The Best Adirondack Chairs

Materials: recycled plastic, teak, cedar, acacia

By the ocean, recycled plastic is the low-effort answer: it shrugs off salt, sun and rain, and it is heavy enough not to blow across the deck. Teak is the luxury answer. It lasts for decades, but it costs more and is mostly sold by specialist teak retailers rather than on Amazon – our teak guide explains what to check before you buy. Cedar and acacia are the real-wood options for less money, as long as you are willing to oil or seal them.

What makes one comfortable: seat depth, back angle, arm width

The Adirondack is built for lounging: a deep seat that slopes backward, a tall reclined back and wide, flat arms for a glass or a book. That is why it is so comfortable for an hour by the water – and why some people find it hard to get out of. Check three things before you buy:

• Seat height: the chairs here with published figures sit 13.9 to 15 inches (35 to 38 cm) off the ground. The POLYWOOD Vineyard rocker is the highest at 15 inches, which you notice when you stand up.
• Seat depth: where the makers give it, seat depth ranges from about 16 to 18.5 inches (41 to 47 cm). Deeper seats suit tall people and thick cushions; shorter people may prefer a shallower seat.
• Arms: wide, flat arms are half the appeal. If you want to rest a plate on them, check the arm width in the listing.

A cushion changes everything. A 2-inch (5 cm) seat-and-back cushion softens the slats and lifts you slightly; the Cushion Source pick above is made in Sunbrella fabric for outdoor use.

Folding or fixed?

A folding chair matters if you store furniture in a shed or garage over winter, have a small balcony, or take chairs to a beach house. The POLYWOOD Classic folds once you pull two pins; the highwood Hamilton and the Montana Woodworks cedar chair fold too. Fixed chairs have fewer moving parts and are often a little cheaper. And if you can leave chairs outside all year, recycled plastic doesn't need to come in at all.

Salt air and sun: what lasts

• Stainless hardware: POLYWOOD and highwood both use 304-type stainless steel (POLYWOOD calls its 18-8 hardware marine-grade). That is fine for most coastal gardens; right on the shore, 316 (A4) lasts longer. Avoid zinc-plated fittings near the sea.
• Fresh water: rinse chairs now and then, especially after storms or spray. Salt left on any surface holds moisture.
• Winter: store wooden chairs or use a breathable cover. VonHaus recommends keeping its acacia chair in a shed or garage over winter.
• Gray wood is not rot: sun turns the surface of cedar, acacia and teak silver gray. A finish or protector slows it; a cleaner reverses it.

Add-ons: ottoman, side table, cushions

An ottoman turns an Adirondack into a lounger, and highwood sells the Hamilton with a matching ottoman, and both highwood and POLYWOOD offer sets with a side table. A small table between two chairs gives you somewhere for glasses and a book. For cushions, choose an outdoor fabric such as Sunbrella and a fill that dries quickly, and bring them in when they're not in use. To bring the same colors to the patio, see our coastal throw pillows; more outdoor pieces are in the coastal furniture section.

How we chose

We compared the manufacturers' specifications – material, hardware, seat height and depth, weight, load rating and warranty – and checked in which Amazon stores each chair is listed. We have not sat in these chairs; comfort notes come from the measurements. Where a maker gave two different figures (highwood lists both 28 and 33 lb for the Hamilton), we left the number out. POLYWOOD and highwood listings do turn up on Amazon in the UK and Germany, but we could not confirm that they are regularly in stock there, so we show them in the US only.