Backpacking chairs · Vs review
NEMO Moonlite VS. NEMO Moonlite Elite: I Bought & Tested Both
I bought both NEMO chairs with my own money and ran them through 10 side-by-side tests.
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NEMO MoonliteReclining Camp Chair
- Setup~50 sec
- Seat size20.25 x 10.0 in
- Seat height8.5 in
- Weight2.13 lbs
NEMO Moonlite EliteBackpacking Chair
- Setup~60 sec
- Seat size18.5 x 9.0 in
- Seat height7.25 in
- Weight1.42 lbs
The short answer
The Moonlite is the comfier chair. The Elite is the one you can carry in your pack.
The NEMO Moonlite is the better chair to sit in, and it isn’t close: a wider seat, a taller backrest, a higher seat height, a much steadier base and airier mesh. But it weighs 2lbs 2.11oz, which is certainly not ultralight. At 1lbs 6.72oz the NEMO Moonlite Elite is the only sub-2lbs chair I’ve tested that reclines, so if you need both of those at once, it’s your pick.
Side by side
Where they actually differ
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| My score | 7.6 / 10 | 7.1 / 10 |
| Set up | 50 seconds | 60 seconds10 of those are the groundsheet |
| Pack away | 65 seconds | 70 seconds5 of those are the groundsheet |
| Groundsheet | None, just a carry bag | IncludedThe carry bag unclips into it |
| Seat size | 20.25 x 10.0in203 in² | 18.5 x 9.0in166.5 in² |
| Seat height, seated | 8.5in | 7.25in |
| Backrest | 18.0 x 18.0in | 15.5 x 17.0in |
| Extra recline | 11°30° upright to 41° reclined | 6°33° upright to 39° reclined |
| Feet spread | 18.1 x 12.0in217 in² of base | 16.1 x 9.75in157.8 in² |
| Foot diameter | 1.50inThe widest feet of any backpacking chair I’ve tested | 0.85in |
| Mesh coverage | 90.3% | 93.5% |
| How breezy it is | Big holes, the airier of the two | Very fine holes |
| Mesh material | Polyester | Polyester-TPUStronger and lighter |
| Weight capacity | 300lbs | 250lbs |
| Weight | 2lbs 2.11oz1lb 15.22oz without the bag | 1lbs 6.72oz1lbs 2.69oz without the bag |
| Packed size | 14.5 x 5.5 x 4.25in339 in³ | 13.0 x 5.0 x 4.0in260 in³ |
| Price | The cheaper of the two | No backpacking chair I’ve tested costs more |
✓ = the better result, from my own testing of both chairs. Both use 7001 aircraft-grade aluminum poles and 6061 aluminum hubs, both carry a lifetime warranty, and both are made in the Philippines.
Which applies to you?
Get this one if…
Get the NEMO Moonlite if…
- You want the more comfortable of the two: a wider seat, a taller backrest and 1.25in more seat height.
- You want the steadier base. Its feet cover 217 in² against the Elite’s 157.8 in².
- You camp in the heat. Both are almost all mesh, but the Moonlite’s holes are much bigger.
- You want the deeper recline, at 11° against 6°.
Get the NEMO Moonlite Elite if…
- You need a reclining chair under 2lbs. Mine weighs 1lbs 6.72oz.
- You need the smaller pack, at 260 in³ against 339 in³.
- Just know what you give up: a smaller seat, a lower seat height, a shorter backrest and a narrower base.
Set Up & Pack Away
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Set up | 50 seconds | 60 seconds10 of those are the groundsheet |
| Pack away | 65 seconds | 70 seconds5 of those are the groundsheet |
| In the bag | Chair fabric, poles, carry bag | Chair fabric, poles, groundsheet bag |
Both chairs set up the same way. You snap the poles together along the shock-cording, then click each corner of the fabric onto the 4 pole tips.
The Elite is slower for one reason only. Its groundsheet clips onto all four feet at the end, which cost me about 10 seconds going up and another 5 seconds coming down.
The Groundsheet
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Groundsheet | None | IncludedThe carry bag unclips into it |
| Carry bag weight | 2.89oz | 4.03ozBecause it is the groundsheet |
This is the Elite’s clear win, and it’s the difference the two chairs are really built around. You unclip the carry bag, open it out flat, and snap it onto all four feet, and the chair then rests on fabric rather than pressing into soft ground.
It does cost you some weight. The bag comes in at 4.03oz against the Moonlite’s 2.89oz. But NEMO includes it, and on every other chair I’ve tested a groundsheet is a paid extra.
Stability
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Front feet spread | 18.1in | 16.1in |
| Side feet spread | 12.0in | 9.75inUnder 10.0in |
| Feet spread area | 217 in² | 157.8 in² |
| Foot diameter | 1.50in1.58in at the back, 1.42in at the front | 0.85in |
The feet on NEMO’s Moonlite sit 2.0in wider at the front and 2.25in wider at the side. Multiply those out and its base covers 217 in² against the Elite’s 157.8 in².
Leaning right over the side didn’t budge either chair. The tradeoff on the Elite is the other direction: a side spread under 10.0in means it goes over backwards without much rocking, where the Moonlite barely flexed on the same test.
The feet themselves are the other half of it. The Moonlite’s are 1.50in across, the widest of any backpacking chair I’ve tested, and the Elite’s are 0.85in. That’s why one of them needs a groundsheet and the other doesn’t.
Seat Size
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Seat width | 20.25inCorner to corner | 18.5in |
| Seat depth | 10.0inBack to front | 9.0in |
| Seat area | 203 in² | 166.5 in²About 18% smaller |
The Moonlite is 1.75in wider and 1.0in deeper. That sounds like very little until you multiply it out: 203 in² of seat against 166.5 in².
I’m 5’3 and 117lbs, and on the Elite there’s almost nothing left over on either side of me. Neither of these is a big chair, but the Elite has the smallest seat of any chair I’ve tested, so it’ll feel tight if you’re much bigger than I am.
Seat Height
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom of the seat, no one sitting | 11.0in | 10.25in |
| Bottom of the seat, seated | 8.5in | 7.25in |
| How far it sinks | 2.5in | 3.0in |
Neither chair is tall. Once I sit down, the Moonlite holds me 8.5in off the ground and the Elite 7.25in, because the Elite sinks half an inch further under the same weight.
That 1.25in counts for more than it sounds, because both numbers sit at the bottom of the range already. Getting out of the Elite takes noticeably more effort than getting out of the Moonlite.
Backrest
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Backrest height | 18.0in | 15.5in |
| Backrest width | 18.0inAt the top; 16.25in at the middle | 17.0in |
The Elite’s backrest is 2.5in shorter, and this is the difference I’d want a tall camper to read twice.
I’m 5’3, so it’s fine for me. Any taller and the top of it sits right under your shoulder blades, where it can dig in.
Reclining Function
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Backrest angle, upright | 30° | 33° |
| Backrest angle, reclined | 41° | 39° |
| Extra recline | 11° | 6° |
| Total seat angle | 99° to 110° | 99° to 105° |
Both chairs recline off tensioned straps, and both work identically: lean back while pulling the strap towards you, then sit up while pushing it away to come back. Getting upright again takes real strength on either one.
The Moonlite simply goes further. It opens up 11° of extra backrest angle against the Elite’s 6°, which was less than I’d hoped for on a chair sold on its recline.
Breathability
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh coverage | 90.3% | 93.5%Of the seat and backrest |
| Hole size | Big | Very fine |
| How it felt | The airier of the two | Noticeably less air |
On paper the Elite wins this, at 93.5% mesh against 90.3%. On both chairs the only fabric left is the four corners where the pole sockets sit.
Coverage isn’t what you feel, though. The holes in the Elite’s mesh are very fine, and I didn’t feel anywhere near as ventilated sitting in it. The Moonlite’s holes are much bigger, and in summer that’s the one I’d rather be in.
Materials & Quality
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Poles | 7001 aluminum0.51 to 0.83in thick | 7001 aluminum0.55 to 0.79in thick |
| Hubs | 6061 aluminum | 6061 aluminum |
| Mesh | Polyester | Polyester-TPUStronger and lighter |
| Weight capacity | 300lbs | 250lbs |
The frames are near enough identical. Both use 7001 aircraft-grade aluminum poles and 6061 aluminum hubs, and the thicknesses are within a few hundredths of each other. The Moonlite’s hubs do look the more rugged of the two, and its center bar is thicker at 0.83in.
The mesh is where they genuinely part. The Elite’s polyester-TPU blend is stronger and lighter than the Moonlite’s plain polyester, which is how it holds 250lbs on fabric weighing 4.55oz against the Moonlite’s 10.41oz. The Moonlite takes the bigger load at 300lbs, so I’m calling this one a draw.
Portability
| Measured | NEMO Moonlite | Moonlite Elite |
|---|---|---|
| Chair fabric | 10.41oz | 4.55oz |
| Poles | 20.81oz | 14.14oz |
| Carry bag | 2.89oz | 4.03oz |
| Total weight | 2lbs 2.11oz | 1lbs 6.72oz11.4oz lighter |
| Trail weight | 1lb 15.22ozLeaving the bag behind | 1lbs 2.69oz |
| Packed size | 14.5 x 5.5 x 4.25in | 13.0 x 5.0 x 4.0in |
| Packed volume | 339 in³ | 260 in³About 25% smaller |
I weighed every component of each chair separately. The Moonlite Elite’s fabric comes in at less than half the Moonlite’s and its poles are 6.67oz lighter, which puts the whole chair at 1lbs 6.72oz against 2lbs 2.11oz.
It packs smaller too. 260 in³ against 339 in³ is roughly 25% less volume, and along with the weight, that’s what the Elite is built for.
My recommendation
The regular NEMO Moonlite is the one I’d get for camping. You get a wider seat, a taller backrest, a higher seat height, a much steadier base, and it reclines further than the Elite does.
The NEMO Moonlite Elite wins on weight and packed size, and honestly on nothing else. If you need a chair under 2lbs that also reclines, this is your pick, because at 1lbs 6.72oz it’s the only one I’ve tested that does both.
Just know what you give up for that: a smaller seat, a lower seat height, a shorter backrest, and a base that tips backwards more easily. It’s also the pricier of the two, though not by a lot.
Bonus: Both of these chairs went up against nine others in my full backpacking chairs roundup, where every test score sits side by side.
Every figure on this page comes from my own measurements of the two chairs I bought.
