Greatest Backpacking Chairs of 2025

March 22, 2025

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A backpacking chair is a luxurious merchandise that may make the tenting portion of a backpacking journey way more satisfying and relaxed. For those who like to take a seat round a campfire to socialize at evening or learn open air whereas sitting upright, bringing a path chair alongside can actually improve a backpacking journey. With path weights between 1 and a couple of kilos, the added weight of carrying a backpacking chair isn’t that onerous, particularly if it’s offset through the use of different light-weight backpacking gear.

Listed here are the perfect light-weight backpacking and tenting chairs we suggest.

1. Helinox Chair Zero

The Helinox Chair Zero is an excellent light-weight however sturdy camp chair with a single shock-corded pole construction that makes for straightforward setup. It packs up small making it straightforward to hold within the facet pocket of a backpack and straightforward to assemble if you wish to have a seat. Slits within the polyester ripstop seat broaden to accommodate your bottom for elevated consolation. Helinox additionally sells a number of accent merchandise, together with Vibram ball toes or a groundsheet to forestall sinking in smooth floor or snow, a problem skilled by all backpacking chairs, which we deal with beneath in our part on The best way to Select a Backpacking Chair. Learn the SectionHiker Chair Zero Evaluate.

2. REI Flexlite Air Chair

The REI Flexlite Air Chair is kind of much like the Helinox Chair Zero with the identical fashion shock-corded poles and hub meeting. It additionally breaks down compactly making it very straightforward to pack in a backpack or in an out of doors pocket. Weighing 16 oz, it’s one ounce lighter than the Helinox Chair Zero, however is finest used on onerous surfaces as a groundsheet shouldn’t be obtainable to forestall sinking in smooth soil or sand. Learn the SectionHiker Flexlite Air Chair Evaluate.

3. NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair

The NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair is an adjustable path chair that permits you to lean backward for stargazing. The backward lean is created by loosening/tightening the arm straps alongside the edges of the chair. The collapsible legs are oval-shaped aluminum tubes that supply a just-right mix of rigidity and suppleness for rock-solid help. The Moonlite’s extra-large toes assist forestall the chair from sinking into sand or the bottom, whereas the seamless engineered seat mesh conforms to your physique if you sit. NEMO makes a good lighter-weight chair, the Moonlite Elite (18 oz), which can also be value consideration. Learn the SectionHiker Moonlite Chair Evaluate.

4. Helinox Floor Chair

The Helinox Floor Chair has a sq. base that spreads the load extra evenly than toes, that means it isn’t as prone to sink into the bottom. Setup is quick and straightforward with shock-corded poles and intuitive seat attachments. Its supportive 500-denier polyester seat options breathable monofilament mesh facet panels to maintain you snug in sizzling environments. The one factor lacking is an ottoman to prop your toes on. Learn the SectionHiker Floor Chair Evaluate.

5. Massive Agnes Skyline UL Chair

The Massive Agnes Skyline UL Chair has a completely shock-corded structure and color-coded body that provides a easy setup and breakdown, like the opposite chairs listed above. Nevertheless it has a 15″ seat peak and a wider, extra secure seat for added consolation, particularly for bigger and taller backpackers. Metal reinforcements within the chair’s aluminum body and fittings make it a lot sturdier and extra sturdy than is quickly obvious.

6. Grand Trunk Monarch Chair

The Grand Trunk Monarch Legless Chair (previously made by Alite) balances on two rubber toes that allow you to prop your toes up on a log or rock forwards and backwards whereas sitting. It’s fast to assemble with a hub and spoke design and has mesh panels within the seat to maintain you snug in sizzling climate. When you get used to it, it’s a enjoyable chair for relaxation breaks when mountaineering or at camp.

7. Trekkology Yizi Lite Chair

The Trekology Yizi Lite is a compact and light-weight tenting chair that weighs 26.5 oz with a chair peak of 9.8 inches and a max really useful load of 220 lbs. Its declare to fame is its compactness (12.6” x 5.9” ) making it very straightforward to pack and carry in a backpack. The chair has a heavy-duty 7075 aluminum body with a sturdy 60 nylon ripstop polyester seat. The seat additionally has a facet pocket to carry small objects shut whilst you sit like a bottle opener or a smartphone, which may simply fall out of your pockets and change into misplaced. Whereas this chair is tremendous snug to take a seat in, it may be slightly difficult to face up from for greater folks. Nevertheless it’s a terrific worth and fairly light-weight.

8. Loopy Creek Hex 2.0

9. REI Flexlite Air Stool

The REI Flexlite Air Stool is a light-weight folding stool with a 17.5″ seat peak. It has one million and one makes use of round the home, in camp, for fishing, or on the path if you wish to sit and have a relaxation. Weighing simply 11.5 oz, it folds up compactly (3.75″ x 13″), making it straightforward to hold on hikes. It has a mesh seat and durable aluminum legs that fold collectively when not in use. We prefer to convey it on hikes and walks with aged family members so that they have a clear place to take a seat and relaxation in the event that they change into fatigued.

10. Hillsound BTR Stool

The Hillsound BTR Stool is a tripod stool with telescoping legs that folds up compactly and is simple to hold in a backpack facet pocket. It has a water-resistant nylon mesh seat and is offered in two seat heights, 14″ (12.2 oz / 346g ) and 17″ (14.1 oz / 399g ) with a max load capability of 240 kilos. Whereas it is extremely straightforward to pack, it’s sort of tippy if you sit on it on uneven floor and doesn’t present the identical degree of consolation as a chair with a again. Then once more it is usually a lot simpler and fewer cumbersome to pack.

The best way to Select a Backpacking Path Chair

There are a number of varieties of path chairs obtainable right now: 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.

Value

The price of a backpacking chair can range extensively relying on the kind of chair you need. Upright chairs with backs and shock-corded poles are normally the costliest, whereas the worth drops the nearer you get to the bottom with sit pads or sleeping pad chair kits. Along with worth, we’d encourage you to contemplate warranties and return insurance policies as effectively. For instance, Helinox affords a 5-year guarantee on all of their chairs, together with the Helinox Chair Zero and the Helinox Floor Chair, which we predict speaks volumes concerning the high quality of their product. Purchases fabricated from REI merchandise or via REI even have a 1 yr money-back assure, which is useful in the event you discover that the chair you select doesn’t stack up.

Chair Weight

Whereas chair weight is necessary, you could steadiness it towards the burden capability of the chair to make sure it could possibly maintain your physique weight, seat peak, and packability. For instance, the Massive Agnes Skyline UL Chair might be the perfect chair for large and tall backpackers, however it’s considerably heavier than the Helinox Chair Zero or the REI Flexlite Air Chair.

Weight Capability

When selecting a path chair, make sure that it could possibly help your physique weight or the burden of the individuals who will probably be utilizing it. You don’t wish to break the chair or damage your self by having it collapse underneath you. The NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair is the strongest upright chair listed beneath with an extra-thick body adopted by the Massive Agnes Skyline UL. Each are appropriate for tall and massive backpackers.

Seat Peak

Path chairs which can be low to the bottom just like the Helinox Floor Chair might be very tough to stand up from. We typically intention for chairs which have a seat peak of 10″. A lot decrease and also you’ll wish to add deep squats to your weekday exercises to get in form to stand up out of your path chair. However that is a kind of issues that varies from particular person to particular person. For those who don’t thoughts crawling within the dust, a low chair or sit pad could also be completely appropriate for you.

Seat Width

Seat width is one other dimension of consolation that’s necessary to contemplate since you need a chair that’s going to be large enough in your butt. Stools just like the REI Path Stool are a very good choice in the event you don’t like having your derriere squeezed from the edges by a seat, as are sit pads just like the NEMO Chipper or the REI Sit Pad.

Again Assist

If again help is a precedence, you’re going to wish to get a chair just like the NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair which has an adjustable again angle, or the Massive Agnes Skyline UL Chair which is extra upright than different chairs.

Chair Ft

Most path chairs will sink in soil, sand, or smooth floor which might be fairly annoying as a result of it makes it a lot tougher to face up and get out of your chair. When evaluating chairs, search for ones with broad toes or equipment that forestall sinking. These can add value and weight to the chair to make it usable within the area that offset the chair’s weight. For instance, the Helinox Chair Zero has an added accent groundsheet that stops the chair from sinking in smooth soil and sand. It prices and weighs additional although. The NEMO Moonlite and the REI Path Stool have wider toes than different chairs, however they’ll nonetheless sink into the bottom in sure circumstances. Our favourite accent is a product referred to as Chair Buddies (see our overview), made within the UK, which connect to chair legs and forestall sinking. They’re solely suitable with the Helinox Chair Zero and the REI Flexlite Chair although.

Packability

Since it’s important to carry a backpacking chair, you must give some consideration to the way you pack it and the way a lot additional quantity it’s going to take. Do you wish to have the chair accessible to be used in the course of the day with out unpacking your backpack or simply in camp? For those who pack it in your pack, how a lot additional quantity will it devour? These are all helpful concerns when selecting a backpacking chair.

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