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See the 10 tests

1. Set up
2. Pack away
3. Unfolded dimensions
4. Seat size
5. Seat height
6. Backrest
7. Storage
8. Stability
9. Materials
10. Portability
11. Pros, cons, recommendations
12. Bonus – MUST read!

Set Up

Here’s what you get in the box:

• Carry bag
• Pole structure
• Chair fabric

1. Slot each pole into the center bar, lining its grooves up with the keyhole.
2. Locate the Big Agnes logo on the chair fabric and that marks the top of the chair.
3. Secure the top two corners first, then the bottom two.

When the chair is brand new, that last corner is the hardest one to get in.

• Setup time ~52 seconds

Pack Away

1. Fold the fabric in half, then fold the sides in.
2. Break the poles down and lay them on the fabric.
3. Roll it up tight, narrow end into the bag first.

• Pack-away time ~54 seconds

Unfolded Dimensions

• Width 21.25incorner to corner, at the widest
• Depth 17.5inback of the chair to the front of the seat
• Height 26.45inground to the top of the chair

Seat Size

• Width 21.25incorner to corner
• Depth 10.5inback to front of the seat

• Seat area 223.7 in²width by depth

Seat Height

I measured this three ways.

• Front seat height 15.1inno one sitting, ground to the front of the chair
• Bottom of the seat 11.5inno one sitting
• Seated 10.1inwith me in it

So the height that actually matters is 10.1in, a full 5in below the front seat height.

Backrest

• Height 18.0infrom the end of the seat to the top of the chair
• Width 20.0inside to side

I took the leg, backrest and total seat angles with a digital protractor, sitting in the chair.

• Leg angle 19°
• Backrest angle 29°
• Total seat angle 100°

100° is right at my minimum seat angle, and it was still comfortable.

Storage

The carry bag hooks onto the front poles by its side handles, which turns it into a pocket.

• Storage space 16.0 x 5.0in

Stability

• Front spread 15.75in
• Side spread 13.8in

The spread was wide enough that it didn’t feel tippy or unstable, even when I leaned over the sides.

• Feet spread area 218.0 in²
• Foot diameter 0.93in

Materials

• Fabric 70D Robic nylon ripstop
• Coating UTS waterproof
• Poles Aircraft-grade aluminum
• Joints Aircraft-grade aluminumgrooved poles into a keyhole center bar, so there are no resin hubs
• Zippers YKK

• Center bar 0.75in
• Other poles 0.55in

I went over the stitching too, and there aren’t any loose threads on it.

• Weight capacity 275lbs
• Warranty Lifetime

Portability

• Total weight 1lbs 14.2oz
  • Fabric 6.60oz
  • Poles 21.84oz
  • Carry bag 1.76oz
• Trail weight 1lbs 12.44ozif you leave the carry bag behind
• Carry handles 2one on each side of the bag

• Packed size 17.0 x 4.5 x 3.75in
• Packed volume 287 in³

Pros, Cons, Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Big Agnes Skyline?

Lightweight and compact

It weighs 1lbs 14.2oz, and just 5 of my 11 backpacking chairs stay under 2 pounds. It packs down to 287 in³ too, the third smallest of the lot.

Backpacking Chair	Total (lbs.)
REI Flexlite Air	1.07
Helinox Chair Zero	1.15
NEMO Elite	1.42
REI Flexlite Camp	1.89
Big Agnes Skyline	1.89

Great seat height

The seat sits 10.1in off the ground with me in it, the tallest of the five sub-2-pound chairs. The other four sit 1 to nearly 3in lower, and you feel that every time you stand up.

Backpacking Chair	Height (in)
REI Flexlite Air	7.3
NEMO Elite	7.3
Helinox Chair Zero	7.5
REI Flexlite Camp	9.0
Big Agnes Skyline	10.1

Bigger seat size

223.7 in² of seat is about 10% more than the 200-ish a lightweight chair usually gives you. Most of that comes from the 21.25in width.

Backpacking Chair	Width (in)	Depth (in)	Total Area (in²)
NEMO Elite	18.5	9.0	166.5
REI Flexlite Air	19.8	10.5	207.9
REI Flexlite Camp	21.0	10.0	210.0
Helinox Chair Zero	19.6	11.0	215.6
Big Agnes Skyline	21.3	10.5	223.7

Great stability

Its feet cover 218.0 in², the widest spread of any chair I’ve tested under 2 pounds.

Backpacking Chair	Spread (in)	Area (in²)
REI Flexlite Air	9.7 x 11.8	114.5
REI Flexlite Camp	11.3 x 11.6	131.1
Helinox Chair Zero	14.1 x 10.6	149.5
NEMO Elite	16.1 x 9.8	157.8
Big Agnes Skyline	15.8 x 13.8	218.0

The reason is the back legs, which come pre-bent outwards and buy a couple of inches of side spread.

Great quality materials

You get:

• A full metal frame, with no resin hubs
• 70D Robic nylon ripstop fabric
• YKK zippers
• A lifetime warranty

Robic is a very strong ripstop nylon, and no other chair brand here uses it. Most backpacking chairs use hard resin hubs instead of metal, Helinox and REI included.

Poles are not DAC

The poles are aircraft-grade aluminum, which is one grade below the DAC aluminum Helinox uses. It’s the one upgrade that would have made the build perfect.

Expensive

It’s one of the most expensive backpacking chairs I’ve tested. Of the 11 here, only the NEMO Moonlite Elite costs more.

Takes 10s longer to setup/pack away

Grooved poles and a keyhole aren’t as quick as the resin hubs most chairs use, so it takes about 10 seconds longer at each end. That works out to 52 seconds to set up and 54 seconds to pack away.

Bonus – MUST Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.