Loopy Creek Hex 2.0 Backpacking Chair Assessment

Backside Line

A substitute for a standard backpacking chair, the Loopy Creek Hex 2.0 Unique Chair is a roll-up seat with a backrest that gained’t break your again or your funds in comparison with our different favourite backpacking camp chairs.

For higher or worse, this chair falls midway in between the sit pads we advocate and the basic, tent-style backpacking chairs with scoop seats. You’re nonetheless sitting on the bottom (however with some padding), and it’s received just a little again assist (higher than a log or a rock).

Optimistically, it’s a foam pad with a backrest, making it extra supportive than a sit pad and cheaper than a basic backpacking chair. Pessimistically, it’s not almost as mild or packable as a sit pad and never almost as snug or supportive as a basic backpacking chair. 

In different phrases, this in-betweener might or is probably not price it, relying on what’s most necessary to you. For those who’re extra involved about value than consolation, weight, and packability, the Hex 2.0 offers you a fundamental backrest whereas leaving a couple of bucks in your checking account. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be an awesome purchase if consolation, weight, and packability are your priorities. 

Personally, we desire this chair for in-town use, reminiscent of a bleacher backrest for ballgames or a transportable garden chair for live shows on the park. Nevertheless, we are able to additionally see budget-oriented backpackers selecting the Hex 2.0 as a fundamental backrest. 

Different CleverHiker employees members wish to maintain one readily available so as to add an additional buffer underneath their sleeping pad when automobile tenting. It has additionally saved one from a nasty sleep when their popped inflatable sleeping pad was past restore. Oh, and it was additionally used as a makeshift seat in an inflatable kayak after a thwart popped. Actually, one in all these is simply good to have readily available.

How We Examined

For 2 months, CleverHiker editor and equipment analyst Jory Brass simply sat round his front room in camp chairs. And by front room, we imply the New Mexico wilderness. He in contrast their consolation, packability, stability, and ease of use towards the very best of the very best. Whereas CleverHiker gear analysts are not any strangers to loopy creeks, we examined the newest Hex 2.0 for this evaluation.

Consolation

The Loopy Creek Hex 2.0 turns rocks, logs, and the naked floor into extra tolerable camp chairs whereas giving backpackers just a little again assist. Total, although, we discovered this roll-up chair much less snug than the competitors. 

The most effective we are able to say is that the unique Hex Chair cushions each our butt and our again, which isn’t true of sit pads, such because the Therm-a-Relaxation Z-Seat. For those who’re used to stumps as seats and rocks or tree trunks as backrests, the Hex 2.0 is usually a slight uptick in consolation. Our tester discovered it snug sufficient for brief snack breaks and summit views. Nevertheless, the chair’s padding is skinny and agency with restricted cushioning. Plus, sitting on the bottom isn’t essentially the most snug seating place, particularly for prolonged durations of time.

The backrest is a possible plus, particularly for campers with unhealthy backs, reminiscent of our gear analyst, Jory Brass. Nevertheless, he didn’t discover the backrest as supportive or as snug because the basic backpacking chairs he examined. The Hex Chair doesn’t encourage an ergonomic seating place. The straps place all of the stress on the highest edge and backside fringe of the chair – that’s not solely uncomfortable but additionally leaves the decrease again unsupported. 

In comparison with a backless bleacher seat or a canoe bench, the Hex 2.0 Unique Chair provides simply sufficient consolation and again assist.   

Weight & Packability

Likewise, the Loopy Creek roll-up chair isn’t exceptionally mild or packable. At 1 pound 4 ounces, the Hex 2.0 Unique weighs as a lot as the common backpacking chair – regardless of its minimalist design and lack of an aluminum body. Thus, this chair doesn’t have a weight benefit (or consolation benefit) over basic backpacking chairs. Plus, this foam seat is greater than a pound heavier than the opposite foam chairs we advocate as minimalist choices, the Therm-a-Relaxation Z-Seat and Gossamer Gear Thinlight Foam Pad. 

The Hex Chair’s packed measurement can be the bulkiest of the 11 backpacking chairs we examined and reviewed for this 12 months’s information. Rolled up and strapped tight, the chair’s diameter is greater than 4 inches, and its size is 16 inches. That measurement is ok for strapping the seat to the underside of our pack. Nevertheless, that’s too cumbersome to stuff into the expandable aspect pockets of most packs. It’s additionally additional quantity if it’s essential retailer this seat inside your backpack, if, for instance, it’s essential strap your sleeping pad to the underside of your pack.

Cheaper gear typically comes at a value when it comes to weight and packability. That’s the case with the Loopy Creek Hex 2.0 Unique Chair. Given its packability constraints, the Hex is a greater match for automobile tenting, kayak tenting, and canoe journeys – the place you could have just a little extra cupboard space.

Stability

The chair’s stability can be a blended bag. On one hand, sitting instantly on the bottom eliminates the unintentional tipping over that we’ve all skilled in wobbly backpacking camp chairs. This seat’s cushioning is so skinny that your middle of gravity is as little as it might go on this chair. 

On the identical time, the strapped seatback offers this Loopy Creek Chair the mechanics of a rocking chair. As we leaned again into the backrest, the entrance of the Hex 2.0 Chair lifted simply. That rocking sensation limits front-to-back stability. Not like conventional backpacking chairs with aluminum frames, the Hex Chair’s strapped suspension didn’t inhibit our side-to-side actions, both. When seated on this floor chair, your physique supplies most of your stability. The chair itself solely provides restricted cushioning and a fundamental backrest.

Ease of Use

If the Loopy Creek Hex 2.0 has a bonus over different backpacking chairs we reviewed, it’s on this class. As a roll-up chair, the Hex solely takes a number of seconds to arrange and break down. You merely unstrap it, unroll it, sit, and alter the aspect straps to your required pressure. You don’t want to fret about aluminum pole segments linked by shock cords or stretching a seat cloth over a body. It doesn’t deploy as shortly as a sit pad, however it could prevent 30 seconds of setup time in comparison with a basic backpacking chair. 

Plus, you should utilize this roll-up chair in a number of locations past the campsite. We’re extra inclined to decide on an ultralight sit pad or backpacking chair for the backcountry. Nevertheless, within the frontcountry, the Hex 2.0 is usually a welcome backrest for bleachers, picnic tables, and the seashore. Plus, many out of doors live performance venues prohibit framed tenting and backpacking chairs; nevertheless, many would can help you carry in a roll-up floor chair, which might be a pleasant backrest for an outside bluegrass present or summer season Shakespeare within the park.

Ought to You Purchase the Loopy Creek Hex 2.0 Backpacking Camp Chair?

Primarily based on our side-by-side exams, the Hex 2.0’s greatest qualities are its value level and flexibility. For those who prioritize value over consolation, weight, and packability, the Loopy Creek Hex Chair prices half as a lot as a premium backpacking chair. 

Nevertheless, we desire sit pads as low cost, ultralight seats for the backcountry and would slightly sit in a standard backpacking chair if we’re hauling greater than a pound on our again. 

That being stated, we additionally acknowledge the Hex Chair’s versatility as a plus – we see some promise in utilizing this chair for paddle journeys, ball video games, picnics, the seashore, and out of doors live shows.

What Different Backpacking Chairs Ought to You Take into account?

For options to the Loopy Creek Hex 2.0, please browse our full information to the greatest backpacking chairs.

Gossamer Gear Thinlight Foam Pad Assessment: This prolonged foam pad can do all of the Hex Chair can do, however it’s 5 instances lighter and half the value. 

Trekology Yizi-Lite Assessment: A CleverHiker Finances Purchase, the Yizi-Lite weighs 6 ounces greater than the Hex however prices much less and supplies higher consolation and again assist.

REI Flexlite Air Chair Assessment: The most effective worth on our record, the Flexlite is an ultralight backpacking chair that’s inexpensive and powerful throughout the board in our check metrics.