Choose a camp table's height by your chair's seat, and No. 1 is Uniflame's Fire Table. At 37cm high it suits low chairs, and of the seven it is the only one whose official page says it takes a heated pot directly. For a family dining table, Coleman's Natural Puzzle Table/120, whose height changes to 70, 60 or 41cm, is No. 2.
The Gear Nerd's Pick
What a table can hold is decided by the top material. With a stainless top you can put down a pot straight off the fire, and the trouble of fetching a pot stand and the time to find a place disappear. So for a first table I take the Fire Table, whose official page says it takes hot pots, and add a second if I need more room.
Key points
- Heights run from 7.8cm to 70cm, about a 9x gap. Lined up within 2 to 3cm of a chair with a 35cm seat are the 37cm Fire Table and the 38cm Table One Hard Top
- Weight per ㎡ of top ranges about 3.8x, from about 3.5kg for the Table One Hard Top to about 13.1kg for the One Action Low Table Bamboo
- How load capacity is written differs by maker. Uniflame writes distributed load, Helinox static load, DOD static load capacity, and DOD adds that it is not a promised value
What is in this article (14 items)
- Camp table height differs from 7.8cm to 70cm
- How I chose
- Quick table of height and weight for 7 camp tables
- Why this order
- No. 1 Uniflame Fire Table
- No. 2 Coleman Natural Puzzle Table/120
- No. 3 Helinox Table One Hard Top
- No. 4 Captain Stag Aluminum Roll Table <Compact>
- No. 5 DOD Riders Table RX
- No. 6 Snow Peak One Action Low Table Bamboo
- No. 7 SOTO Field Hopper
- Camp table load capacity is the number for a gentle, even load
- Who is it for?
- FAQ
Camp table height differs from 7.8cm to 70cm
SOTO's Field Hopper is 7.8cm high, and Coleman's Natural Puzzle Table/120 is 70cm at its tallest. That is about 9x. What goes wrong when choosing a table is usually height, not size.
I compared 7.
How I chose
The first thing I looked at was height. I subtracted from the chair seat. Next I looked at whether the official page says it takes a hot pot directly.
When you spend half the year camping, you take a table in and out dozens of times a year. So I looked at folded thickness before weight.
Seat heights are the numbers in the 12-chair comparison.
Quick table of height and weight for 7 camp tables
Scroll the table sideways →
| Model | Top | Height | Weight | Official price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Uniflame Fire Table | 55×35cm | 37cm | About 2.3kg | JPY 8,800 |
| No. 2 Coleman Natural Puzzle Table/120 | 120×70cm | 41 / 60 / 70cm | About 5kg | JPY 10,890 |
| No. 3 Helinox Table One Hard Top | 59×40cm | 38cm | 816g | JPY 19,800 |
| No. 4 Captain Stag Aluminum Roll Table <Compact> | 40×29cm | 12cm | About 700g | JPY 3,850 |
| No. 5 DOD Riders Table RX | 44×33cm | 30cm | About 880g | JPY 6,300 |
| No. 6 Snow Peak One Action Low Table Bamboo | 84.6×49.6cm | 40cm | 5.5kg | JPY 27,500 |
| No. 7 SOTO Field Hopper | 29.7×21cm | 7.8cm | About 395g | JPY 7,150 |
Sitting in a Chair One with a 35cm seat, the Fire Table's top is 2cm above you and the Table One Hard Top's is 3cm above. The only heights in the seven that reach the 45cm seat of a Sunset Chair are Coleman's 60cm and 70cm.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
UNIFLAME Fire Pit Table
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 7,480 (as of 10/14). Prices vary by up to JPY 12,760 between shops. Prices change daily.
Why this order
| Rank | Model | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UNIFLAME Fire Pit Table | The only one whose official page says you can put a heated pot directly on it, and about 2.5cm thick folded |
| 2 | Coleman Natural Puzzle Table/120 | A top of 0.84㎡ and 3 heights make it a dining table, but even folded it is about 70 × 60.5cm |
| 3 | Helinox Table One Hard Top | At 816g and 38cm high, but the price is more than double No. 1 |
| 4 | Captain Stag Aluminum Roll Table <Compact> | JPY 3,850 and a 30kg load capacity, but at 12cm high it is hard to reach from a chair |
| 5 | DOD Riders Table RX | 30cm high and about 880g, but the official store showed no colors available to buy |
| 6 | Snow Peak One Action Low Table Bamboo | A bamboo top that stands just by opening, but 5.5kg and JPY 27,500 are the largest of the 7 |
| 7 | SOTO Field Hopper | The lightest at about 395g, but at a 3kg load capacity and 7.8cm high, it is not a dining table |
No. 1 Uniflame Fire Table
Here is what I am excited about. The top is embossed stainless steel, and Uniflame explains that you can put a heated pot or burner directly on it. Folded it is a 55 × 35cm board about 2.5cm thick, a size that stands in the gaps of a car trunk.
This part is a weak point. At about 11.9kg per ㎡ of top, it is heavy for its size. It suits people who gather around a fire in lower chairs. You can subtract the fire bed height using the 12 fire pit comparison.
No. 2 Coleman Natural Puzzle Table/120
For area, this one. The top is 0.84㎡, the widest of the seven, and the height changes to 70, 60 or 41cm. The price per ㎡ is about JPY 13,000, the lowest of the seven (10,890 ÷ 0.84). This part is a weak point. The top is melamine-finished plywood, and folded it stays a board of about 70 × 60.5cm. The official store showed low stock.
It is a unit for people who go by car and gather the family around a dining table.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Coleman Natural Puzzle Table/120
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 8,228 (as of 10/14). Prices vary by up to JPY 10,910 between shops. Prices change daily.
No. 3 Helinox Table One Hard Top
For lightness, No. 3. 816g and 38cm high. It is almost the same height as the Fire Table at about a third of the weight. Storage shrinks to 41.5cm wide, 12.5cm deep and 10cm high. The weak point is the price: JPY 19,800, with a top of cloth with a resin plate. The official store showed order-from-store.
It suits people on foot or on a motorcycle who want a height they can use sitting in a chair.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Helinox Table One Hard Top
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 19,800 (as of 10/14). Prices vary by up to JPY 33,120 between shops. Prices change daily.
No. 4 Captain Stag Aluminum Roll Table <Compact>
For low price, No. 4. About 700g with a 30kg load capacity, and the price of JPY 3,850 is the lowest of the seven. The top is anodized aluminum, and rolled up it is about 7 × 6 × 40cm. This part is a weak point. The height is 12cm, which falls below even the 15cm seat of the lowest of the 12 chairs.
It suits people who sit on the ground, or as a second table beside a big one.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Captain Stag Aluminum Roll Table <Compact>
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 1,980 (as of 10/14). Prices vary by up to JPY 4,639 between shops. Prices change daily.
No. 5 DOD Riders Table RX
30cm high and about 880g. It is 8cm higher than a Ground Chair with a 22cm seat, a height easy to match with low chairs. The top fabric is flame-retardant polyester. The trouble is stock. DOD's official store showed no colors available to buy right now.
It suits people who load it with a low chair on a motorcycle.
No. 6 Snow Peak One Action Low Table Bamboo
Open the 2 top and the legs come out with it and stand. The top is laminated bamboo, and folded it is 5cm thick. This part is a weak point. 5.5kg and JPY 27,500 are both the largest of the 7.
It is a unit for people who can pay for a design that stands just by opening, and for the bamboo top, more than for the numbers.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Snow Peak One Action Low Table Bamboo
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 24,156 (as of 10/14). Prices vary by up to JPY 42,092 between shops. Prices change daily.
No. 7 SOTO Field Hopper
About 395g, and folded it is 29.7 × 11cm and 1.9cm thick. Roughly half of A4. This part is a weak point. The load capacity is 3kg and the height is 7.8cm, so it is a stand that keeps a burner and cup off the ground, not a dining table.
Even at No. 7, for a solo camper who carries gear on foot it is the first tool to look at.
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
SOTO Field Hopper
Lowest price on Rakuten: JPY 5,940 (as of 10/14). Prices vary by up to JPY 7,920 between shops. Prices change daily.
Camp table load capacity is the number for a gentle, even load
Scroll the table sideways →
| Model | Top area | Weight per ㎡ | Load capacity | Load capacity ÷ weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Table One Hard Top | 0.24㎡ | About 3.5kg | 50kg | 61.3x |
| Natural Puzzle Table/120 | 0.84㎡ | About 6.0kg | About 30kg | 6.0x |
| Aluminum Roll Table <Compact> | 0.12㎡ | About 6.0kg | 30kg | 42.9x |
| Rider's Table RX | 0.15㎡ | About 6.1kg | 30kg | 34.1x |
| Field Hopper | 0.06㎡ | About 6.3kg | 3kg | 7.6x |
| Fire Table | 0.19㎡ | About 11.9kg | About 50kg | 21.7x |
The One Action Low Table Bamboo has a top of 0.42㎡, at about 13.1kg per ㎡.
Uniflame writes “distributed load capacity,” Helinox “static load,” and DOD “static load capacity.” They are numbers for an object that does not move, spread on the top. They do not include the force of pushing up with a hand, or weight concentrated at one point. DOD adds that it is not a promised value, so I choose on the premise of never putting things at the load limit.
Who is it for?
It suits people whose chair and table heights do not match, and people stuck for a place to put hot pots. For a 35cm seat, the 37cm Fire Table; for 45cm, Coleman's 60cm or 70cm.
For a dining table at 60 to 70cm, the four under 1kg do not reach (38cm and below). For children, there is also the LOGOS Minna de Rakugaki Table, whose top you can draw on and erase.
FAQ
How tall should a camp table be?
A little above the seat is the guide. In these numbers, a 37 to 38cm table suits a chair with a 35cm seat, and 60 to 70cm suits a chair with a 45cm seat.
Low table or high table: which is better?
Decide by the seat of the chairs you own. If you have not chosen chairs, Coleman, whose height changes to 41, 60 or 70cm, works for both.
Which camp table is lightweight?
Under 1kg are four: the Field Hopper, the Aluminum Roll Table <Compact>, the Table One Hard Top and the Riders Table RX. The ones tall enough to use sitting in a chair are the last two.
Which camp table can take a hot pot directly?
The only one whose official page says you can put a heated pot directly on it was the stainless-top Fire Table.
Gear in this article
Ads & images: Rakuten IchibaSources (7 official pages)
- Uniflame official: Fire Table (No.682104)
- Coleman official online shop: Natural Puzzle Table/120
- mont-bell official online store: Helinox Table One Hard Top
- Captain Stag official: Aluminum Roll Table <Compact> M-3713
- DOD official: Rider's Table RX TB1-031-BK
- Snow Peak official online store: One Action Low Table Bamboo LV-100TR
- SOTO official: Field Hopper ST-630
