Lightweight Backpacking Chairs: REI Flexlite Air Chair vs. Helinox Chair Zero

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to: Lightweight Backpacking Chairs: REI Flexlite Air Chair vs. Helinox Chair Zero

The purpose of this article is to review the Helinox Chair Zero to the REI Flexlite Air Chair and see if there are any meaningful differences.

[James Marco]

Good video.

Yes, seat to back angle is very important. It is usually between 10-25° for any chair. Normally the seat angle is set to around 5-10° average is around a 15°.  Steeper backs put you in a closer to horizontal position (good for lounging) and shallow angles are used for work chairs where leaning forward has advantages. Obviously, a steep back angle requires a lot of energy to lean forward and a shallow angle requires less.

The seat height is very important. 11-12″ is low and barely workable. around 18″ is considered a standard heat height. This is important because the low design of chairs It will force your legs out and can be difficult to lift your body out of the chair. You invariably need to shift your feet under your body and lift.

For camp chairs, a series of compromises exist. 18″ heights require a fairly good stability and these can be uncomfortable on uneven ground. The poles need to be thicker and heavier. A 12″ seat height needs less stability, the triangular overall shape allows the base to twist somewhat on uneven ground, and is stronger than a higher chair allowing for lesser pole material. Generally a good set of compromises for a camp chair.

The back angle can usually adjust  with fabric. Provided there is enough angle at the seat to force you body back, the fabric can do a good job.

Overall, the REI chair has my vote, too. Thanks, Ryan.

 

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

IMO, chair ratings are conservative because all of the testing is on new, pristine chairs.  With use, the aluminum structure will get nicks, scratches and dents.  Look at any trekking pole or aluminum camp chair.  These imperfections create stress risers which reduce the overall strength of the structure.  Additionally, the chair has plastic components and by definition plastics creep over time, temperature and loading.

Finally, most of the aluminum structures are in a bending mode as there is a torque on the tubes (Force X Distance).  An idea ultralight chair (say 8 oz) would have stresses that are axial (tension or compression only).  The “optimal” structure might be possible using tensegrity concepts.  A simple example is the inflatable mattress or inflatable chair.  The structural members there are all in tension with no bending moments.  In tensegrity structures, tensile members are usually rope and compression members are tubes.  It takes a fair amount of engineering time and practice to effectively design these kinds of structures.  My 2 cents.

[Jacob Craner]

 

• The higher back height of the Helinox Chair Zero provides enough noticeable increase in fabric to increase comfort notably, regardless of your height (but especially for taller sitters). The back fabric edge may dig into your back when you lean far backward, and that may be disconcerting to some.

 

I actually went to REI last weekend to buy a Helinox Chair Zero, but I left with the REI Air Chair.  I am 6’4″ and quite thin (42ish” chest) and the Helinox was incredibly uncomfortable even when leaning back.  The upright supports dug into my lats really bad.

[J-L]

The Helinox Ground Chair (and now the Chair Zero) have been amazing for me. Time in camp is more comfortable and enjoyable now. I originally bought the chair to take on “easy trips”, but it comes almost all the time. I tried sitting in the REI chair and thought it awkward – it felt like I was leaning back too far and that the front piece of fabric was too high off the ground.

In the article, it says:

To save additional weight, you have to give up four-leg stability and/or ground clearance (e.g., the Alite Mayfly), use a chair without a supportive, cradling seat (e.g., the Trail Chair)

However, aren’t both of those options are heavier than the Chair Zero and Flexlite Air chairs?

[Monty Montana]

The Helinox Ground Chair was my first lightweight “luxury camping” purchase, and I loved it!  Then I got the the Zero because it’s 4 or 5 oz lighter, and it was ok…I found I liked the lay-z-boy reclining positioning offered by the Ground better.  Also, the big, gnarly plastic hubs of the Ground are on the ground, providing absolute stability, whereas the tiny diameter of the Zero’s feet are on the ground, and if the ground is soft they start to sink in, not at the same rate either and so starts to tip over. Yikes!

But more recently eschewed the chairs in favor of my Hummingbird hammock ( 7.5 oz including tree straps and whoopie straps).  By adjusting the amount of fabric behind my back I can replicate the various angles and comfort of the Ground, Zero, and Flexlite.  And I can go to sleep in it!  Of course if I’m going above tree line to fish (Aero Lakes), then I’ll go to the trouble to pack in one of the chairs, and if I’m taking a packraft then the choice will be the lighter even though less comfortable.

Thanks for the in-depth review!

[Monty Montana]

I just noticed the time and date stamp on my post above and it’s messed up.  Did BPL move to China or something?  I’m sitting here on the 24th of May, and the clock reads 11:30 PM.  Whazup?

[Ryan Jordan]

The Ground Chair is amazing. That’s my favorite chair, I hope they bring it back.

Hammock as a chair: something that’s probably not considered enough! I love that option as well, but the lack of mobility (I like sitting by my tent and reading, then moving to the fire, then hanging out by the river…) is something to consider.

Timestamp: server is on UTC time, I think?

[Jenny A]

Well, comfort is in the eyes (seat?) of the beholder.  I have both of the tested chairs and find the REI model to be slightly more comfortable and feel more stable when in the favored “kick back and relax with a beer in hand” position. Both are easy enough to sit in and get out of, and both are low enough to the ground that an emergency or unplanned exit can be easily achieved by just rolling out of the darned thing.   I am 5’3″ with short legs.

[William Chilton]

“Timestamp: server is on UTC time, I think?”

I don’t know if the timestamp is the same wherever you’re accessing the forum from (I suspect it is), but viewing from here in Turkey the timestamp is set to GMT.

[Ken Thompson]

UTC & GMT are the same. I found the Helinox chairs uncomfortable as the back dug into my shoulder blades. The Alite though much heavier are larger and fit me better.

[William Chilton]

Thanks, K/@here. Every day a lesson.

[JCH]

Well, comfort is in the eyes (seat?) of the beholder.

Yes!  Everyone’s butt is unique.  My butt tells me:

1. The higher front edge of the REI seat cuts into the back of my thighs.  I much prefer the more stretched out leg position (as you can clearly see in the articles photos).
2. The chairs feet form a rectangle. With the Zero the long side of the rectangle is oriented side to side making it much more stable in that direction. The REI is oriented front to back.  In the Zero I have never felt like I might tip over backward, but in the REI I often felt like I would tip over sideways.
3. It is possible to orient yourself such that the top corners dig into your back…this is true of both chairs.  It is also possible to orient yourself such that they do not :)  I find the increased side-to-side stability of the Zero allows me to rotate slightly (in either direction) such that one leg is between the front corners, the other leg is between one corner and the back, and my shoulder is between the two top corners. Regardless of where your opinion falls on points 1 and 2, the ability to shift left and right into several different positions without loss of stability is what, for me, makes the Zero the clear winner.

The price and weight differences are trivial in my mind, so it is important to test drive both and decide for yourself.

[Oleg Z]

I prefer Zero over Air for

1. More upright and longer (about 2 inches) back support.
2. Comfortable leg stretching (on Air it’s painful for me because of tight front edge).
3. Ears/ fabric pole holders are thicker and look more durable.
4. No ground sheets feet Air legs, I had to put long stitches across Trekology Sand Cover to narrow it by 2 inches at least  to make it work. For Zero that pad was fine without alterations.

I am a male, 5’7″, 144 Lb. My hips are not wide which is important with a narrow Zero seat, for some girls could uncomfortable…

 

[DGoggins]

Throwing my vote in for the helinox zero. Brought both on the wonderland (group of 5) and everyone preferred the zero vs the flexlite.

For me:

Stretching legs out straight in the flexlite is painful (bottom fabric gets too taught).

I can feel the back support poles of the flexlite when leaning back.

Helinox felt much more stable, in both directions.

Also….which might not have been mentioned yet…but the flexlite twists at the bottom pole…or rather, the large plastic hubs on both sides can rotate freely on the bottom pole. They are fixed on the helinox. Thus….its a lot easier for me to put the seat cover on the helinox since they always stay in the correct position. PLUS….I found the flexlite to squeak a lot…I think its because of those plastic hubs being able to rotate though I’m not sure.

[Richard Sullivan]

Can I upload an image from my phone here?

[Richard Sullivan]

Years ago I discovered that the REI Flexlite chair and the Helinox chairs both used frame sets made by DAC and the spatial endpoints were more or less identical. So I created a hybrid ground chair thus saving about 2 oz. Does anyone know if this is possible with the new generation of chairs?

[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 ($100 – can easily get 20% off and up to 30% at times). 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 vs $150), 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 $180 (can get 20-30% off). 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.

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