Backpacking chairs · Vs review

Helinox Chair Zero VS. Helinox Chair One: I Bought & Tested Both

I bought both Helinox chairs with my own money and ran them through 7 side-by-side tests.

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Best overall ultralight chair
The author's Helinox Chair Zero.

Helinox Chair ZeroUltralight Camp Chair

8.2/ 10
  • Setup~40 sec
  • Seat size19.6 x 11.0 in
  • Seat height7.5 in
  • Weight1.15 lbs
AmazonREI Co-op – NewBackcountry – NewDick’sHelinox
The more comfortable chair
The author's Helinox Chair One.

Helinox Chair OneLightweight Camp Chair

7.2/ 10
  • Setup~35 sec
  • Seat size21.3 x 10.0 in
  • Seat height9.6 in
  • Weight2.20 lbs
AmazonBackcountryDick’sHelinox

The short answer

The Chair One is the better chair to sit in, and the cheaper one. Get the Chair Zero if you have to carry it.

The Helinox Chair One came out ahead on nearly every measurement I took. It sits 2.1in higher, its seat holds its shape instead of sagging, it gives you 30.4% mesh against 2.9%, and its base covers about 12% more ground. The Helinox Chair Zero is the standout in one test, and it’s the one that matters on a trail: it’s a full pound lighter and packs down to 237 in³.

Side by side

Where they actually differ

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
My score8.2 / 10Of 11 lightweight chairs7.2 / 10Of the same 11
Set up40 seconds35 seconds
Pack away53 seconds40 seconds
Carry bagSide-loadingSmall openingTop-loading
Seat size19.6 x 11.0in216 in²21.3 x 10.0in213 in²
Seat supportSlack, more like a hammockFirmer, more like a normal chair
Seat height, seated7.5inSinks 1.1in9.6inSinks 1.4in
Total seat angle107°114°
Backrest19.1 x 19.9in18.75 x 21.75in
Mesh coverage2.9%Two breathing slits, no mesh panel30.4%Mesh backrest plus two slits
PocketsNone1The carry bag hooks on as the pocket
Feet spread14.1 x 10.6in149 in² of base14.0 x 11.9in167 in²
Seat material100D aramid-polyester ripstop600D polyester
PolesDAC aluminum alloy0.51in seat, 0.67in center barDAC aluminum alloy0.54in poles, 0.67in center bar
Weight capacity265lbs320lbs
Weight1lbs 2.41oz1lbs 1.81oz without the bag2lbs 3.24oz2lbs 0.56oz without the bag
Packed size13.75 x 4.3 x 4.0in237 in³13.6 x 4.5 x 5.0in306 in³
PriceAbout 25% more expensiveThe cheaper of the two

✓ = the better result, from my own testing of both chairs. Neither one reclines, and both carry DAC resin hubs, a 5-year warranty and a “made in Vietnam” label. Every seated figure here was measured with me in the chair, at 5’3 and 117lbs.

Which applies to you?

Get this one if…

Get the Helinox Chair One if…

  • You’re driving to camp rather than walking, so the extra pound doesn’t cost you anything.
  • You want to sit higher, at 9.6in against 7.5in, with a seat that holds its shape.
  • You camp somewhere hot. It’s 30.4% mesh against the Chair Zero’s 2.9%.
  • You want somewhere to put your phone, because its carry bag clips under the seat as a pocket.

Get the Helinox Chair Zero if…

  • You have to carry it. At 1lbs 2.41oz it’s a full pound lighter than the Chair One.
  • You want the smaller bundle. It packs to 237 in³ against the Chair One’s 306 in³, and nothing I’ve tested goes smaller.
  • You want the stronger fabric for the weight, because aramid sits in the same fiber family as Kevlar.
  • Just know what you give up: a seat 2.1in lower, almost no mesh, nowhere to put your things, and a narrower base.
The author's Helinox Chair One and Helinox Chair Zero.
My Chair One is on the left here, and my Chair Zero on the right.
See the 7 tests
  1. Set Up & Pack Away
  2. Seat Size & Comfort
  3. Backrest
  4. Breathability & Storage
  5. Stability
  6. Materials & Quality
  7. Portability

Set Up & Pack Away

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Set up40 seconds35 seconds
Pack away53 seconds35 to break it down, 18 to bag it40 seconds30 to break it down, 10 to bag it
Carry bagSide-loadingSmall openingTop-loading
In the boxChair fabric, poles, carry bagChair fabric, poles, carry bag

Setting them up takes about the same effort, and the Chair One is only 5 seconds quicker. Both chairs come as a shock-corded pole frame, a fabric seat and a bag, and both build the same way.

The carry bag, chair fabric and pole structure of the Helinox Chair Zero.
The Chair Zero’s box: fabric, poles and a carry bag.
The carry bag, chair fabric and pole structure of the Helinox Chair One.
The Chair One’s, with the same three parts.

You put the frame together, hang the two top corners on the taller back poles, then work the bottom two on. The last corner is stiff on either chair, and both go on far more easily if you lay the chair on its back first.

The author laying the Helinox Chair Zero on its back to fit the last corner.
The Chair Zero’s last corner goes on with the chair flat on its back.
The author laying the Helinox Chair One on its back to fit the last corner.
The Chair One takes the same trick.

Packing away is where they separate, at 40 seconds against 53 seconds. Why?

It’s the bag. The Chair One’s loads from the top, so the folded bundle drops straight in and the whole thing took me 10 seconds.

The bag on the Chair Zero loads from the side and the opening is small, so I spent 18 seconds feeding the bundle through it.

The folded fabric, broken-down poles and carry bag of the Helinox Chair Zero.
The Chair Zero folded down, next to its side-loading bag.
The folded fabric and broken-down poles of the Helinox Chair One beside its carry bag.
The Chair One’s bundle, next to its top-loading one.

Seat Size & Comfort

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Seat width19.6inCorner to corner21.3inCorner to corner
Seat depth11.0inBack to front10.0in
Seat area216 in²213 in²
Seat supportSlack, more like a hammockFirmer, more like a normal chair
Seat height, seated7.5inSinks 1.1in9.6inSinks 1.4in
Total seat angle107°114°

The seats came out almost identical, which I honestly didn’t expect. The Chair One is 1.7in wider and the Chair Zero 1.0in deeper, so the areas land at 213 in² and 216 in².

The author measuring the seat of the Helinox Chair Zero.
The Chair Zero’s seat, measured corner to corner.
The author measuring the seat width of the Helinox Chair One.
The Chair One’s seat, taken the same way.

The Chair One is still the more comfortable of the two, and the support is the first reason. Its seat holds its shape under me, where the Chair Zero’s hangs slack enough that it’s closer to sitting in a hammock.

The seat of the Helinox Chair Zero with the author sitting on it.
Sitting in the Chair Zero. I’m 5’3 and 117lbs.
The author sitting on the seat of the Helinox Chair One.
Now the same, sitting in the Chair One.
The author sitting in the Helinox Chair Zero, showing how the seat hangs.
The Chair Zero’s seat sags under me instead of staying flat.

Seat height is the second reason, and it’s the bigger one. I sit 9.6in off the ground in the Chair One and 7.5in in the Chair Zero, so in the Zero my knees end up noticeably higher than my hips.

That 2.1in keeps my legs much straighter, and the Chair One’s seat angle opens up further as well, at 114° against 107°. I could sit in it a lot longer before I wanted to get up.

The measured seat height of the Helinox Chair Zero with the author sitting in it.
The Chair Zero measures 7.5in from the grass to the underside of its seat.
The measured seat height of the Helinox Chair One with the author sitting in it.
The Chair One reads 9.6in on the same measurement.

Backrest

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Backrest height19.1inEnd of the seat to the top18.75in
Backrest width19.9in21.75in

There’s nothing between them here. The Chair Zero is 0.35in taller and the Chair One 1.85in wider, and I couldn’t feel either difference.

The author leaning back in the Helinox Chair Zero.
The top of the Chair Zero’s backrest sits just below my neck.
The author leaning back in the Helinox Chair One.
The Chair One’s lands in about the same place.

What I was checking for is whether the top edge digs into your shoulder blades, which is what happens on a short backrest. Neither one does that on me.

Breathability & Storage

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Mesh coverage2.9%Of the seat and backrest30.4%
Mesh backrestNone11.5 x 10.75in
Breathing slits26.25 x 1.75in each211.0 x 3.75in each
PocketsNoneOne carabiner loop on the bag1The carry bag hooks on as the pocket

The Chair One is roughly a third mesh and the Chair Zero is 2.9%, so this one isn’t close.

The two breathing slits in the seat of the Helinox Chair Zero.
One breathing slit sits on each side of the Chair Zero’s seat.
The mesh backrest and breathing slits of the Helinox Chair One.
The Chair One’s mesh backrest, plus a slit on each side.

Two breathing slits by the seat are the Chair Zero’s entire ventilation, and there’s no mesh panel anywhere on it. Your back sits against solid fabric all afternoon.

The Chair One gets a mesh backrest on top of its own slits, and its slits are much longer at 11.0 x 3.75in. It was genuinely breezy against my back last summer.

Neither chair has a built-in pocket, and the Chair Zero’s bag gets nothing but a single carabiner loop, probably to keep the weight off.

The carabiner loop on the carry bag of the Helinox Chair Zero.
The loop sits right beside the Chair Zero’s cinch cord.

The Chair One’s bag has a handle on each side though, so I can clip it onto the two front seat poles and keep whatever I need within reach.

The carry bag of the Helinox Chair One hooked onto the bottom poles as storage.
The bag hooks onto the two front poles, under the seat.
A jacket, a phone and a Nalgene bottle inside the carry bag of the Helinox Chair One.
A jacket, a phone and a 1-liter Nalgene, all in the bag at once.

Stability

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Front spread14.1in14.0in
Side spread10.6in11.9in
Feet spread area149 in²167 in²About 12% more
Foot diameter0.87in0.89in

The front feet sit the same distance apart on both chairs, within 0.1in of each other. The side spread is where they differ, and the Chair One is 1.3in wider there.

The author measuring the front feet spread of the Helinox Chair Zero.
14.1in between the Chair Zero’s front feet.
The measured front feet spread of the Helinox Chair One.
The Chair One’s, at 14.0in.

That comes out at 167 in² of base against 149 in², so there’s about 12% more base area for the Chair One.

You can feel that difference. The Chair Zero gets tippy if you lean back too far, and the Chair One kept all four feet down however I rocked in it.

The author leaning over the side of the Helinox Chair Zero.
Leaning right out over the side, and the Chair Zero’s feet stayed put.
The author sitting in the Helinox Chair One with all four feet still on the ground.
Rocking in the Chair One, with the feet still planted.

Materials & Quality

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Seat fabric100D aramid-polyester ripstop600D polyester
PolesDAC aluminum alloy0.51in seat, 0.53in legsDAC aluminum alloy0.54in poles
Center bar0.67in0.67in
HubsDAC resinDAC nylon resin
Weight capacity265lbs320lbs
Warranty5 years5 years

The Chair Zero’s 100D aramid-polyester ripstop is far thinner, and aramid sits in the same fiber family as Kevlar, which is where its strength for the weight comes from.

The Helinox Chair One’s 600D polyester is the fabric most camp chairs use. It’s much thicker, and it’s the reason its seat feels like a seat rather than a sling.

The aramid-polyester ripstop fabric of the Helinox Chair Zero.
Up close, the Chair Zero’s seat is a ripstop grid.

Both chairs have DAC poles, and nothing better exists for a chair frame. The Chair One’s are a hair thicker at 0.54in against 0.51in, and the center bars are identical at 0.67in.

A DAC resin hub joining the poles of the Helinox Chair Zero.
DAC makes the Chair Zero’s hubs too, but they’re resin.
The DAC aluminum pole and nylon resin hub of the Helinox Chair One.
The Chair One’s are DAC nylon resin.

That extra thickness is probably where the capacity gap comes from. Helinox rates the Chair One to 320lbs and the Chair Zero to 265lbs, and covers both for 5 years.

Portability

MeasuredHelinox ZeroHelinox One
Chair fabric4.87oz12.13oz
Poles12.94oz20.43oz
Carry bag0.60oz2.68oz
Total weight1lbs 2.41oz2lbs 3.24oz
Trail weight1lbs 1.81ozLeaving the bag behind2lbs 0.56oz
Packed size13.75 x 4.3 x 4.0in13.6 x 4.5 x 5.0in
Packed volume237 in³306 in³About 29% bigger

This is the test the Chair Zero takes, and it takes it by a mile. I weighed every component of both chairs, and the Chair Zero came to 1lbs 2.41oz against 2lbs 3.24oz, a full pound and then some.

Every part of it is lighter. The fabric is 4.87oz against 12.13oz, the poles 12.94oz against 20.43oz, and the bag 0.60oz against 2.68oz.

It packs smaller too, at 237 in³ against 306 in³. The Chair One’s bundle is about 29% bigger, and the Chair Zero’s is the smallest of any chair I’ve tested.

The packed Helinox Chair Zero beside a 1-liter Nalgene bottle.
The Chair Zero packed down, next to a 1-liter Nalgene.
The packed Helinox Chair One beside a 1-liter Nalgene bottle.
The Chair One next to the same bottle.

My recommendation

The Helinox Chair One is the one I’d rather sit in, and it’s the cheaper of the two. It sits 2.1in higher, its seat holds its shape, it gives you 30.4% mesh, its bag doubles as a pocket, and it takes 320lbs.

The Helinox Chair Zero is what I’d actually carry up a trail. It’s a full pound lighter at 1lbs 2.41oz and packs down to 237 in³, and it’s the best ultralight chair I’ve tested. If you’re not counting ounces, though, I wouldn’t pick it over the Chair One.

I wouldn’t call the Chair One my favorite lightweight camp chair either. It’s very good, but I own three other Helinox chairs, and once weight stops mattering there are more comfortable ones to sit in.

Bonus: Both of these chairs went up against nine others in my full backpacking chairs roundup, where every measurement lines up in one place.

See every lightweight chair I tested

Every figure on this page comes from my own measurements of the two chairs I bought.

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