Take It Outside: Waterproof Bean Bag Chairs Are the Ultimate Outdoor Loungers

Anyone in the market for new pool lounge chairs? You might have noticed that, like everything else, they’re more expensive than you remember. And they’re difficult to get just right. 

Children of the ‘70s will remember the scratchy webbing strips stretched over the aluminum frames of a lawn chair. They’d fray in the sun and collapse under the weight of some unfortunate neighbor by the end of August, and the skeletons would sit in the back of the garage until someone gave up and threw them away. (Serena & Lily has updated the nostalgic style with softer, more durable materials, if you’re curious). Children of the ‘80s likely peeled themselves off of the plastic tubing of a folding lounge chair, the kind that required folding and refolding the two ends to achieve the perfect head-prop. 

Who hasn’t walked across a pool deck with the crosshatch pattern from a Brown Jordan aluminum-and-woven-plastic-strap chair embedded in the backs of their thighs? Or slammed their finger in the jaws of a heavy teak adjustable chaise, ruining a perfectly lovely summer day?

Finding an affordable, durable lounge chair—that doesn’t require replacing, cleaning, and maintaining easily stained cushions—is tricky. Enter the outdoor bean bag lounger. If the word “lazy” hadn’t already been trademarked by another famous chair maker, it would be used appropriately to describe this style. 

If you’re the kind of person who likes to even pretend that they want to sit upright and read by the pool, look elsewhere. Achieving that proper angle would require a stack of wedged pillows and towels, and even then there’s no guarantee. Even this West Elm version (pictured above), which does a solid impression of a chair, is built almost exclusively for dozing. If sprawling out on a giant round ottoman, sinking into a pleasantly supportive mound, or leaning on sack of flour that’s roughly the size of a human being sounds like a great way to spend a sunny afternoon, then we’ve got what you’re looking for.

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The Body Bag

Pointed on one end, flat and wide on the other, this bean bag lounger is fade and mold resistant.

Built to Chill

The nearly 10-year old Vancouver-based modern furniture company Article has mastered the art of the affordable, modern patio. And these outdoor loungers, available in three colors, are as relaxed as it gets.

The Blob

At 72″ in diameter, this Yamba pet-and-family-friendly outdoor bean bag is built for a crowd, or sprawling out on a sunny afternoon. Get this slate color on sale before it’s gone. Or one of two new colors at full price.

What About Bob

It was only a matter of time before someone tossed one of these in the water to see if they float. Turns out, they do. Unhook the strap of the (the name prize goes to…) Fatboy Floatzac to lay flat, or make an attempt to prop a passenger upright when it’s attached. It’s a more durable (and less sticky) alternative to disposable PVC rafts.

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