The $120 Zero Gravity Chair vs. the $32 Backpack Chair

I bought the Timber Ridge Zero Gravity chair because I tried one at a friend's house and immediately ascended to another plane of existence. The recline. The headrest. The weightless feeling. I said 'I need this for the beach' and ordered it that night.

The chair arrived in a box the size of a small coffin. I wrestled it into my trunk and it took up everything. No room for the cooler, no room for the beach bag, no room for the wagon. My daughter rode to the beach holding a beach umbrella like a jousting lance because there was no room for it in the trunk.

Then I carried the chair from the parking lot at South Pointe Park to the sand. Twenty-five pounds. In Miami heat. By the time I set it up, I was so sweaty I needed the ocean more than I needed the chair.

Did I look amazing reclined in zero gravity on the beach? Honestly, yes. For about 30 minutes until I fell asleep and woke up looking like a lobster because the chair was so comfortable I forgot to reapply sunscreen (see: sunscreen entry).

The Tommy Bahama backpack chair is what every single person on Miami Beach uses, and there's a reason. Backpack straps. Both hands free. Seven pounds. Built-in cooler pouch. You strap it on, walk to the beach, unfold it, sit down. Done.

Is it as comfortable as zero gravity? No. But I'm at the beach. I'm not trying to achieve nirvana. I'm trying to watch my kid build sandcastles without throwing out my back carrying furniture.