GCI Kickback vs RoadTrip Rocker: Which Camping Chair Fits You
Side-by-side with both GCI rocking camp chairs: seat height, storage, carry bag, and which one fits your knees and your style of sitting.
Both GCI rockers are worth buying, but they’re not the same chair. The RoadTrip Rocker sits at kitchen-chair height with a carry bag included. The Kickback Rocker sits lower and further back for a beach-chair feel. Buy the RoadTrip if you sit upright, the Kickback if you want to sink in.
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How this review was made: written from my own video review of this product. Every opinion here is my own, from using it myself.
Quick Verdict
Same rocking mechanism, two completely different seating positions. The RoadTrip Rocker sits at 19.9 inches, right where a kitchen chair would be, and my bad knees noticed immediately. The Kickback sits lower and tips you back into beach-chair mode.
Buy if you:
- Have knee issues and hate dropping into a low seat (RoadTrip)
- Want a carry bag with a shoulder strap included (RoadTrip)
- Want to be forced into relaxation at a campfire (Kickback)
- Need a spot for your phone, wallet, or car keys (Kickback)
Skip if you:
- Want the Kickback in a bag. It doesn’t come with one, just a strap
- Need real storage. The RoadTrip has a cup holder and that’s it
- Are over the 250 lb weight capacity
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| Seat height (RoadTrip) | 19.9 in |
|---|---|
| Unfolded (RoadTrip) | 39 × 29.4 × 25.8 in |
| Folded (RoadTrip) | 43.3 × 9.1 × 8.1 in |
| Weight | 12 lbs |
| Weight capacity | 250 lbs |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime |
GCI Kickback and RoadTrip Rocker: My Knees Decided
My knees made the decision for me. The RoadTrip sits at 19.9 inches, exactly kitchen-chair height, so I could drop into it and stand back up without bracing on the armrests. That’s not a minor comfort detail; for anyone with joint issues, it’s the whole reason to choose this chair over the Kickback.
GCI was nice enough to send both of these as free samples so I could put them next to each other. The blue one on my right is the RoadTrip Rocker, the olive one on my left is the Kickback. Same company, same rocking tech, two different chairs for two different people.
What 12 Pounds of Steel and Ripstop Buys You
You’re paying for the spring-action rocking mechanism, and both chairs have it. Pistons in the back that cushion you as you move. That’s the whole reason to buy a GCI over a generic folding chair, and it’s the one thing the two models share exactly.
The RoadTrip frame is powder-coated steel with a ripstop PVC-backed polyester seat and a mesh back, rated to 250 lbs, covered by a limited lifetime warranty. At 12 lbs it’s not a backpacking chair. It’s a drive-to-the-site chair. What I love about it is just the wide seat you get, and I love the firmness of these handles. You don’t have to worry about them ripping. There’s no canvas or anything, it’s hard plastic.
“Low Profile” Doesn’t Mean Beach Chair
The Kickback isn’t a beach chair, and people shopping it assume it is. It lands in between a classic beach chair and the RoadTrip. You sit a little lower and you sit a little bit further back, so it’s not as upright. That recline is the real difference, not the inch or two of height.
The other misconception: that the taller chair is the comfortable one by default. It isn’t. The Kickback kind of forces you into relaxation. If you’re the person who sits forward with a drink in hand and gets up a lot, the RoadTrip is your chair. If you’re the person who wants to be pinned in place watching a fire, go Kickback.
Opening Them Both the First Time
The RoadTrip takes a trick. You pull the armrest and the back in opposite directions just to get it going, and I typically like to lean it on one side or the other to help. Once it starts, it kind of all the way just opens up for you. Not hard, but it isn’t obvious the first time you’re standing in a parking lot with it.
The Kickback is simpler. Undo the strap that holds it closed, separate the handles, pull on the back, and it pops open. It expands on its own as you’re doing that. Really simple.
The Kickback Has No Carrying Case
That’s the one thing that bugged me. The Kickback Rocker does not come with its own carrying case. It has a strap that keeps it connected so it doesn’t flop open in your trunk, and that’s the whole solution. The RoadTrip comes with a carrying case and a shoulder strap on that case, so you can sling it and walk.
Storage is thin on both. The RoadTrip has a cup holder on the side and that’s pretty much it. The Kickback adds a small holder for your phone or wallet, but it’s pretty small, so that’s the only couple of things you’re going to fit in there. Maybe your car keys.
Hard Plastic Armrests Age Better Than Fabric
The armrests are where cheap camp chairs die first, and GCI used hard plastic instead of canvas. Nothing to fray, nothing to tear loose at the rivet after two seasons of being dragged out of a trunk. Combine that with a powder-coated steel frame and a limited lifetime warranty and you’ve got a chair you buy once.
The rocking pistons are the part I’d watch long term on any spring chair, but on both of these the motion was smooth and consistent while I was in them. Current pricing on the RoadTrip is here if you want to see where it sits today.
Pick the Sitting Position, Not the Brand
These aren’t interchangeable. The RoadTrip is for anyone who gets up frequently, has bad knees, or wants kitchen-chair posture around a table. The Kickback is for whoever plans to plant themselves for two hours and watch a fire. Pick the sitting position first, the chair follows from that.
The spring mechanism is genuinely the same on both, so you’re not trading quality when you choose, you’re trading posture. Bad knees or a busy campsite: RoadTrip. Long nights doing nothing: Kickback. If you’re still unsure, the carry bag tips it, the RoadTrip is the easier chair to live with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the rocking mechanism work on grass and sand?
Yes. GCI rates the spring action rocking to work on flat, hard, or soft terrain. The pistons sit in the back of the frame rather than relying on curved runners, so soft ground doesn’t kill the motion the way it does on a traditional rocker.
Can you buy a replacement carry bag for the Kickback?
Not from the chair itself, since it ships with only the strap. Any generic folding chair bag sized around 43 inches long will swallow either model, though the strap alone is fine for a trunk.
Is the warranty worth anything if a spring fails?
GCI covers the RoadTrip Rocker with a manufacturer’s limited lifetime warranty, which is the main reason I’d pay up over a no-name rocker. Keep your proof of purchase, since that’s what warranty claims on outdoor gear usually hinge on.
Does it fit in a car trunk without folding seats down?
Folded it measures 43.3 × 9.1 × 8.1 inches, so it’s long and flat rather than bulky. It’ll lay diagonally across most sedan trunks, but it’s longer than a standard camp chair bag, so measure if your trunk opening is narrow.
Learn more
GCI Outdoor RoadTrip Rocker
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🛍️ GCI Outdoor Road Trip Rocker Chair: check price on Amazon →
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