The 9 Best Chairs for Fat and Heavy People

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Let’s speak frankly, as a fat guy, I spend a lot of time either sitting in a chair or looking for a chair to sit in. At least compared to the average person.

All my years of being fat and looking for chairs have left me wondering, why is a comfortable chair for a fat person so hard to find?! What kind of people are even supposed to sit in the flimsy and anemic chairs that most stores sell?

I can understand why malls or restaurants don’t have chairs that fit me. They have to fit the majority of their customers who aren’t my size. However, why can’t I find sturdy chairs for home? Well, the answer is that we can find high-capacity chairs but they are hard to find and tend to be prohibitively expensive. This leads me to this buying guide! I have spent dozens of hours researching and testing the best chairs for a heavy person so you don’t have to!

I stared at reviews, materials, and prices until my eyes were sore, followed by lots of hours of sitting to determine what worked and what didn’t. Now, I hope that you will never be uncomfortable again in your home! Don’t waste your time or money on chairs that are built for the average person. Get a quality chair that is designed for a heavy person and will last for many years! Let’s talk about seats!

*Over the course of my testing, I looked at dozens of chairs beyond the ones I included here. Be sure to click the link in each section if you want to see my full reviews, check out other chairs for fat people that I tested, and learn more.

Living Room Chairs for Heavy Person

Best Recliner for Heavy Person

As a big guy, I want to be able to relax somewhere I’m totally comfortable. For many people, this means a heavy-duty recliner. However, as squishy and big as most recliners are, most have a weight capacity of 300 pounds for less. This isn’t going to cut it for heavy people. What will cut it? Well, I looked at a dozen recliners and sat in 5 different ones with weight capacities from 320 to over 500 pounds and this was the clear winner!

Lane is one of the most well-known names in plus-size furniture and this chair is one of Lane’s best sellers.

Some features I loved:

• The non-electric reclining mechanism. While some people love a motorized recliner (and Lane has them) I like a chair that will be more durable, won’t need maintenance, repairs, or batteries, and can but used in a spot without an electrical outlet.
• Its wall-saver design means it can be pushed up almost against the wall and still not scrape off all your paint when you recline
• It is a huge and comfortable recliner! I’m 6’3″ and this recliner would be comfortable for someone that is up to 6″ taller than me. However, because it is so well padded and designed it will also be extremely comfortable for a much shorter person (or so my wife told me)

So if a big man’s recliner is what you think of when you imagine a chair for a heavy person, then this chair is for you!

If it’s not quite right, we have the Full Buying Guide for Heavy Duty Recliners that you can read. If you are in need of a Power Lift Recliner For Big And Heavy People, we have those too!

Best Office Chair for Overweight Person

If you are a person who leans back in their office chair, beware! When I worked in an office I saw the backs break off of several different chairs when heavy people tried to lean back! The average office chair has a weight capacity of 200-250 pounds which, when I look around, seems to support less than half the population!

In my search, I looked at chairs that had high weight capacities, were made of durable fabric, had high-density foam, and rolled well. After all, no one wants a chair with a high weight capacity that starts looking terrible within a year due to a poor-quality covering!

The chair that I ended up choosing as the winner is from a company by the name of BestMassage. Because they specialize in massage chairs, they know a thing or two about comfort. I could sit in this chair for hours without the need to stand up and regain feeling in my legs!

If nothing but the best will do, we also spent some time in one of the most comfortable and high-end office chairs designed specifically for heavy people (read that review here). But if you need a chair that will do the job for 9/10 people, get this one!

The Best Dining Room Chair for Heavy People

If I hear one more study about the value of having family dinner…then I might actually do it. The problem is, most people (myself included) understand that having dinner as a family is valuable and we wish we could do it!

I don’t know why other people don’t often have dinner as a family, but for us, it used to be because we didn’t have a gathering place. Even though it was the best we could do, having dinner at the same time on the couch didn’t really qualify as “family dinner.” When we were finally able, we bit the bullet and bought a set of high-capacity dining room chairs so we could all gather and share a meal!

If we had understood sooner how affordable heavy-duty dining chairs could be, we might already have several years of family dinners under our belts! However, it took us some time to discover the secret. You can’t just go buy a sturdy dining chair at your local furniture store. What you need to look for are commercial banquet chairs! They are made to be extremely high-capacity, very durable, and are made in a ton of colors!

The set that we opted for has padding, an ergonomically rounded back, comes in several colors, and will support people up to 500 pounds!

Bath Chair for Disabled Adults and Heavy People

When I was younger (and smaller) a shower was my time to relax completely. However, it’s pretty hard to relax and let the day’s cares go when standing becomes a chore! So this put me on the trail to find the best shower chair for heavy (or disabled) adults. More than perhaps any other chair on this list, a weak shower chair can be extremely dangerous. Believe me, you don’t want a shower chair to collapse on you in the shower and have someone help you out, injured and naked. So save yourself the trouble and get a high-capacity version!

I looked for a shower chair that had a curved seat (no one wants to sit on something perfectly flat) side handles, a back, and, of course, the capacity necessary for a heavy person. While it was harder than you’d expect, I found it, I tested it, I use it, and I love it!

Folding Chair for Heavy Person

If you are a large and heavy person, or there are obese people in your family, you need to invest in at least one folding chair for a large person! They are one of the most universal chairs for heavy people since they can be used indoors and outdoors, to play cards, for dinner, weddings, movie seating, and a plethora of other functions.

Traditional folding chairs have several problems for large people. Besides the obvious weight issue, most chairs have two glaring problems: the seating surface is too narrow, and the support bars squeeze the back of your butt. This chair solves most of the issues. While the back frame supports are slightly narrow, its high capacity and wider seating surface combine to make this the best overall folding chair for a heavy person.

We wrote about the difficulty in finding a chair specifically designed for fat people in our high-capacity folding chair article but, if you don’t have time to read that saga, this chair will do a great job for everything short of a movie marathon!

Outdoor Chairs for Heavy People

High Weight Capacity Beach Chairs

If there is one place that I have tried for years to avoid as a fat person it’s the beach. While some fat people may be comfortable with their bodies, I’m not. Or at least, I wasn’t. My practice of self-love techniques has led to a far greater level of self-confidence and, to my surprise, there are actually a ton of 500 lb capacity beach chairs on the market! Unfortunately, most of them turned out to just be marketing hype. But I did find several that I would recommend and one that I can tell you to buy now before the price goes up!

In my view, a great heavy-duty beach chair will be supportive and comfortable for long days, have spots for drinks and book storage, be easy to get out of, easy to carry, and not get buried in the sand due to bad leg design. Oh, and I don’t want to sweat to death while sitting in it.

A new company by the name of Copa not only exceeded my requirements in all those areas but added a few more awesome features I hadn’t even thought about.

Some of its perks include:

• An oversized seat will allow people with big rears to sit comfortably without having to squeeze in
• The 16″ height provides the perfect blend of comfort while not being hard to get out of
• The rust-resistant frame is specifically designed for the rigors on the beach and the heavy-duty fabric resists both salt and sun rot

Perhaps the most glowing recommendation that I can give this chair is to tell you that I now own four of them! Believe me, if you’re a beach (or lake) go-er, you won’t regret his purchase!

Best Camping Chair for Heavy Person

Even though I am slowly warming up to the beach, relaxing around a campfire in a plus-size camping chair remains my happy place. Or, at least, one of my happy places. These days, my happy place is pretty much anywhere I can use my plus-size camping chair! My kids’ soccer games, relaxing at a bbq, yard games, or even trips to the lake! This type of folding chair for a big man is one of the most universal seating arrangements you can get.

This particular chair from ALPS Mountaineering will support up to 800 pounds and is designed for years of use without problems. While I haven’t had it for years, I can attest to it being big, sturdy, durable, and comfortable! So if you’re looking for the best camping chair for a heavy person, you just found it!

Lawn Chairs for Big Guys

When my buddy first asked me what lawn chair he should get my question was, “What’s a lawn chair?” or at least, “What do you mean when you say lawn chair…?”

It turns out that he wanted the most comfortable chair he could get to put on the deck while he had a bbq, relaxed in the evenings, and watched his kids play in the yard. Now, my buddy is a big guy (400+lbs) and has had significant back problems so I knew that my camp chair recommendation wasn’t going to fly. After a ton of research, this is the chair I finally told him to get. Zero-gravity chairs are all the rage these days but zero-gravity chairs for heavy people can be extremely hard to find. In fact, this is the only option on the market that I recommend for people over 300 pounds!

So if you are within this chair’s 350-pound capacity, you will not be able to find a more comfortable or sturdy chair for a big guy (or gal). While I don’t have one (yet) I will be upgrading to a zero-gravity chair as soon as my camp chair dies!

Best Gaming Chair for Fat Guys

If you’re a big guy, finding a gaming chair is next to impossible. One of my friends ordered a gaming chair online that had a 500-pound capacity but, when he got it, there was exactly 17″ between the armrests. Which is enough for about half a butt cheek. This chair, on the other hair, has an extremely wide and flat seat to go with its 400lb capacity.

Unlike most other computer chairs, everything on this one that can be made out of metal, is. The base, the frame, castors, etc.

So if you’re a big guy in the market, be sure to check this one out as it topped our best gaming chairs for big guys shootout!

Heavy-Duty Director’s Chairs

Whether you’re a director or not, this style of chair is both comfortable and sturdy. The plus-size director’s chair that I recently purchased is rated to hold a massive 600lbs and gets tons of use everywhere from the soccer field to the campground!

That’s all folks! If you need a chair for a fat person, you just got an option of every single type! Scroll back up and either click through to a full review, go to Amazon to buy, or keep scrolling down to find out what exactly makes a good chair for a fat person (at least in my opinion).

What Makes A Good Chair For A Fat Person?

If you are looking for a different type of chair than I offered then let’s talk about what you should be looking for! While some of these are common sense, I’m betting there is an item or two you hadn’t thought of.

Capacity. Weight capacity is obviously first and foremost on any heavy person’s mind when they’re shopping for plus-size furniture. However, you might need an even higher capacity than you think. When you’re sitting in a chair, you’re static and exerting only the force of your weight on the chair. However, during the act of sitting, your momentum results in a dynamic force that may exceed the weight capacity temporarily but drastically. For this reason, I recommend that you look for a heavy-duty chair with a capacity a bit above what you think you need.

Feels sturdy. Personally, I prefer a chair that feels solid and sturdy. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it just has a high capacity. There are yoga balls that will support 500 pounds but I’d never feel sturdy on one. Because of this preference I look for chairs without a lot of spring or give in them (unless we’re talking about recliners).

Extra-wide chair area. There is absolutely no point in having a chair with a 1,000-pound capacity if only a 140-pound person could fit on it. Look for a chair with an extra-wide seating surface and without bars or frame supports on the side that would restrict you from using the edge space as well.

Affordable. A lot of heavy-duty chairs on the market are either way overpriced or their “heavy-duty rating” is simply a marketing gimmick. Focus your search on chairs from brands you’ve heard of and be sure to balance the reviews you read with the price.

Easy to get out of. A chair that is comfortable to sit in but difficult to get out of will not be a favorite of anyone, particularly if they are large and have joint problems. The height of the chair you need is based on your height and personal preference so be sure to measure a chair you already have so you know what to look for.

Multiple color/design options. A lot of chairs marketed to obese people would be at home in a care center or hospital. If that matches your motif, that’s great. However, I always want my plus-size furniture to blend in and look great. It’s always a good feeling when a heavy family member and friend is wary of sitting in my “normal chair” and I can tell them not to worry because it’s extra heavy duty!

So if you needed a chair for heavy people, I hope you either found what you needed or at least have the skills to go out and find your own! So get your chair, snuggle in, and let your home become your kingdom. Happy sitting!