NEMO  Stargaze Reclining Camp Chair

It took me a year to come around on this chair to purchase since it’s completely unnecessary. After reading many reviews and watching YouTube videos where this chair consistently came up as a top camping chair, I bought 2 when they went on sale at 25% off. My concerns before actually seeing the chair were the stability and the materials which are not an issue because the chair and materials are solid. When you rock back and forth the rods on either side do move with you but they won’t break or snap, the rods are quite robust. When reclining, it’s best if you have a footrest to put your feet up. We use two other tripod chairs as footrests and I can sleep for hours in the reclining position with just a blanket over me cause it’s feels like a really comfortable hammock. I have to say that I love this chair, it’s completely unnecessary but it’s great on my back and so comfortable. It’s especially nice that there are thick rubber knobs at the end of each leg so you can safely use it inside your tent. However, this chair won’t be for everyone because there are issues. There’s a rod that goes across underneath you from left to right and holds the legs in place. If you’re too slim, your but will hit that rob as you move back and forth. A seat cushion or sitting on a blanket will solve this. Another issue is that if you’re too wide then you likely won’t be able to access or use the cup holder, or if you sit on a blanket then accessing the cup holder becomes an issue. Accessing the cell phone pocket shouldn’t be a problem. Other potential issues include getting in and out of the chair if you don’t use the bars on either side to assist in lifting yourself up or keeping the chair in place as you sit down. If you use the handles on either side you shouldn’t have any issues sitting down or getting out of the chair. Reclining without a footrest isn’t uncomfortable but it’s much better if you have something to put your feet up on. The chair sits quite low so if you just sit in the chair and you’re taller then finding a comfortable position for your legs can be annoying. The material used for support is a mesh which dries really well but means that on cold nights you will want to use a blanket for your back when recline otherwise you will get cold. Also, the chair is not comfortable for eating; it’s too low and you have to lean forward too much. For eating we use the Dometic Go Camp table and Yeti Trailhead Chairs which are amazingly comfortable sit upright chairs, and why I say this Nemo Stargazer chair is completely unnecessary. Separately, depending on your terrain, if the chair leans one side slightly higher than the other then the handle rods that you use to get in and out of the chair may rub up against the rods that hold the chair up. This isn’t an issue in that you won’t damage the chair but it can get annoying if you rock back and forth with the rods rubbing against each other at shoulder level. I can see where many reviews point out that the rods that provide back support tear through the small pockets that hold the rods in place though we haven’t had that problem. It does take extra effort to force the back support rods in place and I can see where over time you will tear through the bottom pockets of the back support rods due to the amount of force which is used to set them in place. Overall, I wouldn’t expect to use this chair as my only camp chair since I do not think it serves the function of your typical camp chair. Folding up the Yeti Trailhead chair is easy but that chair is quite heavy and takes up a lot of space. The Nemo Stargazer is very light but takes getting used to when taking it apart and putting it back in it’s pouch; this process can take a more than one attempt. Once in the pouch, the Stargazer takes up little space. I do appreciate how the rods come apart and are kept together with elastic bands which make setting up the chair quite easy. Final point, It’s called a “Stargazer” and for our purposes we have the 2 other Yeti Trailhead chairs that we use for eating and sitting upright around the campfire having drinks, making s’mores and chatting. We use the Nemo Stargazer when it’s peaceful and quiet and especially when it’s pitch black out except for the stars; or once everyone has gone to bed and you can recline, put your feet up with a soft blanket over you and appreciate the moment by the last embers of the fire under a starry sky. I love this chair and highly recommended it. To me, it feels like a hammock and is just so comfortable. However, it won’t be for everyone especially when a good blanket and pillow under the stars kinda does the same thing.

I'm giving this two stars because I'm sure for some people this chair would work out. It's beautifully made with really nice materials. The metal poles that snap together are a piece of art in themselves and it was packaged beauty. The concept is wonderful but, as many have pointed out here, the execution is lacking. I'm 5'2' so I'm on the small side. For one, I expected the chair to sit lower and was surprised at how high it sits. I'm sure a taller person would appreciate that aspect. Again, as a small person it took a lot of effort for me to get it to recline, never mind stargaze. I had to brace myself against another piece of furniture and physically push myself backwards to get it to recline. Mostly it would push me forward and it wasn't at all comfortable in that position. The headrest was completely useless for someone of my stature. It would push my head forward even more and only if I removed it was the chair somewhat useable. Another problem was that the cupholder wasn't useable either. Anything I put in would just flop to the side. Yet another problem was that I couldn't get access to any side table that I put next to it because of the bars and straps on the sides. I couldn't even reach through them to get to the table and I often like to eat/drink while sitting in my chair so that is another big problem for me. Getting in the chair wasn't easy. They have these padded bars on the side to hold onto but they actually pinched my hands getting into it. I expected the chair to go backwards easily with the self adjusting straps but it didn't. I had to brace myself against my couch just to get it to recline into a "stargazing" position. Not really workable when you are camping though. So with great reluctance I decided to return it for a simpler but bulkier recliner. I really wanted to love this chair. I like the materials and the concept and the packability. I found it very easy to pack up. What I did NOT find easy was the poles that go in the back headrest. They are simply too long. Again, great concept but getting them in and out of their slots was a painful and tedious task. I actually put them together and bent them and got them in but I do wonder how long I could do that before I break or rip it. It's just not a workable solution. I guess a taller person would be appreciate this chair in that they could use their legs to push themselves back to actually recline in it. I couldn't even imagine not having some sort of table or stool to rest your legs on though, especially if you are under 6' tall. I can't imagine a larger/big person using this as it's rather confining. I guess it's made for tall, slim people but didn't work for me. I really loved the idea of a chair that was like a hammock because I camp in the desert where there aren't trees but this chair didn't seem to be able to do anything for me so I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you are under 5'5".