UL 1 lb.: REI Flexlite Air Chair vs. Helinox Chair Zero, side by side, photos

[Josh J]

Guess I’m going to have to stop an REI and try them out,  im 6ft, 185lb. But I’m fairly skinny,  well 32/34 waist in pants.

[Andrew]

I’m 5’10” and same weight as you. I have the REI Flexlite Air and really like it. Plenty comfortable and has held me fine so far. It doesn’t always make it in the pack if I’m bringing photo gear or other luxury items, but don’t let anyone fool you they are way nicer than sitting on a log or using my bear canister as a stool.

[Ratatosk]

Good info.

I’m happy with my zero; I’ve used it for two years after a few years in a H1. One thing to note is that on any sort of soft surface – sand, loam, whatever – you’ll sink the legs in the ground and lock your chair sideways and have to get up and right it. They make a sort of mat for the feet (marketed for beach sitting) but that adds some weight.

Helinox has a zero, and a one…they need to make a deuce, with a hole in the seat. (I’ve thought about modding my old one, but you’d need to reconfigure the leg brace.)

[Andrew]

Lol on the deuce concept chair. I purchased a knock-off of the Trekology sand cover/ground cloth and modified the seams on it to shorten the width and fit my Flexlite. It solves the sinking into soft ground issue, but at the expense of ~5oz in added weight. I’ve also seen people use the mini tennis balls you can find at the pet store. Those weigh 0.9oz on my scale so you can save a bit of weight cutting slits and using those on the end of each leg.

[Josh J]

I have a buddy who make disks from kydex that he says work great and are very light

[Enyaw]

I swear by my Crazy Creek Hex chair.  Downside for some might be you’re still on the ground and they are a couple ounces heavier than leading UL chairs.  The Hex is so comfortable, easy to setup (not that any chair is hard to deploy) and durable.  I’m not UL- more like jayvee UL, which is where I will stay, but Crazy Creek chair is my usual backpacking luxury item.

[Josh J]

Enyaw,

Swear I’ve seen something similar are craft shows type things.

Grant your still on ground but is it comfortable and have you used it in snow or by a fire?

 

Tempting option to try. I got a litesmith chair for Christmas that sits on the ground but its needs a butt pad that’s not a huge deal and still pretty comfy. Might get a regular chair at some point to get off the ground.

[bradmacmt]

Tempting option to try. I got a litesmith chair for Christmas that sits on the ground but its needs a butt pad that’s not a huge deal and still pretty comfy. Might get a regular chair at some point to get off the ground.

I have the Litesmith as well – it’s great. I also have the Helinox Chair Zero. I take it when backpacking with my wife (she has one as well). It’s a nice luxury for those of us in the 60+ crowd…

[JCH]

I have both the Helinox chair one and the chair zero. At 65 years old and 225 pounds with knees that are no longer those of a young person I find a chair up off the ground to be a requirement. The chair one is decidedly the more comfortable of the two, but it is too heavy for all but a basecamp trip. The chair zero at half the weight is the one I normally take.

My ultralight chair solution is a Chammock. I got it when it was on Kickstarter and it came with the straps and carabiners. I ditched all of that and created my own ultralight suspension out of 1” webbing and soft shackles which got the total weight below 10 ounces. It looks like they will now sell just the Chammock by itself. Truth be told, the Chammock is far and away the most comfortable of the three. The downside is you can’t pick it up and move it around.

[Enyaw]

Josh,

Yes, Crazy Creek by fire on snow is fine. Obviously, wet melting snow wouldn’t be ideal, but in most cases the chair is great. If you want to be off the ground, the Crazy Creek isn’t for you. I’ve sat in both Hellinox, REI and Crazy Creek chairs and think the Crazy Creek isthe most comfortable and durable of the group.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I have two REI chairs and I wonder if any of this type of chair has high quality DAC aluminum?

[bradmacmt]

I have two REI chairs and I wonder if any of this type of chair has high quality DAC aluminum?

Helinox are…

[Bill in Roswell]

Alexander, UL chairs have a lot of flex. To get the fabric to fit tightly, it needs to flex/stretch. DCF does not have stretch/flex properties as does ripstop nylon. Besides making DCF chairs cost much more than ripstop nylon, DCF would need to be the thicker version for durability. Any weight savings from DCF would be minimal or non-existant. As the ripstop nylon seat weighs 2.5+ ounces there is nothing to gain with DCF.

[Bill in Roswell]

Note tbe Helinox ground mat for chairs fits both Zero and Flexlite. It works keeping chairs from sinking into soft soil. The ground mat costs $35, weighs 5 oz. Wiffle golf balls work costing $10 for a bag of several (10 ot more) on cramazon.

[Josh J]

you could also get a small sheet of kydex and form little platforms to keep from sinking as well

[Kevin Babione]

@JCH – I too bought a Chammock but it’s now in the pile of gear that won’t get used again.  We took it on a number of car-camping trips and nobody in my family could get comfortable in it for any period of time.  My twin girls (15 years old) are voracious readers and I thought it would be the perfect thing for them to sit in and read while camping.  They tried but just didn’t like it.  I never got to the point of replacing their straps with something lighter.

[JCH]

Kevin – To each their own I guess…I love the Chammock :)  I find that finding the right height off the ground is key to comfort…tune it to the length of your lower legs so they don’t dangle and the fabric’s edge doesn’t cut into the back of your thighs/inside of your knees. You also have to play with the length of the line that controls the distance between the suspension points. I have fallen dead asleep in that thing.

[Kevin Babione]

I wonder if it could be that simple – I’m pretty sure I’ve always hung the Chammock high enough that feet didn’t touch the ground.  Lower would make sense…Perhaps I’ll give it one last try.

[Author]

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