Is the $175 Chair Worth It?

I’ve spent enough summers at the Jersey Shore to know that most beach chairs have a surprisingly short life expectancy. The fabric stretches out. The hinges get sticky. The frame rusts. And no matter how light and comfy it seems in the store, it’s almost always a pain in the ass to carry to and from the beach.

As a bona fide beach bum, I’ve become irrationally picky about my seating arrangements. Maybe that’s why my expectations were so low when I was offered the chance to test Shibumi’s beach chair alongside the brand’s famous wind-powered shade. In fact, I almost passed. The last thing I wanted was another bulky chair cluttering my garage before inevitably joining the graveyard of rusted-out gear that accumulates after years of coastal living. Besides, how different could a beach chair really be?

Turns out, quite different. After a year of testing, I am now a Shibumi chair evangelist.

Shibumi Chair

Pros
+ Exceptionally comfortable suspended seat design
+ Four recline positions that adjust smoothly
+ Lightweight with comfortable padded backpack straps
+ Durable construction that holds up to salt and sand
+ Thoughtful extras, including a phone sleeve and cup holder

Cons
– Expensive compared to most beach chairs
– Seat height (12”) may feel low for some users

Who It’s For: Frequent beachgoers willing to pay more for comfort, durability, and thoughtful design.

A Backpack Chair You’ll Actually Want to Carry

The first thing that surprised me about the Shibumi Chair was how easy it is to carry. At eight pounds, it’s certainly not the lightest beach chair on the market (that distinction goes to Helinox’s beach chair, which weighs just over 3.5 pounds when assembled but doesn’t have the reclining prowess of other popular models). That said, it feels noticeably lighter thanks to the padded neoprene backpack straps. Unlike the stiff webbing straps found on most other chairs I’ve tested, these stretch and move with your shoulders instead of digging into them. And since they’re adjustable, they don’t awkwardly pull in the frame too close to your body like other backpack chairs do, so you can walk without feeling like you’re strapped down.

But that’s just to-and-from the shoreline—the Shibumi Chair is incredibly comfortable when you get settled in the sand, too.

Smooth Reclining That Stands Up Salt, Sand, and More

The Shibumi Chair’s star feature is its suspended mesh seat design, which promises support without the pressure points. As someone with chronic back pain from scoliosis, I was skeptical. Most beach chairs eventually reveal some unforgiving support bar pressing into your lower back or shoulder blades, but the Shibumi somehow avoids that entirely. Whether I’m reading, watching the waves, or spending hours chatting with friends, I never find myself constantly shifting positions trying to get comfortable. I can spend an entire afternoon in it without my back complaining—a rarity for me.

The four recline positions deserve credit, too. Plenty of beach chairs offer multiple settings, but after a season or two, the mechanisms inevitably become sticky or difficult to adjust. That’s not the case here. Despite spending much of the past year outdoors at the Jersey Shore, my chair’s recline settings still move as smoothly as they did on day one. No rust. No sticking. No lopsided settings. Frankly, it’s a miracle.

Low to the Ground, High in Price

Some caveats: At 12 inches off the ground, I assumed getting in and out of the chair would be awkward (I’m 5-foot-9, so that’s down there). But I’ve found it to be perfectly comfortable. It sits low enough to feel like a proper seat without requiring a deep squat every time you stand up. That said, taller beachgoers or anyone with mobility concerns may want to look into Shibumi’s Tall Chair version, which stands 17 inches off the ground.

And then there’s the price. At $175, the chair costs significantly more than most beach chairs. For occasional beachgoers who only make a few trips to the shore each summer, that number is steep. But after more than a year of testing, I think the value becomes much clearer for beach bums like me. Rather than replacing a cheaper chair every few seasons, you’re buying something that’s designed to last (and not tick you off when you’re trying to pack up for the day.)

So, Should You Actually Buy the Shibumi Chair?

Would I spend $175 of my own money on a beach chair? Before testing the Shibumi Chair, absolutely not. But after a year of using it, carrying it, and sitting in it through countless beach days, the answer is yes. It has survived conditions that have destroyed other chairs I’ve owned, and I genuinely love using it. In fact, my mom—who notoriously complains about every beach chair being “impossible” to close and makes my siblings and I do it for her when we pack up for the day—and I fight over who gets to use it when we go to the beach together. That’s about the highest praise a chair can get.