Best Backpacking Chair? My quick living room observations and choice (for now)

[Al K]

Which is the best lightweight backpacking chair on the market as of Aug 2024? REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair, Helinox Chair Zero, NEMO Moonlite Elite Reclining?

Long story short, my recommendation is you buy/ship all three to your home – don’t accept anybody advice that one chair is definitively the best. Each person’s body shape will have a different experience so try them out for a good 10-20 min each in a variety of positions. That being said, here are my 6ft 170lb male (long legs and medium torso) observations from a living room tryout (no trail experience yet).

REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair
WEIGHT (chair only) – 16.0 oz
STABILITY – Least stable of the three with side to side stability being the weak point; not a major issue to me as easy enough to self stabilize. Though if cooking to the side of the chair you’ll have to be super careful as the lack of stability may cause you to slip a bit and potentially knock over the typical precarious backpacking pot/stove combo.
COMFORT – Overall I found it comfortable to sit on except for one very important position – slouched back with legs straight out (ie back of heels touching the ground). I found the fabric at the very front of the chair to immediately and uncomfortably dig into my upper thigh near the butt basically negating the use of this position.
GETTING IN AND OUT – the hardest of the three as I can’t use the hubs (given their front/back alignment) to aid with pushing up on in addition to my squat strength. Not a big deal as you’ll just push off the ground more instead which should be mostly fine.
SETUP – Slightly easier as the fabric corners are not as taught as Helinox
FABRIC/WEIGHT Limit – 250 lbs. Fabric is lighter than Helinox and has a bit less coverage which probably why the chair is 15lbs less on weight limit.
VERDICT – Lightest and by far best price price especially on sale. Comfortable in most positions and definitely a huge upgrade from no chair. I did not keep as the legs straight out position was uncomfortable which wasn’t a compromise on the Helinox. Plus the Helinox had much better side to side stability which I valued more than only slightly better front to back stability on the REI.

Helinox Chair Zero
WEIGHT (chair only) – 17.5 oz
STABILITY – Side to side stability was very good; however, when sitting a bit of more upright while still leaning on the back fabric with both feet on ground it does tend to rock backwards a bit; on one hand nice to have easy potential rocking chair effect though don’t be surprised if you accidentally fall backward. Easy to redistribute weight comfortably to avoid this.
COMFORT – I did not have any comfort issue with a variety of positions
GETTING IN AND OUT – between squat strength and pushing off with both hands from the hub sections I can get up easy enough without touching ground. Same with lowering into the seat.
SETUP – a tab bit harder than REI version as the last fabric corner you have to muscle it in a bit. Maybe with use this goes away shortly.
FABRIC/WEIGHT Limit – 265 lbs. Heavy duty fabric with a deeper seating position which hugs you a bit more than others.
VERDICT – I went with this chair as I got 40% off (ie $90), had no comfort constraints with any positions and only marginally heavier than REI chair.

NEMO Moonlite Elite Reclining
WEIGHT (chair only) – 18.5 oz
STABILITY – This chair was definitively the most stable of the three. No rocking effect unless you purposefully tilt back far enough to create it.
COMFORT – I found it comfortable in all positions though there were very slight pinch points in some positions from the corners that I suspected would become more pronounced if I sat in the chair long enough in the same position. Also, with legs straight out and heels on ground I felt some pressure on under thigh though not nearly to same extant as REI chair. I like it the most in the upright setting with feet on the ground.
GETTING IN AND OUT – between squat strength and pushing off with both hands from the hub sections I can get up easy enough without touching ground. Same with lowering into the seat.
SETUP – a more fiddly with the ball in socket approach. Have to work harder to yank off on disassembly. I consider this is a minor point.
FABRIC/WEIGHT Limit – 250 lbs. Least fabric coverage of three plus its a mesh which is probably a very good thing in hotter locations.
OTHER – Easy enough to change recline when not on chair though with other chairs you can change your body position to effectively get most of the same benefit.
VERDICT – Nice chair with flexibility though pricey. If going to use the included ground base (ie soft soil or sand) its nice its included (other chairs you need to purchase separately or do a DIY solution). I went with the Helinox as I felt it would be more comfortable in longer use situations while being 1 oz lighter and cheaper.

[Al K]

[Al K]

[Atif Khan]

Two styles: leaning back straight-legged and leaning back cross-legged. Cheap nylon. ~1 oz.

[Paul Hatfield]

Thank you for this comparison. All three chairs are on sale at the moment.

[jscott]

Ummm…I have to take exception to the whole “just order them all and send the ones you don’t like back” mentality/morality. think about this process. folks in small independent businesses send out their product to a buyer. shipping is a cost. And shipping has an environmental impact. so does packaging. Someone buys three different products to test them all in house–but doesn’t want to pay for the products he or she rejects. No probemo! says the consumer; Amazon will eat the cost. Not so. Think again. the independent small company eats the cost, and has to factor that into the cost of its product. It’s not true that companies can sell returned, gently used goods as “new” at full price. Do you want to buy an air mattress that someone used for a night, or three nights, and then sent back for a full refund…as a new item? Of course not.

do your research beforehand, people! try to keep those brown trucks off the roads and their gas emissions out of the air. Try to reduce the demands of manufacturing goods in terms of Earth’s resources and consequent pollution to a minimum. don’t dilly dally and hem and haw like a millionaire, and send the soup back because you’ve changed your mind after ordering and now want something else. The kitchen has prepared your meal. Don’t make them throw it out.

[Paul Hatfield]

Some REI’s may have all three models of the chairs set up on the floor.

Returns are very costly for retailers. The article below provides some interesting perspective:

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-culture/interview-silca-on-amazon-e-commerce-fraud-theft-returns/

Manufacturers can help the problem by providing accurate and detailed specifications of products.

[Alexander L]

I have the Helinox chair zero and tried the moonlit elite at an REI today.  It was 30% off and I bought it immediately.  For me at least it’s MUCH more comfortable than the Helinox.  So much so that I may have bought it even if it was not on sale.

[Al K]

In regards to the criticism about “just buy and return” mentality…I get the point and agree on a general basis. We should always be understanding of  how our behavior impacts others and should not only consider what is best for ME.

However, I wholeheartedly disagree in this situation. I did my research and watched tons of videos on these chairs and came to the conclusion that I needed to try them all out to know which chair fit me best. And I am happy I did, as comfort on these ultralight chairs is very subjective to your body. All testing done in indoors – I specifically didn’t try outside to test chair sinking because that would possibly cause dirtiness or scratches and prevent it being sold back new. I packed up the other two chairs perfectly – it is still considered new and one day someone else will be happy they bought it. No less “new” than if you tried on a jacket at a store.

Within reason, nothing wrong with trying different products in a clean environment to ensure you are happy with your purchase. Much worse would be to take it out, use it, come to the conclusion it is not for you and then return.

We live in a time where so much choice is offered. Its great on one hand but wasteful on the other. We should all do our part to minimize the latter where possible. Sure, returns cost a lot to retailers, but it also opens up sales to customers who would never purchase under “all sales final” without seeing/”trying” in person first. Bottom line – just be reasonable and ultimately its a win-win for consumers and retailers.

 

[jscott]

Al K, well said. and you took all reasonable precautions. I take your point. I’m lucky in that there’s an REI close by, so I can try merch there. this isn’t true for many folks.

I also saw lots of folks abuse REI’s return policy. That said, I did return a BA tent within less than a year because of zipper failure, but this was within a warranty period. Your being aware of how to care for the chairs you tested before returning them answers all my objections.

[Monte Masterson]

“it’s a win-win for consumers and retailers”.

If the retailer charges nothing to ship 3 chairs to the buyer and then also provides free shipping for 2 returns, it’s not a win for them. Big online gear sites get reduced shipping prices but it’s still not cheap. Even if the buyer ships the unwanted products back to the retailer on their own dime the company takes a hit, albeit not quite as bad.

Steep and Cheap never offers free shipping because their prices often are already down to minimal profits anyway.

[Al K]

I believe retailers know what they are doing. For merchandise which is priced with a healthy margin, free/reduced shipping is a cost of doing business. Its an alternative to the exorbitant cost of opening/maintaining more stores. Both reduce profits and are just different approaches to reach more customers, increase sales, and ultimately net profits (hopefully).

Sometimes return policies in the past were too liberal (and perhaps REI’s is still) and people take advantage in a way they were never intended leading to stricter policies. That is unfortunate and impacts others who are not abusing and have a valid reason to return – this is a whole different topic beyond the scope of my chair review.

[jscott]

I’ll speak from my area of expertise: book sales. Large and small booksellers will send back unsold copies of books to distributors at the end of billing cycles–typically, 30-60 days. Then,  they’ll re-order these same titles, with a new 30-60 billing cycle in place. Now, the stores have a better sense of how a title will sell going forward. again: retailers are encouraged to over order new book releases because they can return unsold copies no charge after 30 days.(it’s far more complex than this but the point holds).

this is by analogy with trying three chairs to see what works for you, and sending the other two back. Except Al K is one person returning gear, not Barnes and Nobles or Amazon returning millions of books over time in order to play the billing cycle game.

What happens to all of those millions of books returned because the billing cycle has closed down? Examining every single book to determine if there are coffee stains on page 271, or ripped pages, or torn covers is prohibitive. No. They all immediately go into the remainder market and are sold off en masse. And the cost of this is figured into the initial price of the book. In other words, returns are built into the up front cost of new books. we all pay for returns up front.

So yes, “retailers know what they are doing.” They charge everyone up front for the cost entailed by a few people who abuse return policies.

Far worse: easy return policies encourage extravagant use of natural resources and cheap labor worldwide. Many returns end as landfill, as that’s the cheapest resolution of the issue.

Sorry to vent. I just want to point out how complex all of this is.

[Kevin M]

From the selection of chairs that I’ve tried (far from exhaustive, but a good 6 or 7 different models) I’ve found the chair zero high back to be most comfortable for me.

I’ve also found it the most stable for me, in that when using some others I’ve felt that I’ve always been conscious of the way I was sitting or leaning and being careful not to tip over, where as on the high back I feel like I can relax and forget about it much more.

[Sam Farrington]

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/81152/

Every chair noted is virtually the same; usually with a pyramid bottom, and a frame up top to hold the seat.  The canoe style chair is much more stable.  And of these pyramid chairs would leave you in the drink were it to be used in a canoe or kayak in a loop trip back to the car.

The efforts at weight reduction are uncomfortable, as well as spindly and tippy.  Am a fan of building ultra light gear, with many posts here; but my chair is the one item built strong.  It needs no reinforcement added on the ground, because the ground supports are tubular, one in front and one behind, and outer flexible covers can be added  at ground level to protect the frame.

Would luv to make a chair with carbon; but even the best carbon fiber materials are subject to crushing, a chair being the one piece of gear that is the most vulnerable.  While the canoe chair design has lasted me for decades without a scratch.

Just don’t get why so many use these look-a-likes.  Would mention the fabrics that create wet butt while a sturdy mesh keeps me dry; but posted a rant about that already.   Would be embarrassed to go into the bush with one of these pyramid type chairs.

[Terran Terran]

I felt unstable in the high back and haven’t tried the others because they are all basically “ look-a-likes” . They all have a pivot point held together by plastic.

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