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See the 12 tests

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

Set Up

Here’s what you get in the box:

• Carry bag
• Chair fabric
• Poles

1. Follow the shock-cording to set up the poles.
2. Look for the Helinox logo on the chair fabric, this marks the top of the chair.
3. Secure the two top corners onto the longer back poles first, then the bottom two.

• Setup time ~35 seconds

Pack Away

Fold the fabric in half, keeping the pole pockets close but not overlapping, then fold those pockets into the middle. Break the poles down, and roll the chair fabric against it.

• Pack-away time ~40 seconds
  • Breaking the chair down 30 seconds
  • Getting it into the bag 10 seconds

Unfolded Dimensions

• Width 21.5inside to side, midway up
• Depth 20.85inback to front
• Height 25.5inground to the top of the chair

Seat Size

• Width 21.25incorner to corner
• Depth 10.0inback to front of the seat
• Seat area 213 in²width multiplied by depth

Seat Height

Seat height depends a lot on where you take it from, so I’ve got three readings for you.

• Front seat height 13.0inno one sitting
• Bottom of the seat 11.0inno one sitting

• Bottom of the seat 9.6inwith me in it

So the real seat height of this chair is 9.6in.

Backrest

• Height 18.75into the top of the chair
• Width 21.75inside to side

The angles below all come off a digital protractor, taken while I’m sitting in the chair.

• Leg angle 16°
• Backrest angle 40°
• Total seat angle 114°

A total seat angle of 114° is the second-widest of the 11 lightweight chairs, and well past the 100° I need to sit comfortably. My back’s straight and supported the whole time.

Mesh

• Material Polyester mesh
• Mesh backrest 11.5 x 10.75inaverage length by average width
• Breathing slits 211.0 x 3.75in each, at their longest
• Mesh coverage 30.4%of the seat and backrest together

Most lightweight chairs give you 20 to 30% mesh, so this one’s at the top of that band. Of the 11 lightweight chairs I’ve tested, only the two NEMOs have more.

Storage

The carry bag hooks onto the two bottom poles, and that’s your storage pouch under the seat.

• Pockets 1the carry bag doubles as the pocket

Stability

• Front spread 14.0in
• Side spread 11.85in

• Feet spread area 167 in²
• Foot diameter 0.89in

My cut-off for a stable chair is 12.0in per side, and the side spread here just about makes it. Rocking from side to side and front to back never lifted a foot off the ground.

Materials

• Fabric 600D polyester
• Mesh Polyester
• Poles Green-anodized DAC aluminum alloy
• Hubs DAC nylon resin
• Zipper YKK

• Leg and seat poles 0.54in
• Center bar 0.67in

The corners are reinforced, the stitching is doubled the whole way round, and there are no loose threads anywhere.

• Made in Vietnam
• Weight capacity 320lbs
• Warranty 5 years

Longevity

The chair in this review is my second Chair One. My first is more than 7 years old, and here’s how it held up:

• Fabric Faded but still strong
• Stickiness None
• Poles Never snapped
• Pole pockets Starting to degrade
• Shock-cording Gave out after 6+ years

Only the shock-cording actually failed. It’s loose enough now that it doesn’t hold the pole structure together, which is what made that first chair unusable. That happened past the 5-year warranty.

Portability

• Total weight 2lbs 3.24oz
  • Fabric 12.13oz
  • Poles 20.43oz
  • Carry bag 2.68oz
• Trail weight 2lbs 0.56ozif you leave the carry bag behind

• Packed size 13.6 x 4.5 x 5.0in
• Packed volume 306 in³
• Carry handles 2
• Daisy chain webbing Across the length of the bag

Pros, Cons, Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Helinox Chair One?

Great quality

The build’s about as good as it gets at this weight. You get:

• DAC aluminum poles
• DAC nylon resin hubs
• YKK zipper on the carry bag
• Reinforced corners
• Double stitching

Generous warranty

Helinox covers this chair for 5 years. Only the two NEMO chairs and the Big Agnes Skyline go longer, and they’re all lifetime.

Great longevity

My first Chair One went 6 years before the shock-cording gave out, and nothing else on it has broken since. That’s a year more than the warranty covers.

High weight capacity

It’s rated to 320lbs, the highest of the 11 lightweight chairs I’ve tested, tied with the updated Chair One (re).

Lightweight Chair	Capacity (lbs.)
Helinox Chair One	320
Helinox Chair One (re)	320
NEMO Moonlite	300
Trekology YIZI	300
Big Agnes Skyline	275
Helinox Chair Zero	265
Naturehike Ultralight	265
REI Flexlite Camp	250
REI Flexlite Air	250
NEMO Elite	250
Quechua MH500	242

Easy to use

It sets up in 35 seconds and packs away in 40. Only the updated Chair One (re) sets up faster, and nothing here packs away quicker.

Lightweight Chair	Setup (seconds)	Pack Away (seconds)
Helinox Chair One (re)	30	40
Helinox Chair One	35	40
REI Flexlite Air	36	53
REI Flexlite Camp	38	50
Trekology YIZI	40	40
Helinox Chair Zero	40	53
Quechua MH500	42	43
Naturehike Ultralight	50	40
NEMO Moonlite	50	65
Big Agnes Skyline	52	54
NEMO Elite	60	70

Feature-rich

Two side handles let the carry bag hook onto the frame as a storage pouch, and the mesh backrest plus the two breathing slits give you 30.4% ventilation. There aren’t many lightweight chairs that give you both.

Not expensive

On price it lands sixth of these 11 chairs. It’s not a budget chair, but it’s nowhere near the most expensive one here either.

Not ultralight

At 2lbs 3.24oz it’s the third-heaviest of the 11, so it’s better for camping than it is for backpacking. Five of these chairs come in under 2 pounds if you need something lighter.

Lightweight Chair	Weight (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
Naturehike Ultralight	2.10
NEMO Moonlite	2.13
Trekology YIZI	2.19
Helinox Chair One	2.20
Helinox Chair One (re)	2.46
Quechua MH500	2.59

Bonus – MUST Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.