When it comes to choosing the best camping chair, there are multiple debates in a lot of product reviews. Does it need to be in the ultra lightweight division? Does it need a lot of features? Does it have to be the most comfortable chair? With all of these questions, the most important thing to ask yourself is whether or not you would need this type of chair.
If you’re a weight-conscious hiker, planning for a quick backpacking trip, or who prioritizes weight and comfort at the same time, the Helinox Chair Zero should be on top of your choices. With its durable, lightweight materials that provide comfort beyond its competition, we choose this chair in our best portable camping chairs for 2022.
Let’s further discuss the features and performance of this camping chair based on the following topics: comfort, portability, ease of setup, and durability. We will also be talking about the pros and cons of this camping chair to further help you decide whether this equipment is good for you or not.
Whether you’re in the middle of the woods, in front of a campfire, on the beach, or in the comfort of your own backyard, you can enhance your relaxation experience by investing in a good camping chair. We tested a bunch of the chairs that you can find in the market today and we found the best chairs for camping among all of them.
Features
Dimensions In Bag: 15” x 5” x 4”
Weight: 18oz
Material: Polyester with Aluminum Frame
Weight Capacity: 265lbs
Verdict
Almost all of our campers choose the Chair Zero when we gave them the ultra-lightweight category. This chair is regarded by many enthusiasts because of the comfort it brings at only 18 ounces of weight which already includes the carry bag. It provides great support for the back and is sturdy enough to bring along on almost all hiking adventures.
Comfort
Most ultra-lightweight camping chairs only focus on the weight rather than being an all-around chair. With Chair Zero, a lot of our hikers mentioned that it has great comfort and can even compete with heavier models when it comes to this category.
The chair is designed to put more weight on your lower back to help you maintain a good sitting posture. This is preferred by many of our testers since the backseat is high enough for the entire back to be covered. For our average-sized campers, the edge of the backseat is just below the shoulder blades.
It’s worth taking note though that most of our testers who chose the Chair Zero for its weight and comfort are small- to average-sized users. Our wider and taller users find the chair narrow on the hip side and the backseat has a tendency to jab the shoulders and armpits.
We also like the fact that, when it comes to Chair Zero, we didn’t have any problem with where to put our arms. In most small chairs, it can be a little awkward where to place our arms, in this Helinox chair, smaller users can easily tuck their arms inside the seat, but larger users won’t be comfortable doing this.
While this chair provides comfort for many of its users. We noticed how easy it was for some people to slide forward or tilt backward. There’s not much depth to the hold of this chair since the length of the front legs are fairly short. This means that you won’t feel any pressure on your thigh area even if you sit for long periods of hours or you can sit with your legs fully stretched in front of you, but at the same time, you can’t bend too forward.
Another thing to take note in regards to the short poles is that its overall length is 7 inches above the ground. This makes it necessary for you to do a deep squat if you’re going to sit down. For young and athletic hikers, this may not be a problem, but if you have issues in your hips or knees, you might not want to sit in this chair.
Lastly, you’ll find two slits on the Chair Zero for breathability. Although we can’t really measure its effectiveness on ventilation, it’s great as an easy way to clean the chair and sweep any sand that may go in.
Camping chairs are very sturdy, versatile, and easy to carry. They are pretty good to use in the mountains, but are camping chairs any good for the beach? Read our article to find out.
Portability
The Helinox Chair Zero only weighs 18 ounces which is the lightest camping chair we have reviewed. When packed, it’s almost the same size as a one-liter Nalgene bottle. You can easily stack it anywhere in your backpack. In our case, we were able to put it on our side mesh pockets along with our drinking bottle.
Ease of Setup
If you’re worried about how to set up the Chair Zero camping chair, Helinox has made this beginner- and dummy-proof. You’ll find printed instructions on the chair itself. Also, we like how they put rivet on the pole hubs so that you won’t have any problems when connecting it to the crossbar.
Packing the Helinox chair is also easy even if the opening of the stuff sack is a bit narrow. For you not to experience any problem, we suggest that you fold the fabric into three then start rolling it with the poles inside to avoid a bulky set.
Durability
The poles are made from aluminum and the fabric is made from ripstop polyester. The overall durability of the Chair Zero is average for us since they’ve only used light materials, essential to be ultra-lightweight. In regards to the stability, we’ve mentioned that you can easily tilt forward or backward if you put pressure on either side.
The side-to-side stability is superb even when we tried to wiggle around. We still felt secure and didn’t see any wear and tear on the chair itself. Unfortunately, since the Chair Zero is lightweight, you can easily sink into soft grounds so it’s important to look for a camping site that has strong ground.
Pros
We’ve chosen the Helinox Chair Zero as the best portable camping chair because of its following advantages over the competition:
- Comfortable positioning
- Ultra-lightweight
- Small and compact
- Versatile
- Easy to set up and pack
Cons
Even though we love Chair Zero, we still found some of its disadvantages. These are:
- Expensive
- Has a tendency to tilt forward or backward
- Not ideal for tall or wide hikers
- Not ideal to be used on soft grounds
In all our years of camping, we’ve already experienced how to set up a camp in many different ways. If you want to know our tips and tricks on how to glam up a campsite in simple ways, check out our article on how to make your camping spot feel like home.
Conclusion
When it comes to being a lightweight, comfortable, durable, and packable camping chair, the Helinox Chair Zero is beyond its competitors. Although it’s quite expensive, we believe that every penny is worth the comfort it brings. Whether you’re a weight-conscious hiker or would want a chair that can offer all the great characteristics of an ultra-lightweight chair, this is the go-to chair.
If you’re looking for a comparable camping chair to the Chair Zero, we suggest that you take a look at our Big Agnes Skyline UL Chair review. This chair is heavier compared to the Chair Zero, but it also packs a punch when it comes to comfort and durability.
