Best camp chair for 2020
We are teardrop, squaredrop, and other tiny camper owners. Let’s face it, space is at a premium! Any gear that I purchase for camping has to fit in either the teardrop or tow vehicle. And I try hard to keep the tow vehicle organized. Any gear that I can get more than just camping usage from though is a definite must buy for me!
Enter the ultra lightweight range of Helinox chairs. I actually purchased two chairs soon after placing our order for our teardrop in early 2019. I found them one day while I was killing time in a camping store. That’s never a good idea because all I wanted to do was fill up a shopping cart full of gear! I actually didn’t plan to buy anything that day, but then I put a chair together and sat down right in the middle of the store aisle. It was the most comfortable camp chair I’ve sat in! Needless to say, I grabbed two - one of which matches the exterior of the teardrop (which you can see below) and the other a lovely red and gray.
One of the things that we love now about these chairs after having them for nearly 18 months is their versatility. They are perfect for traveling light and they are extremely portable. If you watch backpacking videos on YouTube, you can sometimes find someone who actually brings one of these along so they don’t need to sit on the ground! These chairs always stay in our vehicles now and are ready at a moment's notice. Due to Covid-19, we’ve actually used our chairs more. While we do use them while camping, we’ve pulled them out for impromptu picnics where we’ve just ordered takeout from a restaurant then found an empty nearby parking lot to eat in. Just last week I used one at a board meeting where we all met outside in a park. Tonight will be similar as we are having another socially distant meeting for our local library - the only difference about tonight will be that we are riding our bikes to the meeting instead of driving. It will be easy to take these lightweight chairs along. The bags that these chairs come in have a handy handle that we can put over our handlebars. Extreme portability!
Our chairs are small, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that they are a kids chair. Depending on which size you purchase, the weight limit for these tough ultra lightweight chairs ranges from 200 - 320 pounds (or 91 - 145kg) . The frames are made from ultra lightweight but super strong DAC aluminum alloy poles. Helinox is the only furniture brand to use DAC aluminum alloy poles. The seat height supports your back, even on the low profile, ultra lightweight chairs, and the design wraps around your body comfortably.
Here’s a review from WIRED, May 2019. “HELINOX’S CHAIR ONE HAS ALL THE GOOD STUFF—IT'S COLLAPSIBLE, IT PACKS EASILY INTO ITS CARRYING CASE, AND IT SUPPORTED A 6'4" MOUNTAIN GUIDE’S HEIGHT AND WEIGHT WITH EASE.”
If you see one of these chairs, do not hesitate to try one out! This company has been around for over 10 years and they 100% stand behind their products, which I love. All of their products have a 5 year warranty which is unheard of with a chair most of us use for camping. Heck, this ultra lightweight chair has a better warranty than the new couch I just bought.
While these chairs are probably more pricey than you’d like to spend for camping, based on the multitude of places these chairs can be used, the size, and the 5 year warranty, you’ll get your money’s worth. In my book, that makes this a great value! We use our chairs constantly and we have zero plans of buying any other camp chairs.
Right click the picture below to go directly to the Helinox website.
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