REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair Evaluation

Backside Line

The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair combines practicality and luxury in a tenting chair that provides versatility of use and nice worth. We spent months testing this chair within the different climate situations of California’s Japanese Sierra, in environments starting from excessive desert to alpine forests, placing the Camp Dreamer via its paces in a number of terrains, temperatures, and moisture ranges. With its high-back design and use of sturdy supplies, the Flexlite proved to be a sturdy but comfy set, whereas sustaining a light-weight construct that made it straightforward to deliver on all our adventures. 

The Flexlite isn’t designed for all physique varieties, and it’s a bit heavier than we’d choose for longer backpacking journeys. However regardless of these drawbacks, it’s a sturdy tenting chair that straddles the automotive tenting and backpacking worlds and might stand up to more durable out of doors use with out diminishing its consolation or portability.

Consolation

The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair proves that you simply don’t should sacrifice consolation to maintain issues light-weight. Its scoop-back design permits for rest in any vacation spot, whereas remaining one of many lightest chairs we examined. The spotlight of the Flexlite is its excessive again. Our 5’ 7” tester had her entire higher physique swaddled by the chair and will even relaxation her head on the seat again. The longer again makes for a relaxed seated place, permitting you to stretch out whereas nonetheless being supported by the chair. 

The chair additionally comes with a removable neck cushion that connects to the seat again through two small toggles. We discovered it a bit stiff, although with extra use, we’d count on the cushion to turn out to be extra versatile, cushier, and provides extra. Nevertheless, it does present further help on the high of the seat again, including sturdiness to the chair’s thinner cloth physique, and is completely positioned to pad the neck and head. 

The seat itself has a comfortably comfortable match that was straightforward to sit down in for hours at a time, and we favored the sensation of being supported by the chair. Nevertheless, somebody with a bigger stature may discover it too constrictive. Holes on the perimeters of the chair’s backside enable for beneficiant airflow, which proved obligatory when utilizing the Flexlite on sizzling sunny days. 

The Camp Dreamer doesn’t have armrests, and we discovered it a bit awkward to both tuck our arms beside our physique or have them loosely relaxation on the chair’s sides. Nevertheless, total, the Flexlite’s high-backed construct is enjoyable and supportive, guaranteeing consolation isn’t misplaced within the title of minimalism.

Sturdiness

In the case of sturdiness, the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair doesn’t supply something particular, however its sturdy, well-designed construct proves dependable throughout a spread of makes use of and situations. The chair depends on an aluminum body to help as much as 300 kilos, and in our exams of dropping weight into the chair and making use of torque to the body, it withstood the stresses and stress with out sustaining any injury. 

Plastic hubs that give the body its form are burly sufficient to withstand breakage, serving to prolong the chair’s lifespan. The seat cowl additionally exhibits longevity with an abrasion-resistant, water-repellent polyester, making it simpler for the Camp Dreamer to deal with a wide range of climate situations and rougher use.

We put the chair to make use of amidst spiny brush in less-hospitable desert locales and even left it arrange exterior via the dramatic shifts of Japanese Sierra winter, in climate starting from snowfall to 90-degree afternoons. The Flexlite suffered no deterioration or influence to its construction, highlighting how suited it’s for out of doors use. 

One potential weak spot is the pockets the place the body posts hook up with the material seat cowl. These sleeves are shallower than different chairs’ designs and, although sturdy, may very well be vulnerable to put on and tear over time. Finally, although, the usage of high quality supplies enable the Flexlite to be a hardy and lasting companion on out of doors adventures.

Portability

Along with its comfy excessive again, the REI Co-op Camp Dreamer Chair shines in how simply it may be delivered to nearly any vacation spot. Totally collapsible, the chair packs right into a stuff sack, leaving you with a bundle we discovered straightforward to stash within the corners of a automotive trunk or backpack. The one unfavourable of the stuff sack is its drawstring pouch design. We’d like to see a strap added for handy over-the-shoulder carrying. The chair disassembles shortly and requires little negotiation to get it into the sack, making it some of the packable chairs we’ve encountered. 

For ultralight purists, the 3-pound, 7-ounce weight of the Flexlite may be too heavy for backpacking, however it’s nonetheless one of many lightest-weight chairs we examined by a number of kilos. When you might have further pack area or fewer miles to journey, it’s on the edge of being simply gentle sufficient to take alongside. For much less intensive out of doors forays, we appreciated having a snug spot to sit down that didn’t add an excessive amount of of an additional burden on our again.

Ease of Use

Much like different collapsible scoop-back chairs, the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair is made up of two elements: body and cloth seat cowl. With assistance from shock wire stringing them collectively, the body items primarily information themselves into the hubs that give the chair its form, making it doable to arrange the Flexlite with out ever referring to the instruction guide.

Body posts slide into the pockets at every nook of the seat cowl, which we discovered required some energy to beat the posts’ pressure towards the material. Nevertheless, as soon as assembled, the chair holds firmly collectively, with no threat of the items coming aside. General, we admire the relative simplicity of the two-step setup course of. 

At 12.5 inches, the Camp Dreamer sits barely greater off the bottom than different light-weight chairs, which makes for a extra comfy seated place, with knees barely much less scrunched. It does sit decrease than choices, although, and the inside track design makes it more durable to rise up from the seat. With out armrests that can assist you push your self out of the chair, standing up generally is a little bit of an effort, significantly for these with restricted mobility. 

The Flexlite has a minimalist design to maintain weight low, however doesn’t let this stop it from together with a couple of helpful options. One distinctive facet is the 4 loops of webbing on every nook of the chair. Designed as pull tabs for inserting the body poles into the seat cowl pockets, we additionally envision utilizing them to stake the chair down in windy situations. We did expertise some gusty climate throughout testing and wouldn’t suggest leaving the chair unattended within the wind, however these tie-down factors present an answer to this drawback that we solely discovered on the Flexlite. 

Not like most light-weight chairs, the Camp Dreamer additionally has two cupholders — one on all sides of the chair — rectangular slits that pull open to suit a drink or small object. We may match our 32-ounce Hydroflask water bottle within the holder, however as soon as it was empty, it tipped over as a result of there was no construction to carry it in place. The cupholder design is considerably awkward to make use of, however we like that the chair incorporates a spot to stow equipment, significantly when different related choices don’t.

Ought to You Purchase The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair?

For these seeking to get deeper into the backcountry however don’t need to sacrifice creature comforts, the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair is a low-weight choice that’s a transportable, enjoyable place to sit down. Its easy, collapsible construct allows the chair to stay gentle and straightforward to move, whereas its scoop seat and high-back design make it comfy to make use of. 

Folks with bigger frames or mobility points could wrestle to search out most consolation on this chair. Its tighter-fitting seat and low seat top aren’t fitted to each physique kind. Moreover, the Flexlite is light-weight, however on the edge of being too heavy to be a backpacking no-brainer. Although a lot lighter than most of the different chairs we examined, it weighs simply sufficient to require a bit further effort and pack area in use past a automotive tenting journey. Regardless of these features, although, the Camp Dreamer is a superb stability of minimalism, consolation, and packability.

What Different Tenting Chairs Ought to You Contemplate?

Head over to our information to the Finest Tenting Chairs to learn the way the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair compares to the opposite chairs on our record. And think about these different choices:

Helinox Chair One Excessive Again (re) Evaluation: That includes a really related design to the Flexlite, the Chair One is one other high-backed, scoop-seat that blends consolation and portability. Although its again is barely decrease than the Camp Dreamer, it’s even lighter weight and is available in a compact pouch that provides most packability within the tightest areas. 

Helinox Chair Zero Evaluation: Another choice from Helinox, the Chair Zero is the only option among the many chairs we examined for backpacking. Weighing simply over a pound, this collapsible scoop-seat packs right down to the dimensions of a water bottle, making it our best choice for deep backcountry consolation. 

ENO Lounger DL Evaluation: The hammock-style design of the ENO Lounger takes consolation to the subsequent stage. Outfitted with a headrest cushion and prolonged seat again just like the Flexlite, it’s a chair that prioritizes rest. It’s a few kilos heavier than the Flexlite and never as small when disassembled, however options like cupholders and aspect pockets make it even simpler to benefit from the chair for hours on finish.