REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair Review: A Great Idea Undone by Critical Flaws

There’s a unique stillness that falls over the woods just before dawn. It’s a quiet broken only by the rustle of leaves or the distant call of a bird. For a hunter, this is the moment of truth, and your position in a ground blind is your entire world. I’ve spent countless hours in that world, perched on flimsy stools or overturned buckets, shifting my weight and fighting the inevitable cramps. Every tiny squeak from a cheap chair feels like a bullhorn, every awkward turn to peek through a side window is a gamble that could spook the very game you’ve tracked for hours. The frustration is immense; you invest in the best camo, the perfect blind, the most accurate gear, only to be betrayed by the one thing you’re sitting on. That’s why the promise of a silent, 360-degree swivel chair isn’t just a luxury—it’s a tactical necessity.

What to Consider Before Buying a Hunting & Camping Chair

A camping chair is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for comfort, stability, and patience in the great outdoors. Whether you’re waiting for hours in a hunting blind, relaxing by a campfire, or fishing by the lake, the right chair prevents back pain, keeps you off the cold, damp ground, and provides a stable platform for your activities. The main benefits are clear: enhanced endurance for long sits, improved focus by eliminating discomfort, and greater overall enjoyment of your outdoor pursuits. A poor choice leads to a miserable experience, cut short by aches and pains, or worse, a gear failure that could cause an accident.

The ideal customer for a specialized product like a swivel hunting chair is someone who values stealth and situational awareness above all else—typically hunters in ground blinds or wildlife photographers. They need silent movement and the ability to cover all angles without shifting their entire body. However, this type of chair might not be suitable for those who prioritize ultra-lightweight backpacking, where every ounce counts, or for casual car campers who just need a simple, inexpensive seat. For those users, a standard quad-fold chair or a minimalist stool might be a better and more cost-effective choice.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: Consider the chair’s footprint, both folded for transport and unfolded for use. Inside a ground blind, space is at a premium. Measure your blind’s interior to ensure the chair fits comfortably and allows for a full 360-degree rotation without bumping into the walls. Also, check the seat height and width to ensure it matches your body type for ergonomic comfort during long periods.
• Capacity/Performance: The weight capacity is a critical safety metric. Look for a chair rated well above your own weight to account for gear and dynamic movements, like leaning forward or shifting suddenly. For a swivel chair, the performance of the rotation mechanism is paramount. It must be completely silent, smooth, and free of any grinding or catching that could give away your position.
• Materials & Durability: The frame is the backbone of the chair. Steel is common for its strength but adds weight, while aluminum is lighter but can be less robust. Pay close attention to the fabric—look for high-denier polyester or Oxford fabric that resists tears and punctures. Most importantly, inspect the connection points, hinges, and feet, as these are often the first points of failure, especially if they are made of plastic.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: How quickly and quietly can you set up and break down the chair? A complex assembly can be a nightmare in low-light conditions. Look for intuitive folding mechanisms and integrated carry straps. For maintenance, a simple wipe-clean fabric is ideal for dealing with the mud and dirt that are inevitable in the field.

While the REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair aims to check many of these boxes, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at different styles, especially those focused on ultimate comfort, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: A Promising Concept on Shaky Ground

Unboxing the REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair, the initial thought is one of purpose-built design. The camouflage pattern is effective, and the overall shape, with its solid back and hard armrests, looks the part. It folds down into a reasonably compact, if slightly heavy (at 9.9 pounds), package. The integrated shoulder strap is a thoughtful touch for carrying it from the truck to the blind. Assembly is straightforward: you unfold the four legs until they click into place and the chair is ready. The Oxford fabric feels adequate, though not exceptionally thick. The star of the show, the swivel mechanism, feels smooth enough when spun by hand. The large, pivoting “duck feet” also seem like a great idea for stability on uneven, muddy ground. On paper, it presents itself as a solid contender designed specifically for the discerning hunter. However, a closer inspection of the leg hinges and the central base revealed a significant amount of plastic in critical, load-bearing areas—an immediate point of concern before we even began our field testing.

Deep Dive: Where Promise Meets a Harsh Reality

A hunting chair is judged on a few simple but non-negotiable criteria: it must be quiet, it must be comfortable enough for hours of sitting, and above all, it must be safe and reliable. We took the REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair out for extensive field testing to see if its performance lived up to its promising feature list. What we discovered was a chair that excels in concept but fails profoundly, and dangerously, in execution.

The 360° Swivel: A Silent Hunter’s Dream?

The core feature and primary selling point is the 360-degree swivel. In a ground blind, the ability to silently cover every shooting lane and window is a massive tactical advantage. Initially, the swivel on the REDCAMP chair performed as expected. Fresh out of the box, the rotation was relatively smooth and quiet, allowing for a full range of motion. We could easily turn to monitor movement from any direction without the body contortions required with a static chair. This is, without a doubt, how a hunting chair should function. The ability to grab your bow or rifle, swing towards a target, and prepare for a shot with minimal body movement is a true game-changer.

However, the dream began to sour after just a short time in use. As we sat in the chair, a subtle but distinct creaking sound began to emanate from the base with every turn. It wasn’t the metal-on-metal grind of a bad bearing, but the stressed groan of plastic under load. This noise, while not deafening, is more than enough to alert a cautious deer or turkey in the quiet woods. The silence, the most critical aspect of this feature, proved to be fleeting. Furthermore, as the base began to flex under weight (more on that later), the swivel action became less smooth, catching slightly at certain points. The feature that should have been its greatest strength quickly became a liability, a concern that makes you hesitant to move at the most critical moments. You can explore the design of its swivel base online, but our hands-on experience revealed its significant shortcomings.

Comfort and Ergonomics: Designed for the Long Wait

Putting aside the mechanical issues for a moment, let’s talk about comfort. For a chair in this category, REDCAMP got the ergonomics mostly right. The dimensions of 23″D x 21″W x 33″H provide a reasonably generous seating area, and the backrest is tall enough to offer decent support. For an average-sized adult, the chair is comfortable for the first hour or two. The standout feature here is the hard armrests. Unlike the flimsy fabric strap arms on many camping chairs, these provide real, solid support. They make it significantly easier to get in and out of the chair quietly and offer a stable resting place for your arms, reducing fatigue over a long sit.

The seat itself is made of taut Oxford fabric with no padding, which is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it prevents the bulky feel of some overly padded chairs and dries quickly. On the other, after several hours, the lack of cushioning becomes apparent, leading to pressure points and the need to shift your weight frequently. The all-terrain rotating feet are another excellent concept, adapting well to soft dirt and uneven ground, preventing the chair from sinking in or wobbling excessively—at least, until the structural flaws of the frame come into play. For those looking for a chair that promises long-term comfort, the design is a step in the right direction, but it’s ultimately let down by the foundation it’s built upon. It’s a frustrating case of a good ergonomic design being implemented on a poor-quality frame, a fact you might not glean from just looking at the product specifications and photos.

The Elephant in the Room: Catastrophic Build Quality and Durability

This is where our review takes a sharp and unavoidable turn. A chair can have the best features in the world, but if it isn’t safe, it’s worthless. The REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair has a stated maximum weight capacity of 330 pounds. Our testing revealed this claim to be not just optimistic, but dangerously inaccurate. The core of the problem lies in the extensive use of brittle, low-quality plastic in the most critical, load-bearing component: the central hub where the four legs connect.

During our field test, a team member weighing approximately 180 pounds—just over half the stated capacity—was sitting in the chair. After about 20 minutes, he swiveled to the right to look out a side window of the blind. A loud crack echoed in the small space, and the entire base buckled. One of the plastic hinges that holds a leg in its locked position had snapped clean in two, causing the chair to collapse instantly. This wasn’t a slow failure; it was an abrupt and total structural collapse that could easily cause serious injury. This first-hand experience directly validates the alarming feedback from other users, with one reporting the “whole thing buckled and collapsed” under the weight of his 175-pound brother, and another stating a “plastic hinge… broke while I was in it.”

Upon inspecting the broken component, the issue was obvious. The plastic was thin, brittle, and clearly not up to the task of handling the torsional stress of a swiveling motion combined with a person’s weight. The “Heavy-duty construction utilizing thicker metal steel tubing” is completely negated when those steel tubes are anchored into a fragile plastic hub. It’s a fundamental design flaw that makes the chair a genuine safety hazard. We cannot, in good conscience, recommend a product that fails so spectacularly under normal, intended use at a fraction of its advertised weight limit. The potential for injury is simply too high. We strongly urge potential buyers to view the user-submitted photos and reviews before making a purchase decision.

What Other Users Are Saying

Our alarming experience with the REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair is not an isolated incident. A survey of user feedback reveals a consistent and troubling pattern of catastrophic structural failure. The sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, focusing squarely on the chair’s inability to support even modest weight without breaking. One user bluntly stated, “Base is total garbage,” after his 175 lb brother had the chair buckle and collapse during its first use. This mirrors our own test results almost exactly.

Another user reported a similar failure point, noting, “one of the plastic hinges that holds the leg in place broke while I was in it” after only two uses. The most concise and damning feedback simply says, “No stars. Sit in it one time and broke in half. Garbage product.” It’s incredibly rare to see such a unified chorus of complaints centered on the exact same critical failure point. This feedback confirms that the issue is not a one-off manufacturing defect but a fundamental and dangerous flaw in the chair’s design and material choice. It’s impossible to find positive sentiments to balance these severe safety warnings.

Competitors to the REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair

Given the severe safety concerns we identified with the REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair, we cannot recommend it. Instead, we strongly suggest considering more robust and reliable alternatives. While these options may not feature a 360-degree swivel, they prioritize build quality, durability, and a much higher, more realistic weight capacity, ensuring a safe and comfortable experience.

1. EVER ADVANCED Oversized Folding Camping Chair 500lbs

If your primary concern is rock-solid stability and a high weight capacity, the EVER ADVANCED Oversized Folding Chair is an excellent choice. Foregoing the complex swivel mechanism for pure strength, this chair boasts a massive 500lb weight capacity. Its heavy-duty steel frame and padded, durable fabric are built for comfort and longevity. It’s an ideal option for larger individuals or anyone who simply wants absolute peace of mind that their chair won’t fail. While you lose the hunting-specific swivel feature, you gain unparalleled durability and comfort, making it a fantastic all-around chair for camping, fishing, and tailgating.

2. EVER ADVANCED Tall Folding Camping Chair with Side Table

For those who value convenience and a different kind of functionality, this director’s chair from EVER ADVANCED is a compelling alternative. Its tall 30.7″ seat height provides a better vantage point and makes getting in and out effortless, a feature particularly useful for older users or at craft shows and sporting events. The integrated side table with a cup holder is a massive convenience, keeping your drink, phone, or snacks within easy reach. With a sturdy frame supporting up to 350lbs, it offers a reliable and practical seating solution, trading the swivel for features that enhance comfort and utility in a variety of outdoor settings.

3. Overmont Oversized XL Folding Camping Chair 400lb

The Overmont Oversized XL chair strikes a great balance between heavy-duty construction and creature comforts. It features a robust 400lb weight capacity, a comfortable padded seat and back, and a suite of useful features. The integrated side pocket, cup holder, and even a built-in cooler bag in the armrest make it a self-contained relaxation station. This chair is perfect for the camper or angler who plans to settle in for a long day and wants everything they need close at hand. It offers superior durability and far more utility than the REDCAMP chair, making it a much safer and more practical investment for general outdoor use.

Our Final Verdict: A Dangerous Design to Avoid

The REDCAMP 360° Swivel Hunting Chair is a textbook example of a fantastic idea crippled by abysmal execution. The concept of a silent, portable, 360-degree swivel chair with hard arms and all-terrain feet is exactly what a ground blind hunter needs. The ergonomic design is thoughtful, and on paper, it promises to solve a real-world problem for outdoorsmen. However, the reality is that this product is built upon a critically flawed foundation. The use of brittle, inadequate plastic in the main load-bearing hub of the base creates a severe and unacceptable safety risk.

Our testing confirmed the numerous user reports of catastrophic failure at weights far, far below the advertised 330-pound limit. The chair is not just unreliable; it is dangerous. A sudden collapse in the field could easily lead to injury and will certainly ruin any hunt. Because of this fundamental design flaw, we cannot recommend this chair to anyone under any circumstances. Your safety is more important than any feature. We strongly advise you to invest in one of the more durable, reliable alternatives we’ve listed above. If you are still curious, you can check the latest price and see the overwhelming user feedback for yourself, but we urge you to prioritize safety and choose a different product.