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See the 9 tests

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

Set Up

Here’s what you get in the box:

• The carry bag
• The chair fabric
• The poles

1. Follow the shock-cording and set up the poles.
2. REI logo on fabric indicates top of chair.
3. Secure all four corners, using the finger loop to pull the last one into place.

Setup was fuss-free with no tight corners, even on the very first go.

• Setup time ~38 seconds

Pack Away

Pack-away is mostly the reverse of setup, with one extra step. Lay the fabric flat and fold the sides in first, so it gets small enough to fit back into the bag.

The carry bag is top-loading rather than side-loading, and that’s why the last step takes so long.

• Full pack-away ~50 seconds
  • Chair breakdown ~30 seconds
  • Getting it into the bag ~20 seconds

Unfolded Dimensions

• Width 21.1incorner to corner
• Depth 20.8inback to front
• Height 24.85inground to top

Seat Size

• Width 21.0in
• Depth 10.0inback to front of the seat

Seat Height

I measured the seat height twice, once with the chair empty and once with me sitting in it.

• Unloaded 10.5inground to the bottom of the seat
• Seated 9.0in
• Sink-in 1.5in

Backrest

• Height 19.5infrom the end of the seat to the top of the chair
• Width 20.5inside to side at the top

Ventilation

The only ventilation on this chair is two breathing slits.

• Slits 2
• Each slit 6.5 x 1.5inlongest length by longest width
• Total ventilation 2.5%slit area against the total seat and backrest

Materials

• Fabric 300D ripstop polyester
• Coating DWRon the underside of the chair
• Poles Aluminum

The poles come in three different thicknesses, and the center bar between them is the thickest.

• Leg poles 0.51in
• Seat poles 0.57in
• Center bar 0.71in

I thought the stitching was great around the entire chair.

• Weight capacity 250lbs
• Warranty 1 year

Portability

The carry bag has just a carabiner loop near the opening, so there’s no shoulder strap on this one.

• Total weight 1lb 14.19oz
  • Fabric 6.55oz
  • Poles 22.29oz
  • Carry bag 1.35oz
• Packed size 14.3 x 5.3 x 5.0in
• Ease of carry Carabiner loop only

The carry bag is on the bigger side, so it doesn’t pack down as small as its weight suggests. At 379 in³, its packed volume is the second largest of the 11 backpacking chairs I’ve tested.

Pros, Cons, Recommendations

Now, what are the pros and cons, and would I recommend the REI Flexlite Camp Chair?

Pretty lightweight

At 1lb 14.19oz it stays under 2 pounds, and most backpacking chairs I’ve tested don’t. It isn’t ultralight though. The Helinox Chair Zero and the REI Flexlite Air both sit closer to 1 pound. I ran the Flexlite Air against the Chair Zero to see which of those two is worth carrying.

Very affordable

It’s also the cheapest of the sub-2-pound chairs I’ve tested, so it’s an inexpensive way into a genuinely lightweight chair.

Kind of has armrests

The sides of the fabric are soft enough that I could rest my arms on them without hitting any tension points.

Not the most stable

REI uses a reverse structure here, narrow at the front and wider at the sides, which is the opposite of most backpacking chairs. It tips easily if you lean over the sides, and it isn’t great on uneven ground either.

Here’s how the feet spread compares against a normally-framed chair:

• Flexlite Camp: 11.25in at the front, 11.6in at the sides
• Helinox Chair One: 14.0in at the front, 11.85in at the sides

Bonus – MUST Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.