We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.
What if I told you that camping tables could be the key to experiencing the great outdoors like a seasoned overlander? Boiling one serving of Ramen at a time over a Jetboil is fine for lightweight backpacking trips, but if you have access to a vehicle, there’s no reason you can’t up your cooking game.
A folding camping table doesn’t take up that much room in a truck or SUV, and can transform your workspace when the time comes to cook, clean, repair gear, or plot your next route on a physical map. Luckily for you, there are options that blow old-school pop-up tables out of the water.
We tracked down some of the best so you can spend less time researching the best camping tables and more time — you know — actually camping. Here’s what we found.
- Best Overall: Coleman Folding Table
- Best Budget: Lifetime Folding Table
- Best Eco-Friendly: GoSun Solar Table
Best Overall
Coleman Folding Table
Pros
- Aluminum is light, strong, and weather-resistant
- Includes two tables
- Can be adjusted to three heights
Cons
- Folding legs can pinch fingers
- Wobbly when used on even ground
Product Specs
Weight:
12.3 pounds
Weight limit:
300 pounds
Tabletop size:
31.5 x 15.75 inches
Folded dimensions:
24 x 16 x 3 inches
Best Value
Lifetime Folding Table
Pros
- Plastic top is durable and low-maintenance
- Plastic top is unaffected by the elements
- Load-rated at 200 pounds
Cons
- Plastic is more susceptible to damage than metal
- Feels flimsy compared to metal tables
Product Specs
Weight:
19 pounds
Weight limit:
200 pounds
Tabletop size:
48 x 24 inches
Folded dimensions:
24 x 23 inches (thickness not specified)
Best Eco-Friendly
GoSun Solar Table
Pros
- Use the solar panel as a tabletop when not in use
- Three height settings available
- Designed to be water-resistant and outdoor-friendly
Cons
- Realistically to be used for charging handheld devices
- Bring your own power bank or adapter
Product Specs
Weight:
18.5 pounds
Weight limit:
75 pounds
Tabletop size:
48 x 28 inches
Folded dimensions:
28 x 24 inches (thickness not specified)
Things to consider before buying a camping table
Size
First and foremost, you need to make sure that whichever table you buy is large enough to get the job done and small enough to fit in the space you have available. Do yourself a favor and pack your vehicle as you would for a camping trip, then measure the space you have to work with. Don’t eyeball it, call it “plenty of room,” and find out your small camping table is an inch too long to get the door or tailgate shut.
Construction
Camping gear benefits from being light, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Make sure your next camping table is strong enough to survive being bounced around in the back of a truck, set up and broken down multiple times every day, and loaded with weight on uneven ground.
Bonus features
Obviously, your camping table will have a flat surface and a few legs. But what else does it have to offer? You can get one with storage, a small collapsible table, or even one with solar panels built into the tabletop. Look through our picks with an eye toward the rest of your gear to see what will work best in your overall loadout.
FAQs about camping tables
Q: Are camping tables necessary?
A: No, but neither are sleeping pads, and both make camping a lot more enjoyable.
Q: How much weight can a camping table hold?
A: That varies, but you should always check the manufacturer’s recommended weight limit to be safe. Remember that the ground conditions underneath your table will factor into the weight limit, too.
Q: How do you set up a camping table?
A: That varies from table to table, but most are designed to be easily set up and taken down by one person.
Q: Where can I buy a camping table?
A: There are lots of stores where you can hunt for a parking space, fight for the attention of understaffed salespeople, and find out that the table you want isn’t in stock after all. If it were me, I’d just click one of the links in this story and have it sent to my doorstep.
Final thoughts
It doesn’t matter what kind of camping you’re doing; you need to be able to count on your gear. The Coleman Folding Table is light enough for one person to carry and set up, won’t rust in the rain, and is stable enough to support a grill. It also does a good job of prioritizing quality, so you pay for a reliable product instead of extra features that may or may not add value for you. If you’re looking to keep things simple, it’s the camping table for you.
Methodology
It’s nice to spend less when you can, but not at the expense of getting a decent product. Unfortunately, we found dozens of camping tables and most of them come from brands we’ve never heard of that raise a lot of questions about quality. A quick Amazon search yielded seven pages — about 64 results — and a lot of the tables looked like rebranded generic products pumped out of the same anonymous factory. To protect your investment, I stuck to a few brands with reliable track records of success. I prioritized products with enough information about materials and construction that I felt like I had a good idea of what would show up in the mail. The three I ended up with are the ones I’d be most confident buying.