A lightweight backpacking chair is a luxury item that can make the camping portion of a backpacking trip much more enjoyable and relaxed. If you like to sit around a campfire to socialize at night or read outdoors while sitting upright, bringing a lightweight trail chair along can really enhance a backpacking trip. With trail weights between 1 and 2 pounds, the added weight of carrying a backpacking chair isn’t that onerous, especially if it’s offset by using other lightweight backpacking gear.
| 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 |
| REI Trail Stool | 18 oz | 15" | 200 lbs |
| Hillsound BTR Stool | 14.1 oz | 17" | 240 lbs |
| Therm-a-Rest Trekking Chair Kit | 10-13 oz | 4" | 300 lbs |
| Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 | 20.8 oz | 0.5" | 250 lbs |
| NEMO Chipper Foam Seat | 5.6 oz | 1" | Unlimited |
Here are the top 10 lightweight backpacking and camping chairs we recommend.
1. Helinox Chair Zero
2. REI Flexlite Air Chair
Available from:
REI
3. NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair
4. Helinox Ground Chair
The Helinox Ground Chair has a square base that spreads the load more evenly than feet, meaning it is not as likely to sink into the ground. Setup is fast and easy with shock-corded poles and intuitive seat attachments. Its supportive 500-denier polyester seat features breathable monofilament mesh side panels to keep you comfortable in hot environments. The only thing missing is an ottoman to prop your feet on.
5. Big Agnes Skyline UL Chair
6. REI Trail Stool
Available from:
REI
7. Hillsound BTR Stool
Available from:
Garage Grown Gear | Amazon
8. Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair Kit
Available from:
Therm-a-Rest | Amazon
9. Crazy Creek Hex 2.0
10. NEMO Chipper Closed-Cell Foam Seat
How to Choose a Backpacking Trail Chair
There are several types of trail chairs available today: sling-style chairs with collapsing and shock-corded aluminum legs, stools, chair kits that incorporate a sleeping pad, closed-cell foam sit pads, and inflatable seat cushions.
Price
The cost of a backpacking chair can vary widely depending on the type of chair you want. Upright chairs with backs and shock-corded poles are usually the most expensive, while the price drops the closer you get to the ground with sit pads or sleeping pad chair kits. In addition to price, we’d encourage you to consider warranties and return policies as well. For example, Helinox offers a 5-year warranty on all of their chairs, including the Helinox Chair Zero and the Helinox Ground Chair, which we think speaks volumes about the quality of their product. Purchases made of REI products or through REI also have a 1 year money-back guarantee, which is helpful if you find that the chair you choose doesn’t stack up.
Chair Weight
While chair weight is important, you need to balance it against the weight capacity of the chair to ensure it can hold your body weight, seat height, and packability. For example, the Big Agnes Skyline UL Chair is probably the best chair for big and tall backpackers, but it is significantly heavier than the Helinox Chair Zero or the REI Flexlite Air Chair.
Weight Capacity
When choosing a trail chair, make sure it can support your body weight or the weight of the people who will be using it. You don’t want to break the chair or hurt yourself by having it collapse under you. The NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair is the strongest upright chair listed below with an extra-thick frame followed by the Big Agnes Skyline UL. Both are suitable for tall and big backpackers.
Seat Height
Trail chairs that are low to the ground like the Helinox Ground Chair can be very difficult to get up from. We generally aim for chairs that have a seat height of 10″. Much lower and you’ll want to add deep squats to your weekday workouts to get in shape to get up from your trail chair. But this is one of those things that varies from individual to individual. If you don’t mind crawling in the dirt, a low chair or sit pad may be perfectly suitable for you.
Seat Width
Seat width is another dimension of comfort that is important to consider because you want a chair that is going to be big enough for your butt. Stools like the REI Trail Stool are a good option if you don’t like having your derriere squeezed from the sides by a seat, as are sit pads like the NEMO Chipper or the REI Sit Pad.
Back Support
If back support is a priority, you’re going to want to get a chair like the NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair which has an adjustable back angle, or the Big Agnes Skyline UL Chair which is more upright than other chairs.
Chair Feet
Most trail chairs will sink in soil, sand, or soft ground which can be pretty annoying because it makes it much harder to stand up and get out of your chair. When comparing chairs, look for ones with wide feet or accessories that prevent sinking. These can add cost and weight to the chair to make it usable in the field that offset the chair’s weight. For example, the Helinox Chair Zero has an added accessory groundsheet that prevents the chair from sinking in soft soil and sand. It costs and weighs extra though. The NEMO Moonlite and the REI Trail Stool have wider feet than other chairs, but they can still sink into the ground in certain cases. Our favorite accessory is a product called Chair Buddies (see our review), made in the UK, which attach to chair legs and prevent sinking. They’re only compatible with the Helinox Chair Zero and the REI Flexlite Chair though.
Packability
Since you have to carry a backpacking chair, you should give some consideration to how you pack it and how much extra volume it will take. Do you want to have the chair accessible for use during the day without unpacking your backpack or just in camp? If you pack it in your pack, how much extra volume will it consume? These are all useful considerations when choosing a backpacking chair.
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A fair amount of the guys in my unit have the Nemo Moonlite. It is super packable and we take them with us all over the world. The Moonlite is not cheap! When you have limited space and want a comfortable chair I think the Moonlite is the way to go.
X2 on the Moonlight. After looking at/trying the competition, it’s burlier and has better feet than REI or Helinox. It is heavier, but it’s worth taking the weight the hit. Ditch the nice bag, put a velcro strap around the folded chair and it fits in my pack exterior side pocket.
Having managed to fall out of both the Helinox ChairZero and REI Flexlite Air Chair, I consider myself a reigning authority on the difference between those two seating platforms… or am I a raining authority?… after all, rain does fall on the ground! If you look at the pictures you’ll see that the crossbar of the frame runs side to side on the Helinox model and front to back on the REI offering. As a result, the Helinox, at least to me, feels more stable side to side but tippier front to back. The REI chair seems to have greater stability front to back and is more prone to dump you off to the side if you lean too far that way.
When I was first shopping those chairs, the REI salesman told me to spend the extra $20 and buy the Helinox ChairZero, that he thought it was a slightly better chair. My AT hiking buddy has the ChairZero and loves it and I really liked the feel of it on the few times something pried Larry out of his chair long enough to leave me with the opportunity to try it.
Last fall, I used my REI 20% off coupon, bought that chair and used it on a hike with my brother in early January in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park. I have tremendous back problems and don’t have full control trying to sit down into a low chair and the two times I sat in it, I fell over backwards. The first time, I smacked my back on a rock, which was quite uncomfortable, the second resulted in a hilarious “feet up in the air” photo that my brother snapped at the perfect time. He was trying to get a picture of our campsite with me in the chair by the tent. Those consecutive spills made me worry that the ChairZero wasn’t the best choice for me.
A few hours after the photobomb (bombs also hit the ground!), we met someone admiring the view from South Rim in the REI Flexlite Air Chair. She demonstrated dropping backwards relatively uncontrolled into the chair a few times and it never gave any indication of tipping backwards. I decided that was going to be the better option in my case. I took the very lightly used ChairZero back to REI (someone will get a deal at their garage sale!) and ordered the Flexlite with this spring’s 20% off coupon. I did manage to spill sideways out of the REI Flexlite Air Chair while testing it in the store but felt in my case that was less risky than going over backwards.
I had two major back surgeries last month and the physical therapist points to my new REI chair as my goal in therapy–to get to the point I can safely sit and get up from something that low.
There’s the lowdown from the king of screams on the differences to be expected between the Helinox ChairZero and REI Flexlite Air Chair. YMMV (Your Mistakes May Vary)
I never understood why REI, a few years ago, changed their chair-leg axis from E-W (side to side) to N-S–maybe your experience explains their intent. For me though, the lateral instability of the REI chair was a deal-breaker.
The instability of the REI was a dealbreaker for me too. The ChairZero just felt way more stable. I normally use my chair when cooking or playing cards, not leaning backward and looking at the sky. If I want to stargaze, I lie on my back :)
I run a BA Skyline UL Stool. Not the chair. For bow and rifle backpack hunting it has been a real asset. There are no doubt times a chair with a back would be great but I can usually find a log, tree, or rock to serve that purpose. It is the perfect height for cooking and getting dressed inside my SO Cimmarron when I have the stove cranked up. I can pivot shooting positions on it that are not possible with the chairs.
Just another view that may help someone out. In spite of the extra pound or so it weighs I gladly carry it everywhere in my pack
Add to the list the new Helinox High Back. 8 more ounces than the Chair Zero but it looks a lot more comfortable. https://helinox.com/products/chair-zero-high-back
I have 2 of the REI chairs but looking it over I feel theHelinox chairs are a more stable leg design.
I may just break down and get one. Somebody twist my arm.
OW! That’s enough.I”buy one.
I just picked up and REI Flexlite Air chair from REI on their 20% off spring sale. I had previously bought a Trekology YIZI-LITE chair for $40 on Amazon and though it was compact, not overly heavy at 750 grams and was better than a sit pad on a log, it sat a bit too low to the ground for my comfort. I had also purchased the YIZI-LITE Ground Sheet for $15. The YIZI-Lite chair uses the same leg design as the Flexlite Air and by chance, the groundsheet fits the REI Flexlite Air chair perfectly. Note, this only works for the YIZI-LITE Trekology chair groundsheet and not the groundsheet for the full sized chair.
Big Agnes Skyline UL, all the way. It’s very comfortable because of the seat height and very sturdy because of how the joints are made – No plastic anywhere. It’s not the lightest but at the end of the day it’s well worth the weight penalty because of how comfy it is. I use it in the AZ desert where trees are not always available to use as back support.
I’ve got my old Z-Rest seat that I paid $2 for 20ish years ago. It weighs a couple of ounces and has gone with me many places, cycling and hiking in several countries. It’s not only great for backpacking but also serves as a kneepad if I’m working on something. Also serves as supplemental padding or insulation in my hammock or on the ground. Also serves as back support in my frameless daypack. I tore it once several years ago but fixed it with some superglue and it’s still going strong.
Oh, and it makes a very comfortable place to sit, which is important in the jagged limestone that is everywhere around these parts.