Vivo's Set of 2 Folding Camping Chairs: 46 Five-Star Reviews and a Steel Bar Some Thighs Won't Forgive
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One buyer's chairs were apparently good enough to steal from outside a motorhome in France. We read the 72 most recent UK reviews to work out whether the thieves chose well, and why a steel bar at the front of the seat keeps sending other pairs back.
"These were really nice comfy chairs, I liked them. An opinion probably shared by the people that stole them from outside our motorhome in France." That is a real five-star review of this Vivo Technologies chair pair, and it sums up the review file better than any spec sheet: most buyers rate these chairs, a few lose them, and a stubborn minority send them straight back.
We read the 72 most recent UK reviews on a listing that carries a 4.4-star lifetime average across 250 ratings. Our recent sample averages 4.18, with 46 five-star reviews against 8 one-stars. The praise is consistent: 2.68kg per chair, seconds to set up, stronger than the price suggests. The complaints are consistent too, and most trace back to one piece of steel sitting exactly where your thighs go. We score the set 3.9 out of 5, and this review is about which side of that bar you are likely to land on.
What Turns Up in the Box
You get two chairs, each folded into its own carry bag with a shoulder strap. A single chair weighs 2.68kg, and the classic X-frame design means setup is just pulling it open: no poles, no tools, nothing to slot together. Folded, each chair packs down to 94 x 14 x 14cm. One five-star reviewer flags the catch in that shape: at just under a metre long when folded it is fine in a car boot, but in his words "it isn't the most portable chair you can get", and a four-star buyer makes the same point from the other end, calling it a bit heavy for a hike at over 2kg.
Open, the chair stands 95cm tall at the back with a 55 x 55cm footprint. One quirk worth noting: the listing text quotes a seat width of 86cm, which does not match the 55cm on its own dimensions diagram, so treat the diagram as the safer guide. The seat fabric is 600D oxford with a PVC reinforced coating, hung on a 16mm powder-coated steel tube frame rated to 120kg (264lbs) per chair.
The listing images add three details the bullet points skip: textured anti-slip pads on the feet, a deepened mesh cup holder designed to stop cans tipping, and a side pocket sized for a paperback or a phone. Build impressions from buyers run better than the price implies. Eight of the 72 recent reviews use the word "sturdy" about the chair, one notes the stitching looks strong on the canvas-feel fabric, and another calls the material thicker and stronger than other camping chairs she has tried. For a two-chair set at this end of the market, that is not the review file you would expect.
Rated to 120kg, and Buyers Who Tested the Claim
A 120kg weight rating on a budget folding chair is easy to print and rarely tested in public. This review file is unusual because buyers state their own numbers. One reviewer put their weight at 107kg and reported the chair "coped with my figure well and feels solid and supportive", adding that the seat is usefully wide, though they found the mesh of the cup holder a bit flimsy. A five-star buyer covers the height question: "I am 5 foot 10 and sturdy, and I feel confident and comfy sitting in these", adding that the backs are higher than smaller rivals and the seat deep enough for long legs.
The seat also sits higher off the ground than most chairs in this class, and several buyers count that as a feature rather than a quirk. One reviewer who is, in their own words, plus size but short, has bought many chairs over the years hunting for ones that are easy to get out of, and rates these a little higher from the ground than any of them, light to carry as well.
The frame reports match the capacity claims. One buyer describes the frame as extremely strong with no sign of creaking or bending, and notes the upright seating position lets your rear sink in only slightly. Another couple sat in theirs for nearly two and a half hours on a first outing and came away recommending them. Across the 72 most recent reviews, 46 are five-star (64%) and another 12 are four-star, so 81% of the recent sample lands at four stars or above. On strength and stability, this set simply does not generate complaints.
Vivo Technologies Set of 2 Folding Camping Chairs
Two 2.68kg chairs rated to 120kg each, with cup holders, side pockets and carry bags, for beach days, sidelines and campsite evenings.
Eight of 72 Felt the Frame Through the Seat
Now the bar. The X-frame crosses under the seat and finishes in a steel tube along the front edge, and on a 2.68kg unpadded chair there is not much between that tube and your legs. 8 of the 72 most recent reviews describe the frame pressing into legs or thighs, and they span the full range from one star to five.
The two-star version comes from Matthew F., who found them shallow and returned his pair: "the 'V' bars at the front really do press into your thighs". The five-star version comes from a buyer who kept theirs anyway: "the metal bar dug into my thighs slightly after a while. However, you get that with these type of folding chairs." At the one-star end, a buyer found the seat too high, with a hard edge behind the knees. Note the contradiction with the previous section: the raised seat that makes these easy to get out of is the same geometry that plants the front tube against the back of shorter legs.
Two practical notes before you order. This is a third-party seller listing, and three of the buyers who returned their pairs mention paying the return postage themselves, which took the shine off the refund. And if you want the light weight but sit for long stretches, the fishing buyer below adds a cushion, though his complaint was backache from the seat's lumbar dip on all-day sessions rather than the front edge. Short sits around a campfire raise neither issue.
Three Days, One Summer, or Years: The Lifespan Spread
4 of the 72 recent reviews report a chair actually failing. The fastest was gone almost immediately: "seat broke apart within 3 days of using", from a one-star buyer in July 2026. Another buyer's chair broke mid-holiday and left them without a seat for the rest of the trip. The most detailed failure comes from amanda cooper, a camper of many years whose supermarket chairs lasted three seasons, but who says of these: "used these once and both are broke material ripped on back section". A fourth reviewer's pair did not make it through a single summer.
The other side of the ledger is just as real. One buyer has had his pair for over a year and reports them still in good condition. Another five-star reviewer posted an update after a season of family use: "after lot of use and abuse by my family these are still going strong and not showing any signs of wear and tear."
The timing is the finding here. The listing wears a 4.4 lifetime badge, but the 72 most recent reviews average 4.18, and the gap is concentrated at the new end: four of the twelve most recent reviews, posted between June and August 2026, are one-star, three returned over comfort and one for that broken seat. A sample of twelve swings easily, but the direction is not flattering. One caveat in the other direction: of the 8 one-star reviews in the sample, one is aimed entirely at the courier, who threw the box over a six-foot fence; that buyer says the chairs themselves were fine. Product-fault one-stars are really 7 of 72.
Beach Runs, Sidelines, Fishing Pegs and Festival Fields
The recent reviews sketch where these chairs actually get used. A day-tripper took the pair to Bournemouth beach and reported them comfortable and sturdy, folding back into their bags without drama. A parent bought them for the kids to use at football training and on a 2-day camping trip, and picked out the can-sized drinks holder and side pocket for their bits and bobs. A four-star buyer is blunter: "Ideal for festivals as light to carry." One buyer even keeps a chair on his narrowboat because it packs down compact enough to stow aboard for trips down the canals.
The fishing report is the most useful long-session test. David Smith carries his from peg to peg, calls the side pocket excellent for storage, and recommends a good cushion for long sits. His gripe is the bag: "far too narrow so if you don't fold it perfectly you'll struggle to put it back in". He is not alone, 3 of the 72 recent reviews describe wrestling the chairs back into their bags, one calling it nearly impossible.
Two accessory warnings from the sample. One three-star buyer received chairs with no side pocket at all: "it did not come with a side pocket as advertised", so check yours on arrival while the return window is open. And the cup holder that the listing shows swallowing a Stanley flask is a mesh sleeve, which the 107kg reviewer from earlier judged a bit flimsy. For car boots, campsite evenings, sidelines and festival fields, though, the pattern across the sample is the same: light enough to carry a fair distance, fast to deploy, and fine for a couple of hours at a time.
Where 3.9 Comes From, and Who Should Buy at That Score
The arithmetic first. The 72 most recent UK reviews average 4.18 against the listing's 4.4 lifetime badge. 46 of 72 are five-star, but 8 describe the frame pressing into legs or thighs, 4 report a rip or a breakage, and 7 of the 8 one-stars are product faults, with the newest reviews trending harsher than the badge. Neither failure cluster is close to the size that would sink the set, but both are too repetitive to wave through. That is a 3.9 out of 5: a good budget buy with one design trait you need to be able to live with.
Buy the pair if you want two full-size chairs that go up in seconds for beach days, football sidelines, festivals and campsite evenings, if a higher, easy-exit seat suits you, or if you are a bigger build who wants a budget chair that reviewers up to 107kg confirm feels solid. At 2.68kg a chair with a strap bag, they are made for the boot-to-pitch carry.
Think twice if you sit for hours at a stretch, if a front-bar chair has bothered your thighs before, or if paying return postage to a third-party seller would sting should the fit be wrong. In that case spend more on a padded chair; as one five-star buyer put it, at this price you get exactly what you pay for, and properly plush camp chairs cost a lot more. If the trade reads fine to you, check the current listing for the pair.
Vivo Technologies Set of 2 Folding Camping Chairs
Two 2.68kg chairs rated to 120kg each, with cup holders, side pockets and carry bags, for beach days, sidelines and campsite evenings.