Nemo Moonlite Elite Reclining Camp Chair (18 oz )

Many thanks for continuing to bring new products to our attention, Monte. I don’t carry a chair while backpacking, but I always enjoy reading your threads.

Whenever Nemo has the word “Elite” in a product name you know it’s going to be expensive.

I don’t pack a chair either Dan, but I always thought if they could ever get light enough I’d consider one. Not there yet though. That’s why I’m big on packing at least 4 oz ccf/evazote foam to provide camp lounging comfort and to also use as pack frame. Foam supplements inflatable sleeping pad as well. Then as long as there is a tree or big rock around to serve as a back rest, I’m good.

Couldn’t blame anyone for packing a chair though. A lot of people do and I’ve sure thought about it, but I’d wait for a good used Chair Zero to show up on Gearswap. $180 for Moonlite Elite is definitely out of my budget.

I enjoy my chair while camping. If im hiking shorter distance and plan to spend more time @ camp then I appreciate my chair. Especially if Im camping near some rock ledges,  i love having my chair to sit and relax in the evenings as sun sets, cook my dinner,  enjoy my smoke and relax in comfort of my chair.. ditto in the early morning for sunrise and breakfast.  I dont always carry it though.. again, depends on the trip and destination.  I appreciate the UL.. and at this point,  my physical condition and my gear dialed in,  that 1 lb is negligible on my back..

I wouldn’t spend that kind of money just to find this out, but I do remember people comparing the REI ultralight chair and the Helinox zero and some would try to get the lightest chair by using the chair material of one on the frame of the other to save a little weight. The frame on this new chair seems possibly lighter than the frames of the other two chairs and I wonder if the seat from the other two chairs would fit on the frame of the new chair and be lighter and weight. That’s assuming you don’t care that much about the reclining function of the new chair.

I’ve sat in the new elite chair. I wanted to love it, but there were a few things that miss the mark for me. I’m not a big guy(5’9, 155lbs) the seat is not quite deep enough even for me. Also the chair frame pinches me in the shoulders, I suspect because the frame tubing appears to be slightly thinner to save weight, thus flexing more. And finally the price is a deal breaker.

Also, with my helinox chair i dont carry any case, i just wrap the poles with the fabric chair part and pack em up.   Yeah that price too! I cant imagine a chair being any cheaper,  smaller,  lighter AND more comfortable then the one I have now.. Helinox Ground.

I’m not overweight, just big boned (honest! really!) and the Helinox chair zero is a torture rack that kills my back, its like a vice grip.  I used the Helinox Ground chair for a while, it adds 4 or 5 oz but has a lot more wiggle room.

For luxury lounging, I ditched the chair and switched to a webbing hammock + UL straps, ~ 7 oz all in and way more comfy than any chair.  No shortage of trees out here.  :)

I have had similar experiences with the Helinox chair zero, I have sat in them a couple times, and hate the way the frame flexes and puts pressure on my shoulders.

I really enjoy having a chair in the back country, and for years I have carried an Alite Mayfly.  The biggest drawback, for some, is that it is so low to the ground.  Definitely takes a little effort to sit in, and get up from.  However, this also means that a short person like me can use this chair inside a tent, which is nice.  The frame is very sturdy, and does not flex (at least not under my weight).  Alite went out of business several years back, but I noticed recently that Grand Trunk is now selling chairs based on the Alite designs: https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/mayfly-chair.  Litttle bit heavier than other options, but also less expensive, and to me, much more comfortable.

All that said, I will definitely be testing out that Nemo chair next time I’m in an REI….

I’m so glad to hear the Alite chairs are back in production. The Monarch is my favorite ever.

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

I have either owned or used pretty much every backpacking chair out there.  I have settled on the Nemo Moonlight as the best choice luxury item for me if trip particulars warrant (if weight is critical I take a Chammock hammock chair at 8 oz).  At 2 lbs it is heavier than I would like but the comfort is unmatched.  Initially I thought the reclining feature might just be marketing hokum, but it is actually amazing.

I stopped by REI today and inspected the Moonlight Elite.  It is significantly smaller, and closer to the ground than the Moonlight.  Dimensionally it is nearly identical to the Helinox Zero and suffers all of the Zero’s negatives.  I am 6′ 1″ 220 lbs and it squeezed my hips and poked into my shoulder blades, flaws that the Moonlight does not have.  Also, the UL cords used to adjust the tilt cut into my side and hurt my hands when using them to get out of the chair.

If the Helinox Zero works for you, the reclining function of the Elite might coerce you into purchasing, but the regular Moonlight still rules for me.

Thanks for the firsthand account of the Moonlite Elite John. Somehow I figured it might be too flimsy.

The Helinox Chair Zero Large appears a bit more inviting than the regular size. I sat in someone else’s Chair Zero awhile back and it’s a little too small for my liking (I’m 5′ 10″ 200 lb) but the Large is 1.44 lb, which is only 5 oz more than the regular. Large Zero is 1″ higher, 0.5″ wider and 1.5″ deeper. It’s also built stronger and has better stability. https://helinox.com/products/chair-zero-l?variant=43734336864430

It may be if you leave the Moonlite Elite ground-platform-wrap-thingy home it may be the same weight (or lighter) than the Helinox Chair Zero (which I have, but only carry on backpacks with my wife). If I’m solo, but want some real camp comfort, I carry a Litesmith QwikBack chair. It has its limitations, but its plenty comfortable, and very light (sub 3 oz’s). But comfort is a very individual thing – at 5’10” and 145 lbs what I find comfortable will likely be less or more so to someone else. It’s sort of like trying to recommend shoes to someone.

Aside, I watched the Dan Becker video, and went down a rabbit hole with a few of his other video’s (never heard of the guy, but I don’t generally do youtube backpack channels either). Strikes me as someone fairly new to backpacking trying to make money on youtube. Nice enough guy, but I’m not going to put much stock in what he’s pedaling, and indeed, make no mistake, he’s pedaling.

I picked up a Chair Zero Large here on GS recently and I’m surprised by the width of it. I’m not a large person and don’t have a big butt but it feels very narrow to me like it’s pushing hard on both sides of my hips. I find my Alite Monarch much more comfortable.

I suspect chair comfort may be as subjective as shoe comfort.

I suspect chair comfort may be as subjective as shoe comfort.

+1.  I got lucky when I bought the Chair One sight unseen when it first came out many years ago.  Since then I have tried or ordered (and returned) pretty much every chair on the market until I found one that worked for me.

Here’s something I have recently learned…if you have found something that works for you, stop looking.

“I find my Alite Monarch to be much more comfortable”

I take it the Grand Trunk Monarch is same chair as Alite, only with a new company name. Dimensions are bigger for the Monarch over Chair Zero Large: They are listed as 21″ X 21.5″ X 21.5″, so it’s bigger than the Helinox, only a little lower to the ground. Weight is listed at 1.3 lb. What about it teetering on just the 2 ground contact points? How stable is it, seems like a chore…no? https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/monarch-chair?variant=39874878505063

Steep and Cheap has them for under $50

I have the REI flexlite Air- actually two, one for me one for my wife. I like. I have not taken it backpacking, but I use it all the time on dayhikes. Where I dayhike it seems like there’s rarely a nice rock or log where the view is. The only change I would wish for is a mesh fabric seat in place of the coated fabric so that my sweaty back would dry while I am eating lunch. Might have to make one.

Monte

Curious as how thick your ccf pad is and size for 4oz?

I got the chair zero for Xmas a few years ago, I like it, it’s comfortable for me, camping I use it, backpacking not yet and probably won’t…. I do have a lite Smith chair at under 3oz I’ll probably be taking and a sit pad for a little extra comfortable bc I have a boney butt

I take it the Grand Trunk Monarch is same chair as Alite, only with a new company name. Dimensions are bigger for the Monarch over Chair Zero Large: They are listed as 21″ X 21.5″ X 21.5″, so it’s bigger than the Helinox, only a little lower to the ground. Weight is listed at 1.3 lb. What about it teetering on just the 2 ground contact points? How stable is it, seems like a chore…no? https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/monarch-chair?variant=39874878505063

I’m assuming Grand Trunk paid Alite for the designs and copyrited names of their old products, which I consider very good news.  The Alite chairs do have nice wide dimensions, as you note, this is one of the reasons I find them comfortable.  Most Monarch owners don’t seem to have any problem with balancing the chair, but for a little more money and a little more weight you can have the added stability that comes from the Mayfly.

Josh J,

I carry a combination of ccf Ridgerest (for pack frame) and evazote foam to get the 4 to 6 oz of non-inflatable padding I need, depending on the pack I use. Of course the evazote goes under my inflatable pad to protect it before crashing at night and to add R-value, but even more importantly the folded evazote is an absolute must for cushioning the glutes while sitting around camp. And the section of Ridgerest is always placed against tree/boulder to provide vital cushioning for the back. I prefer cut pieces of Ridgerest over Z-Lite because it’s more durable and when used as pack frame I find the ridges placed vertically provides a much stiffer frame than Z-Lite, Flexmat, etc. On my ZPacks Sub Nero I use a 10″ X 18″ section. Then I also choose either a 20″ X 60″ evazote 1/8″ thick or a 20″ X 48″ that’s 1/4″ thick to pack along.

And on my SMD Feather 40L I place 2 cut pieces of Ridgerest 11″ X 19″ and 1 piece 1/8″ evazote taped together with clear Scoth packaging tape (holds great) into the pad pocket. Provides good camp seating and then goes under air mat before sleep (or under knees and feet with a torso length X-Lite). With this set up I also carry a foam sit pad to go against tree/boulder and forgo packing any evazote. Main thing is that I have enough foam padding to make sitting on the ground without a chair bearable.

All 3 sections together weigh 4.2 oz and if my air pad deflates in the middle of the night I will still be able to get some sleep.

monte,

thanks! just curious why the 1/8″ with the ridge rest for the 3 section?

Because the pocket wasn’t quite big enough to fit 3 sections of Ridgerest Josh and the 1/8″ adds a little to the overall cushioning.

The more recent chairs do away with the rickety platforms, but others don’t look very stable either; like the Alite and others that do not appear to have much separation from the ground.  Though only a few inches of air space underneath are needed to keep warm.

So the canoe chair type, linked above, has been perfect.  It opens with one simple foldout, keeps the butt several inches off the ground, and is solid as a rock.  The only drawback, if it is one, is that it must be strapped to the back of the pack.  But plenty of space is left to open the accessory pocket at the top of the pack without unstrapping the chair; and the front leg of the chair, when protruding backwards, makes a nice platform to hold the rolled up sleepmat, the folded tent poles; while the two layers of mesh covering the back and seat are a great place to dry out wet sox.  or just stuff light items like a very light windshirt or a cap.

Despite having an ample butt from backpacking, the width of the seat is plenty, and the chair does not have any rickety and unstable tubes that have to be assembled to hold the chair in place.  Since it only takes around a few inches off the ground to keep warm; am damned if I know why why they make the rickety platforms. I’m perfectly happy with my legs stretching out when cooking and eating, and the integrated mesh back panel support is much more comfortable than having a length of cloth strung under the back and torso.

Cabela’s et al often use steel or cheap aluminum for their chairs, so I had to buy some alloy X-C touring poles and use the Ridgid tube bender to bring down the weight.  In the process, most of the bends were rounded, which makes for a more comfortable chair.  But a few of the folding chairs on Cabela’s look promising for some altering.  There are some photos on the posted link above.

Here’s something I have recently learned…if you have found something that works for you, stop looking.

Good advice in most areas of life.