has a seat height of just 11.5 inches. While the breathable mesh, adjustable headrest, and recline features are all much appreciated, we think some important details are lacking that would help this chair live up to its name.
The headrest is a fantastic idea, and making it moveable is clutch. However, our 5'4" and shorter testers found that they couldn't get the headrest low enough to be comfortable. The padded armrests are nice for some, but they didn't work as well for taller folks. Because of its weirdly C-shaped design, this chair is mostly only comfortable while reclining and not very pleasant for things like sitting up and eating dinner.
Though the headrest is movable, its range of motion is very limited and our shorter testers don't like it.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Portability
This is one area where the Stargaze shines bright. This chair conveniently breaks down and packs up into a compact storage bag with an adjustable shoulder strap. At 7.9 pounds, it's about average for the chairs we tested and weighs less than a gallon of milk. The carry case has an internal storage pocket for a few small additional items, making transport that much easier. It also has a top loop for an easy grab with one hand.
The Nemo is easy to sling over your shoulder and take with you.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Durability
The flexible aircraft aluminum frame is a bit alarming to watch while anyone is using this chair — it flexes a lot! But it's designed to do so, and in our experience, it works well. Though the chair is rated for 300 pounds, we piled two people totaling around 440 pounds into this chair to push it. With some overloaded violent swinging and bouncing, the Stargaze flexed a lot but suffered no damage. We also left this chair outside in the sun and rain for a couple of months, and after a few weeks, we noticed the trim on our model had become very faded though the mesh seemed to be unphased.
We're not sure what benefit the color-coded poles are in the newest version, but they provide flexible security for this chair.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Ease of Use
This model does have a bit of a learning curve for quick setup. The frame breaks down into color-coded segments joined with a bungee cord, and the seatback has two small poles that must be removed from the headrest and similarly collapsed. Right out of the bag, these two thin frame poles are challenging to fit into the back of the headrest. After several times setting up this chair, though, we found this to be much easier — not only because we were more practiced but also because the material was better broken in. The new version of this chair also has bungees that hold the back of the chair upright even when it's not in use — the previous version tended to flop over and fold in half every time you got out of it.
Small bungees hold the back upright in place while you get up to grab another book.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Stargaze is a bit awkward to roll up and fit easily back into its bag, both because of thick seams in odd places and the fairly giant poles. If the bag was just a little bit longer, you could avoid taking out the back stiffener poles, which would help make everything less awkward. All in all, compared to many simple fold-and-go chairs, this one is significantly more involved to use.
It's a very awkward package to try to shove back into a little bag...
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Aside from the whole swinging and reclining thing, the Stargaze has a cup holder and a pocket big enough for a smartphone and then some. We appreciate both of these features but aren't sold on the utility of their locations. Both the cup holder and the pocket are on the sides of the seat, making them challenging to use when seated. While we appreciate the effort put in by Nemo to provide convenient storage, we think the actual utility of these two features is rather lacking.
Using this cup holder located IN the seat is a struggle at best and often resulted in us spilling on ourselves.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Value
Retailing for a pretty staggering price, we struggle to recommend this chair. While we hope that future improvements to this intriguing recliner will make it more comfortable and functional, we're not sure that this latest iteration is worth the price.
These bars help lower the center of gravity of the user - though they certainly don't make it any easier to pack away!
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Conclusion
We are sadly underwhelmed by this interesting recliner. While we think the recline feature and adjustable headrest are solid concepts, the devil is in the details, and we think those are rather lacking in their current form. We hope this expensive option continues to receive improvements that will help us love it more in the future.
We wish it came with a footrest, but this cooler does just fine.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
—
Maggie Nichols
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