How to fold a sun lounger
Updated: October 2026
You have the frame on the patio and a first afternoon that will show whether the clasp holds. How to fold a sun lounger starts before anyone sits: lock the back while the frame is empty, fold it once before you trust it, and stop if the back or the feet fail. This is the use guide for the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in our [sun lounger comparison](/hub/sun-loungers/sun-lounger). We read those listings and the UK review patterns in files dated 15 October 2026. We did not lab-test the frames. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. If you are still choosing, the checks are in the [sun lounger buying guide](/hub/sun-loungers/sun-lounger/sub/sun-lounger-buying-guide).
You have the frame on the patio and a first afternoon that will show whether the clasp holds.
You have the frame on the patio and a first afternoon that will show whether the clasp holds. How to fold a sun lounger starts before anyone sits: lock the back while the frame is empty, fold it once before you trust it, and stop if the back or the feet fail. This is the use guide for the eleven amazon.co.uk listings in our sun lounger comparison. We read those listings and the UK review patterns in files dated 15 October 2026. We did not lab-test the frames. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. If you are still choosing, the checks are in the sun lounger buying guide.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Shape | Folded size | Carry weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Straame Straame zero-gravity pair | Gravity chair | Not stated | 16.3 kg for two | 8.6 | about £59.99 | View offer |
 Lichfield Lichfield deluxe folding lounger | Long bed | 80 × 61 × 16 cm | 4.5 kg | 9.2 | about £46.39 | View offer | |
| Preis-Tipp |  Mosii Mosii zero-gravity pair | Gravity chair | Not stated | 8.2 kg, pack not labelled | 8.8 | about £49.99 | View offer |
On this page
Open it and lock it before you sit
Open the lounger with nobody on the fabric. Count the pack, and use a hard floor when the listing names that surface. Press loose feet home, and fit separate wheels before you test the seat. Lock the sun lounger backrest, then fold the empty frame once. No assembly does not skip that lock, and it does not mean a toolkit unless the page lists tools.
LSBIKE, at 3.6 from 71 reviews, has UK reports of a collapsed backrest. Amazon Basics, at 3.1 from 238, has reports of feet coming off and a clasp that dropped the back flat. A higher load on another brand does not cancel them. Grand patio is the wheeled case: a UK review says you fit the wheels and the back does not go flat. Once the empty lock holds, close the frame without forcing it. The conditioned picks, if you are still choosing, are on best folding sun lounger.
Fold the bed, or fold the gravity chair
A camp bed and a gravity chair do not share a fold. KingCamp, LSBIKE, AYDFUORT, Mopaicot, Amazon Basics, ATORPOK, and Lichfield are long beds, about 178–200 cm, that close along the frame. SereneLife, Mosii, and Straame tip your legs up and fold as chairs. Which? calls that seat closer to a recliner than to a sunbed, and it has not tested sun loungers. If you are unsure what arrived, see sun lounger vs zero gravity chair.
Close a trifold bed empty, in the order it opened, and stop if a hinge binds. No manual in these files adds another step. ATORPOK’s plastic hinges can crack if you force them. Support the footrest on a gravity chair. A Straame review describes it tipping during unfolding, and sitting down will not fix a lock that has already dropped. Lichfield’s bullet gives 80 × 61 × 16 cm at 4.5 kg. KingCamp states 200 kg in one field and 330 pounds in another.
Dry it, then store the pad apart from the frame
Dry the lounger before you bag it. Kettler says to clean and dry garden furniture, then store mesh indoors where you can, so mildew does not start in the pack. Elystra Living says to fold the lounger into a shed or garage and bring the cushions indoors. A cover is only for a frame that stays outside, and that note is not a test of these fabrics.
Take the pad off and keep the cushion in the house. A damp pad on the frame lets a cover hide mould. Textilene is sold as quick-drying mesh, which is not a lab result for SereneLife, Mosii, or Straame. One KingCamp UK review reports rust after a beach trip, so rinse salt off before you fold that bed. Lichfield at 4.5 kg is a cupboard lift. Straame at 16.3 kg for two, or SereneLife at 18.2 kg for two, needs space you have measured.
When a collapse is a faulty product
Stop if the back drops, the feet come off, or the frame cracks. That is a faulty product, not a mistake in the fold. Do not weld a cracked tube, and do not sit on a clasp that has already failed. If someone is hurt, get medical help first. A bullet of 150 kg or 200 kg is the seller’s claim. BS EN 581-2 tests assume users up to 110 kg, and no file here includes a report against that standard.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you reject faulty goods. GOV.UK says that within six months the trader must prove they were not faulty when sold. It is not a promise for one order, and the amazon.co.uk returns page still applies. Mildew on a cushion you stored wet is cleaning. A clasp or foot that fails on first use is not. LSBIKE’s collapse reviews and Amazon Basics’ feet and clasp reviews are that second case.
Common questions
What should I check before I sit down the first time?
Count the pieces against the listing, including loose feet or separate wheels. If a field names a hard floor, use it for the first open. Lock the backrest while the frame is empty, then fold it once before you sit. No assembly does not skip the lock. On LSBIKE and Amazon Basics, UK reviews describe a collapse, a failed clasp, or feet coming off.
The backrest collapsed. Do I keep using it?
Stop, and do not sit on it again. A dropped back, or feet that have come off, is a faulty product, not something you fix by sitting more carefully. Get medical help first if someone is hurt, and do not weld the frame. Within six months, GOV.UK says the trader must prove the item was not faulty when sold. That is not a guarantee for one order.
Where do the cushion and the frame go in winter?
Dry both, then keep the cushion indoors. Kettler says to clean and dry first, and to store mesh indoors where you can, so mildew does not start in the bag. Elystra Living says to put the lounger in a shed or garage and bring the cushions in. A cover is only for a frame that cannot come indoors. It will not rescue a pad you packed while damp.
Why does one field say the Lichfield does not fold?
The Lichfield bullet gives a packed size of 80 × 61 × 16 cm at 4.5 kg. A separate Is Foldable field says No. That clash is on the amazon.co.uk listing. Fold the empty frame once before you trust either line.
How do I open a zero-gravity chair without tipping?
Support the footrest as you open the chair, and lock it before you sit. A Straame review describes the footrest tipping during unfolding, so keep hold of the frame. These chairs lift your legs. They are not the long flat beds, even when the title uses one name for both. If the lock fails while the chair is empty, stop using it.
When is this a refund rather than a cleaning job?
Cleaning is for a cushion that went away damp and then grew mildew. A refund question starts when the product is faulty: a collapsing back, feet that fall off, or a cracked frame in ordinary use. GOV.UK’s account of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 puts the proof on the trader for six months. That is not a forecast for one order, and it is not a reason to keep sitting on a failed frame.
Related pages
Sources
Sources from the research digest; amazon.co.uk prices and stars dated 15 October 2026.
- Which? how to buy sun loungers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Sefton Meadows sun lounger buyer's guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Intertek, BS EN 581-2:2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Outdoor seating standard preview (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- GOV.UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- GOV.UK accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- NHS sunscreen and sun safety (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- CAP Code rule 3.7 (retrieved 16 October 2026)