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See the 11 tests

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

Set Up

Here’s what you get in the box:

• Chair fabric
• Pole structure
• 2-in-1 groundsheet and carry bag

1. Set up the poles, keeping all four leg poles facing the ground.

2. Match the gray sockets to the black pole tips (back), and the orange sockets to the orange tips (front).

If you struggle to get the poles into the sockets, use this tip:

3. The final step is to secure the groundsheet onto all four chair feet.

• Setup time ~60 seconds
  • Chair ~50 seconds
  • Groundsheet ~10 seconds

Pack Away

Recline the chair fully before you break it down, or you’ll find the corners much harder to pop out. Grip each bottom corner with both thumbs and rotate it away from the pole.

The top two corners are tightly tensioned and jump when they release, so stand on the opposite side of the pole.

Fold the edges of the fabric in, break down the poles, and roll the fabric up against the poles.

• Pack-away time ~70 seconds
  • Chair ~65 seconds
  • Groundsheet ~5 seconds

Unfolded Dimensions

• Width 20.0inside to side, at the middle
• Depth 17.6inback to front, reclined
• Height 22.5inground to the top of the chair

Seat Size

• Width 18.5incorner to corner
• Depth 9.0inback to front of the seat

• Seat area 166.5 in²width by depth

It fits me just right, without a lot of extra space on either side.

Seat Height

• Front seat height 12.0inno one sitting
• Bottom of the seat 10.25inno one sitting
• Seated 7.25inbottom of the seat, with me in it

You sink 3.0in into the seat, which leaves the height that actually matters at just 7.25in.

Backrest

• Height 15.5inend of the seat to the top of the chair
• Width 17.0inside to side

Reclining Function

• Straps Tensioned belay straps
• To recline Lean back and pull the tensioner towards you
• To sit upright Sit up and push the straps away

Reclining is easy, but sitting back up is more difficult, and took quite a bit of my strength to do so.

With a digital protractor, here’s what the chair measures in both positions:

• Leg angle 24°
• Backrest angle 33° upright / 39° reclined
• Total seat angle 99° upright / 105° reclined

So the recline buys you 6° of extra backrest angle, which is less than I was hoping for.

Breathability

Almost the whole chair is mesh:

• Mesh 93.5%of the seat and backrest
• Fabric corners 3.5 x 2.0inone at each pole socket
• Material Polyester and TPU blend

The holes are very fine though, so it isn’t as breezy as mesh with bigger holes.

Stability

• Front spread 16.1in
• Side spread 9.75in

I could lean right over the side and the chair stayed put. Front to back is the weak direction though, and it tips without much rocking at all.

• Feet spread area 157.8 in²
• Foot diameter 0.85in

The feet themselves are small, which is why the chair comes with a groundsheet to stop them pressing into softer ground.

Materials

• Poles 7001 aluminum
• Hubs 6061 aluminum
• Recline straps HTP and Dyneema

Both alloys are aircraft-grade.

• Center bar 0.79inoval, at its widest
• Other poles 0.55in

Next, I went over the mesh and its stitching.

• Weight capacity 250lbs
• Warranty Lifetime
• Made in Philippines

Portability

• Total weight 1lbs 6.72oz
  • Fabric 4.55oz
  • Poles 14.14oz
  • Carry bag 4.03oz
• Trail weight 1lbs 2.69ozif you leave the carry bag behind
• Carry handles 1at one end of the bag

• Packed size 13.0 x 5.0 x 4.0in
• Packed volume 260 in³

Pros, Cons, Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the NEMO Moonlite Elite?

I compared the Elite against the average of the 11 lightweight chairs I’ve tested. Green is where it wins, red is where it loses.

Test	NEMO Elite	Average Chair
Weight	✓ 1.42 lbs	1.92 lbs
Packed volume	✓ 260 in³	331 in³
Mesh	✓ 93.5%	28.5%
Reclining	✓ Yes	No
Groundsheet	✓ Yes	No
Warranty	✓ Lifetime	1-5 years
Seat height	✗ 7.25in	9.5in
Seat size	✗ 18.5 x 9.0in	21.25 x 10.5in
Backrest	✗ 15.5 x 17.0in	19.0 x 21.0in
Feet spread	✗ 16.1 x 9.75in	14.5 x 12.5in
Setup	✗ 60 seconds	40 seconds
Pack away	✗ 70 seconds	50 seconds

Lightweight

It weighs 1lbs 6.72oz, and only two of the chairs I’ve tested are lighter.

Small packed volume

It packs down to 260 in³, the second smallest of every chair I’ve tested.

Lots of mesh

At 93.5% mesh it’s more than triple the average, and that’s great in summer.

Reclining feature

The belay straps drop the backrest another 6°, which only the NEMO Moonlite can also do.

Comes with groundsheet

The carry bag doubles as a groundsheet, so the small feet don’t sink into softer terrain. On every other chair that’s a paid extra.

Lifetime warranty with great quality materials

You get:

• A lifetime warranty, where most chairs give you 1 to 5 years
• Polyester-TPU mesh, which is stronger than plain polyester
• An aircraft-grade aluminum frame, hubs included
• HTP and Dyneema recline straps, both very strong for their weight

A much smaller than average chair

That’s easily the biggest one. The seat is 2.75in narrower than average, so it feels tight if you have wider hips, and the backrest is 3.5in shorter, so the top of it can dig into your shoulder blades if you’re tall.

A bit tippy backwards

The front spread is great at 16.1in, but the side spread is under 10.0in, so do be careful how far you rock.

Slower setup and pack away

Both take roughly 20 seconds longer than average, and there’s a bit of a learning curve to them too.

Expensive

No backpacking chair I’ve tested costs more.

Bonus – MUST Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.