Quechua MH500 Camp Chair Review (Bought & Tested!)

I bought this chair with my own money and put it through 11 measured tests.

Setup ~42 sec
Seat size 19.5 x 10.0 in
Seat height 9.75 in
Weight 2.59 lbs

The author testing the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *My Quechua MH500 Camp Chair.*

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Test scorecard · scored against other lightweight chairs

7out of 10

Stability8.8

Comfort8.5

Quality7.7

Ease of Use7.3

Portability3.2

The Quechua MH500 Camp Chair is well built for how affordable it is, and the X-shaped frame is stable. However, at 2.59lbs it’s the heaviest of the 11 lightweight camping and backpacking chairs I’ve tested.

What won me over

Relatively affordable
Good quality, 5-year warranty

What let me down

The heaviest of the 11 lightweight chairs
Stiff seat fabric

Decathlon – Newer version

If you prefer watching to reading, my video review of this chair is coming soon.

See the 11 tests

Set up
Pack away
Unfolded dimensions
Seat size
Seat height
Backrest
Mesh
Storage
Materials
Stability
Portability
Pros, cons, recommendations
Bonus – MUST read!

Set Up

Here’s everything you get in the box:

Carry bag
Chair fabric
Pole structure

The carry bag, chair fabric and poles of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *Everything in the box.*

Unfold the center bar until it forms an X, then follow the shock-cording to slot the rest of the poles in.

The two back seat poles on the assembled frame of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *You can see the X-frame here, and there are 4 leg poles, 2 front poles, 2 back poles connected to it.*

Locate the Quechua logo on the chair fabric, this marks the top of the chair. Fit the top 2 pole pockets onto the back poles.
Secure the bottom corners next. If the last one is tight, lay the chair on its side.

The author fitting the last pole pocket of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair with the chair laid on its side. — *One hand pushes the pole away, the other pulls the pocket on.*

Setup time ~42 seconds

Pack Away

Break everything down, fold the chair fabric such that it becomes small enough to fit back into the bag, and wrap the poles up in it.

The folded chair fabric of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair beside its carry bag. — *With both edges folded in, the fabric is narrower than the bag.*

Pack-away time ~43 seconds
- Breaking the chair down 33 seconds
- Getting it into the bag 10 seconds

Unfolded Dimensions

Width 19.5incorner to corner
Depth 21.25inback to front
Height 26.7inground to the top of the chair

Seat Size

Width 19.5incorner to corner
Depth 10.0inback to front of the seat
Seat area 195 in²the width multiplied by the depth

The author measuring the seat width of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *This is the widest the seat gets.*

The author sitting on the seat of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *Sitting on the seat. I’m 5’3 and 117lbs.*

Seat Height

Bottom of the seat 10.3inno one sitting
Bottom of the seat 9.75inwith me in it
Front seat height 13.75inno one sitting
Front seat height 12.25inwith me in it

The seated figure of 9.75in is the one to go by, and only three of the 11 lightweight chairs sit higher.

Backrest

Height 20.0infrom where the seat ends to the top of the chair
Width 19.75inside to side

The author leaning back against the backrest of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *There’s nothing to rest my head on, even at 5’3.*

I took these three with a digital protractor while sitting in the chair:

Leg angle 18°
Backrest angle 40°
Total seat angle 112°

Mesh

Mesh panels 2one on each side
Panel size 21.0 x 8.5ineach, triangular
Mesh coverage 26.3%of the seat and backrest together

That’s about a quarter of the chair, and right in the 20 to 30% range you get on most lightweight chairs.

Storage

Pockets 1on the left side
Pocket size 6.0 x 4.9in

A phone in the side pocket of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *The only pocket sits on the left.*

It fits my phone perfectly, so it’s always within reach.

Materials

Fabric 80% polyester / 20% nylon
Poles 80% aluminum / 20% nylonQuechua-branded
Zippers Unbranded

Center X-poles 1.22in
Leg and seat poles 0.51in
Weight capacity 242lbs
Warranty 5 years

No other lightweight chair I’ve tested has a center bar anywhere near that thick. The stitching held up fine, and the zippers worked well even though they’re unbranded.

Stability

Front spread 14.35in
Side spread 15.0in

The author measuring the front feet spread of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *Front foot to front foot, across the grass.*

Feet spread area 216 in²
Foot diameter 0.87in

The author leaning over the side of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair with all four legs still on the ground. — *All four legs stayed put while I leaned out sideways.*

Anything from 12.0in is stable enough for me, and both spreads clear that. It didn’t feel tippy or unstable at all, even leaning over the sides.

The X-shaped center pole structure under the seat of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *The X-shaped structure sits under the seat.*

The X-frame helps too. There’s noticeably less wiggle in this chair than in most lightweight chairs I’ve tested.

Portability

Total weight 2.59lbs
- Fabric 9.49oz
- Poles 29.14oz
- Carry bag 2.82oz
Trail weight 2lbs 6.63ozif you leave the carry bag behind
Carry handles 2one on the side, one across the zip

The packed Quechua MH500 Camp Chair beside a 1-liter Nalgene bottle. — *A 1-liter Nalgene, so you can see how small it goes.*

Packed size 13.5 x 5.75 x 4.6in
Packed volume 357 in³

Pros, Cons, Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair?

Relatively affordable

Only the Trekology YIZI GO and the Naturehike cost less than this one, and neither of them scored as well on quality.

Good quality

You get:

Polyester and nylon fabric blend
X-shaped pole structure, steadier than most
No PVC at all
5-year warranty (this is surprisingly long)

Fabric is a bit stiff

The fabric feels closer to plastic than the softer polyester on most of my other camp chairs. It should last longer, but it’s less comfortable to sit on, so it’s a trade-off.

The author pinching the stiff seat fabric of the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair. — *Pinching the seat fabric.*

Chair is a bit heavy

At 2.59lbs it’s the heaviest of the 11 lightweight chairs I’ve tested. That’s a little heavier than the marketed 2.42lbs.

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 YL08	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

Overall recommendation

The Quechua MH500 Camp Chair is great for car camping, as long as you only need something light enough to carry from the car to the campsite. However, if you want a chair light enough to backpack with, or the most comfortable one you can find, go for something else.

Bonus – MUST Read!

I put all 11 lightweight chairs through the same tests, and my Best Backpacking Chairs article ranks them against each other.

Or, check out the Quechua MH500 Camp Chair: