SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
The NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair is a portable trail chair that’s a bit heavier but far more robust than the other leading trail chairs available today such as the Helinox Chair Zero or the REI Flexlite. It has a comfortable mesh seat that contours around your back and buttocks and comes with adjustable reclining straps so you can adjust the amount of backward lean or get an assist when standing up. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a single chair that can be used for backpacking, car camping, outdoor concerts, or just hanging out in your backyard.
Specs at a Glance
- Weight without carrying case: 1 lb 14 oz
- Weight with carrying case: 2 lbs 1 oz
- Seat height: 10.5″
- Seat width: 17″
- Weight capacity: 300 lbs
- Colors: Red, grey, or blue
- Seat material: Polyester
- Hubs: 6061 series Aluminum
- Tubes: 7001 series Aluminum
The NEMO Moonline Reclining Chair is a portable version of the NEMO’s popular Stargaze Luxury Reclining Chair but downsized to be lighter weight and much more portable so you can be used for camping and backpacking. While it is heavier than the lightest weight portable trail chairs, it’s also engineered to be more comfortable and confidence-inspiring with burlier hubs and thicker tubing. These provide a noticeably more robust and solid sitting experience, that makes it possible to lean back and stargaze or slouch in a more natural position.
The Moonlite’s seat is made with a polyester mesh that has a bit of stretch under load conforming to the curves of your body in a natural manner without any lateral pressure on your butt or thighs. The seat corners snap onto the frame with a ball-and-socket style attachment producing an audible sound so you know that the chair is properly assembled and safe to sit on.
The side arms are adjustable in length and control that seat angle so you can lean back for stargazing or sit more upright. This can make it much easier to get out of the chair without having to practice deep knee bends at home. Still, the adjustment mechanism isn’t strictly necessary, because you can also just slide down in the seat or rock back on the rear legs to gaze upward.
The chair feet are also much larger than found on other chairs and are somewhat more resistant to sinking in soft ground. But given the right conditions, they do still bury themselves in soft soil or sand…like every other trail chair we’ve tested this year including the Helinox Chair Zero and the REI Flexlite Air. You can prevent this by sitting on solid rock or a heavily compacted tent site, but out in the woods, finding solid ground can be a lot more challenging.
Portable Trail Chair Comparison
| Make / Model | Weight | Seat Height | Weight Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helinox Chair Zero Chair | 17 oz | 11.5" | 265 lbs |
| REI Flexlite Air Chair | 16 oz | 11" | 250 lbs |
| NEMO Moonlite Chair | 30 oz | 10.5" | 300 lbs |
| Helinox Ground Chair | 23 oz | 4" | 265 lbs |
| Big Agnes Skyline UL Chair | 28 oz | 15" | 276 lbs |
Recommendation
The Nemo Moonlite Reclining Chair is a no-brainer for car camping and base camping. It’s by far the most solid, comfortable, lightweight, and portable trail chair that we’ve tested this year. The question really comes down to whether you’re willing to carry it on day hikes or for backpacking when it weighs close to an extra pound more than other popular lightweight trail chairs.
For me, the answer is Yes and No. While I’m willing to carry the Moonlite on day hikes when I know there’s a view and I want to linger, I’m not keen on carrying it on backpacking trips although I have done so. It’s just more extra weight than I want to carry for days at a time for a chair that I might use for an hour or two each day. If it were a pound lighter weight and I expected to spend significant time in camp with friends, then I might reconsider.
But your priorities may differ considerably from mine, if you’re looking for a sturdy trail chair that can be safely used by anyone in your family, young and old, for big and tall folks, or ones who are more fragile, the NEMO Moonlite Chair is as good as it gets.
Disclosure: NEMO provided the author with a chair for review.
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With the larger feet, I assume the Chair Buddies do not fit?
No they don’t.
The chair is indeed among the most comfortable of its class. There is a part of me that would want to remove the straps to lighten itt, although it is doubtful that the modified weight would approach that of the REI FlexLite Air or Helinox Chair Zero.
It really is. We have it set up in our living room as a guest chair. :-) The thing is a work of art.
Helinox sells a sort of “footprint” for their Chair Zero called the Ground Sheet. It captures the four legs and keeps them from spreading out or sinking into soft sand or soil.
I wish I had bought one.
I was quietly sitting in my Chair Zero about 2 weeks ago on a forest floor that had a thick layer of decomposed pine and cedar needles. The feet sunk slowly sunk into the soil until one of the hubs suddenly cracked and I found myself lying on the ground. Now I’m searching for a receipt so I can see if I’m eligible for a warranty repair. :-(
I have done a lot of backflips this year testing trail chairs!
You can probably achieve the same effect with a piece of tyvek.
Helinox Ground Chair is almost as light as Chair Zero but lacks the sinking legs so you can use it on sand or other soft ground without sinking and breaking a leg.
Ever try to get up from a 4″ high chair without crawling in the dirt?
Glad to see that slouching is part of the evaluation criteria.
Thank you for the acknowledgment that some of us hike to camp rather than camp to hike :). Bought this with gift cards from a recent birthday. Worked great on neighborhood walks and Monadnock shakedown trip to reacquaint myself with my winter stove. Excited to use it in the Whites. It is a luxury item in the woods for sure.