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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. Breathability
8. Pockets
9. Materials & Quality
10. Portability
11. Pros, cons, recommendations
12. Bonus – MUST read!

Set Up

1) Follow the shock-cording and set up all the poles.

2) Secure the pole pockets nearest to the headrest flap onto the 2 back poles.

3) Lay the chair on its back and secure the bottom pockets onto the 2 front poles.

• Setup time ~45 seconds

Pack Away

Pack-away is just the reverse. Fold the fabric, roll it up with the poles, and slide it into the carry bag.

• Pack-away time ~1 minute

Unfolded Dimensions

Here’s what I measured for the unfolded dimensions:

• Width (corner to corner) 22.5in
• Length (back to front) 28.0in
• Height (ground to top) 38.9in

Seat Size

Here are the detailed seat measurements:

• Seat width 22.5in
• Seat depth 12.0in

Seat Height

The seat height sinks a bit after I sit on it:

• Front seat height 18.2in
• Real seat height (bum area) 13.0in

Backrest

Here are the backrest measurements:

• Backrest height 29.25in
• Backrest width 17.2in
• Recline angle 32 degrees

Breathability

For breathability, I measured the amount of mesh on the chair, and here are the details:

• Mesh coverage ~31%
  • Seat mesh 2 breathing slits, 9.0in x 2.75in each
  • Backrest mesh 1 panel of 17.2 x 11.0in

I ran a 1-hour sit test and logged the temperature:

• Fabric 82.0°F → 87.4°F after 1 hour+6.6%
• Mesh 82.0°F → 83.7°F after 1 hour+2.1%

Pockets

The Sunset has 2 pockets, both on the right of the chair:

• Top pocket 11.0in x 4.5in
• Bottom pocket 7.0in x 4.5in

There aren’t any cupholders, but you can carefully fit a drink in one of the pockets.

Materials & Quality

Here are the materials and build details:

• Fabric 600D polyester
• Mesh Polyester monomesh
• Poles Green-anodized DAC TH72M aluminum alloy
• Pole thickness 0.63-0.75in diameter
• Hubs DAC nylon resin
• Stitching Good all around, reinforced corners
• Weight capacity 320lbs
• Warranty 5 years
• Stability Decentminimal wiggle
• Origin Made in Vietnam

Portability

Here are the portability numbers:

• Total weight 3.4lbs
  • Chair 3.2lbs
  • Carry bag 0.2lbs (3.28oz)
• Packed size 19.0in x 5.5in x 4.75in

Pros and Cons – Best Lightweight Camp Chair?

I compared the Sunset against two other lightweight high-backs I’ve tested – the Big Agnes Big Six Armchair and REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer.

Feature	Helinox Sunset	Big Agnes Big Six	REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer
Setup	45 seconds	110 seconds	72 seconds
Pack Away	60 seconds	80 seconds	70 seconds
Seat Size	22.5 x 12.0in	23.3 x 12.5in	23.8 x 13.5in
Backrest Height	29.3in	30.5in	28.5in
Seat Height	13.0in	11.4in	9.8in
Angle of Recline	32°	25°	29°
Amount of Mesh	31%	0%	3%
Armrests	No	Yes	No
Storage	Pockets x 2	Pocket x 1 Cupholder x 2	Pockets x 2
Pillow	Yes (Adjustable)	No	Yes (Non-Adjustable)
Pole Material	DAC Aluminum	Aircraft Aluminum	Aluminum
Pole Hubs	DAC Nylon Resin	N.A.	Non-branded
Fabric Material	600D Polyester	Robic nylon and polyester ripstop	300D Ripstop Polyester
Waterproof Coating	None	UTS + PU	DWR
Weight Capacity	320lbs.	300lbs.	300lbs.
Warranty Length	5 years	Lifetime	1 year
Packed Length	19.0in	24.0in	21.0in
Total Weight	3.4lbs.	4.0lbs.	3.4lbs.
MSRP	$170	$280	$100

Easy setup and pack away

It was the fastest to pitch and pack of the three:

• Helinox Sunset: 45s setup, 60s pack-away
• Big Agnes Big Six: 110s setup, 80s pack-away
• REI Camp Dreamer: 72s setup, 70s pack-away

Tall seat height

It sits the highest, so it’s easier to get out of:

• Helinox Sunset: 13.0in
• Big Agnes Big Six: 11.4in
• REI Camp Dreamer: 9.8in

Decent amount of mesh

It’s the breeziest of the three:

• Helinox Sunset: 31% mesh
• Big Agnes Big Six: 0% mesh
• REI Camp Dreamer: 3% mesh

Adjustable pillow

The adjustable headrest flap takes a flat pillow, a puffy jacket, or the stuffed carry bag. The Big Agnes has no pillow, and the REI’s is fixed and stiff.

DAC poles and hubs

It’s the only one here with DAC aluminum poles and DAC nylon resin hubs. The Big Agnes uses aircraft-grade aluminum, and the REI is regular aluminum with non-branded hubs.

A bit on the pricier side

At $170 it isn’t the cheapest — the REI undercuts it, though it still beats the Big Agnes:

• Helinox Sunset: $170
• Big Agnes Big Six: $280
• REI Camp Dreamer: $100

Bonus – MUST Read!

Every figure above is from my own testing — measured by hand, bought with my own money.