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7 best deckchairs for reclining in comfort and style this summer

Nothing beats relaxing al fresco, so make sure you’ve got your perfect pew sorted

Zoe Phillimore
Tuesday 23 April 2024 06:00 EDT
These durable, cool recliners are perfect for summertime lazing in the garden or packing for the beach
These durable, cool recliners are perfect for summertime lazing in the garden or packing for the beach (The Independent )
Our Top Picks

Summer is when we can really enjoy some al fresco relaxing. If your outdoor space or budget doesn’t stretch to accommodate larger garden furniture, deckchairs are the perfect answer. Comfortable, durable and cool, they’re a flexible answer for lazy summer relaxing.

Once upon a time, deckchairs were a piece of fabric suspended on a wooden frame. And while they’re very much still the mainstay, the design has evolved to incorporate other materials and looks. Whether you’re looking for something lightweight to sling under your arm, something that adds a pop of colour, or something durable and comfortable, there’s a deckchair for you.

Wooden deckchairs tend to be more heavy weight. This can make them more durable and means they have a very classic look, which many of us are drawn to. Wood is not the be all and end all, however. If you want to move your deckchair frequently, you might want to consider a metal deckchair. Most of these have lightweight frames and are easier to fold than their wooden counterparts. They can however feel a tad less stable.

Other features to look out for are recline positions. Many, but certainly not all, deckchairs have recline positions. Some deckchairs come with arms – these can provide comfort, or they might make you feel a bit hemmed in.

The fabric on the sling part of the chair is also worth considering. If it’s cotton, it might pick up and hold dirt a bit more, but it’s going to be more breathable to sit on for hours on a hot summer’s day. Man-made fabrics like polyester, meanwhile, are lightweight and wipe clean, and will dry quickly in downpours, but you may find them a sweatier sit.

How we tested the best deck chairs

We spent around a month sitting around, seeing which deckchairs met our incredibly high standards. Our criteria for the best deckchair roundup was comfort first and foremost. We wanted a nice stable seat, ideally without any creaking. Something that was easy to get in and out of was a big tick for us, too. Other things we were after were value for money (as always!), durability and something that actually looked nice in our garden. Here are the ones that made the cut…

The best deck chairs for 2024 are:

  • Best overall – B&Q curacao golden apricot foldable cabana striped beach chair: £22, Diy.com
  • Best budget deckchair – B&Q GoodHome Joline steel grey metal deckchair: £18, Diy.com
  • Best premium deckchair – The Stripes Company premium deckchair in surfing: £165, Thestripescompany.com
  • Best deckchair for durability – Duramax Newport deckchair: £138.48, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best reclining deckchair – Habitat folding wooden garden deck chair: £45, Habitat.co.uk

B&Q curacao golden apricot foldable cabana striped beach chair

B&Q-deck-chair-indybest
  • Best: Overall deckchair
  • Dimenions: 77cm x 77cm x 51cm
  • Seat material: Polyester
  • Foldable : Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Lovely shade
    • Classic look
    • Easy to get in and out of
    • Great for those short on space
    • Comfy

With its perfect pale blue stripes, this deckchair really brought a smile to our faces and a lovely splash of colour to our garden. We loved the wide-striped cabana-style print. It brings a contemporary look to any patio or terrace. Okay, so it’s quite low down meaning it’s not going to be the easiest to get in and out of  – but when were deckchairs ever? And once we were sat, it was really comfortable and we could easily while away the hours in it. The matching headrest also helped with comfort levels. The metal frame folds really small, so good for those short on space. It’ll easily jam in a cupboard or slither of space in the shed too.

  1.  £22 from Diy.com
Prices may vary
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B&Q GoodHome Joline steel grey metal deckchair

best deckchair
  • Best: Budget buy deckchair
  • Dimensions: 3cm x 82cm x 56cm
  • Seat material: Polyester
  • Foldable : Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Great value
    • Lighweight and easy to fold
  • Take note
    • Creaks a little

We can’t quite get over the amazing value of this deckchair. It’s lightweight and easy to fold, without a hint of a creak when sat in. Indeed, it feels stable when we sit on it, even on an uneven patio. It’s also easy enough to take with you around the garden, for slinging in the car boot or for stowing away in the garden shed. We found it looked great even after the British weather turned, and the coated metal frame made it durable. Sure, it won’t win any awards for the exciting colours, but it hides any dirt well and will wipe clean.

  1.  £18 from Diy.com
Prices may vary
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Garden Trading rocking deck chair

Garden-trading-deck-chair-indybest
  • Best: Rocking deckchair
  • Dimensions: 86cm x 56cm x 90cm
  • Seat material: 100 per cent cotton
  • Foldable : Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Added rocking relaxation
    • Durable
    • Sophisticated
  • Take note
    • Curved arms do curtain the space slightly

Not content with lying in a deckchair when al fresco chilling? Well how about a little rocking action to get you fully relaxed? This durable and sophisticated deckchair has a subtle rocking action to it, which we found had us slipping into a little doze – perfect for lazy summer days.

The soft-yet-hardwearing 100 per cent cotton fabric on the Garden Trading deckchair is printed in subtle colours. And the frame is made out of beach, and has that washed-out shabby chic vibe going on. We found this chair comfortable, although the curved arms do curtain the space slightly.

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Habitat folding wooden garden deck chair

Habitat-deck-chair-indybest
  • Best: Reclining deckchair
  • Dimensions: 7.5cm x 162cm x 63cm
  • Seat material: Polyester
  • Foldable : Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Multiple reclining positions
    • Feels durable
  • Take note
    • On the sweaty side

This is a real classic deck chair, if ever we saw one. It has three reclining positions, so it’s going to work whether you want to sit up and chat with friends or lie back and sunbathe. The frame, which is made from solid FSC timber, feels durable, and is finished in a deep brown tone. We found this deck chair really comfortable, with no constraining arms meaning we could stretch out nicely. The seat fabric is polyester, so it will fair well if it’s caught in a shower, but it is also a tad sweatier than other cottons in this line up.

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Duramax Newport deckchair

best deckchair
  • Best: For durability
  • Dimensions: 102cm x 63.5cm x 33cm
  • Seat material: Breathable fabric
  • Foldable : Yes
  • Why we love it
    • Super durable and weather-proof
    • Quick-dry
    • Reclines
    • Comfy
  • Take note
    • Gets a tad sweaty
    • Expensive

With a metal frame and wipe-clean fabrics, this is probably the most durable deckchair we found. You could leave it out in all weathers and it’d probably be fine. It’s water and UV resistant, and it looked as good as new at the end of our testing period as it did when we unboxed it. We also appreciated that, given the temperamental British weather, that the fabric is quick dry – although yes, it could get a tad sweaty.

The Duramax deckchair has three recline positions, so you can find your optimal repose position. There’s also a comfy headrest pillow – a touch all testers appreciated. We found this chair pretty comfortable. It is, however, quite heavy thanks to the metal frame – it’s not one you’ll want to sling in the car, or keep having to pack away into the shed.

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Von Haus wooden Adirondack chair

best deckchair
  • Best: Adirondack-style deckchair
  • Dimensions: 88cm x 68.5cm x 90cm
  • Seat material: Not specified
  • Foldable: No
  • Why we love it
    • Classic look
    • Straightforward construction
    • Durable and well made
  • Take note
    • Heavy

The classic Adirondack style of this chair added a touch of laid-back sophistication to our garden. Perfect for decking, grass and patio, there’s no garden or outdoor space that this chair won’t make a little better. It is, however, very large and heavy. You won’t want to be shifting about hourly as you chase the sun around your garden, let’s put it that way. It is also worth noting that the Von Haus chair comes flatpacked, though construction only took us around 30 minutes.

We found it very comfortable though, with armrests wide enough to balance a drink on. It’s set in one recline position, but we found it a really good recline for sitting and chatting with friends – you certainly won’t be sitting back staring at the blinding sun in this chair. It feels durable and well made, and is a classic piece that’s never going to go out of style.

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The Stripes Company premium deckchair in surfing

best deckchair
  • Best: Premium deckchair
  • Dimensions: 138cm x 60cm (folded)
  • Seat material: Not specified
  • Why we love it
    • Classic beachy look
    • Has a whole host of colours
    • Breathable
    • Replaceable sling so should last years

Oh how we loved the classic aesthetic of this deck chair. We went for “surfing” stripes – a perfect beachy blue that looked incredibly inviting. The Stripes Company has this deckchair in pretty much every colourway under the sun though and you can get swatches of the fabrics you like before you buy, too. The fabric is a thick, heavy-duty canvas, which is hardwearing yet breathable.

You can, if you want, remove the fabric sling from this deckchair – and even fully replace it once it’s worn out. But with good treatment, the deckchair should last you years. The frame is made from teak, and finished in a warm rich brown shade for the ultimate classic deckchair vibe. With three recline positions, we found this deckchair generously roomy and very comfortable. It ticked all our boxes, basically.

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The verdict: Deckchairs

The B&Q curacao delivered the perfect, and much-needed fun beachy vibe to our garden. It’s lightweight enough to take away with you, and folds small enough that it can be stowed away easily. It’s also well made and very wallet friendly. The icing on the cake? The head rest – it made it feel like a much more premium deckchair than the price tag suggests.

For more garden inspiration, we’ve found all the best outdoor furniture for the perfect garden set-up, from dining sets to wooden chairs

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