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See the 11 tests

1. Set Up
2. Pack Away
3. Unfolded Dimensions
4. Detailed Measurements
5. Headrest & Pillow
6. Pockets
7. Breathability
8. Materials
9. Stability & Quality
10. Portability
11. Warranty
12. Pros, cons, recommendations
13. Bonus – MUST read!

Set Up

Here’s the gist:

1) Follow the shock-cording to seat the poles.

2) Find the REI logo (this indicates the top of the chair), and secure all 4 pole pockets. One tip here is to use the finger loops to pull the pockets into place.

3) Attach the headrest using toggles.

• Setup time ~1 minute 12 seconds

Pack Away

The pack-away is basically the reverse, but the carry bag is top-loading with a small opening so it’s not that easy to pack away.

Pro TipPlace headrest into carry bag first, then the tightly-rolled bundle of poles and fabric on top of it.

• Pack-away time ~1 minute 10 seconds

Unfolded Dimensions

Here’s what the chair measured, fully set up:

• Width (pocket to pocket) 25.0in
• Length (back to front of seat) 26.25in
• Height (ground to top) 37.0in

Detailed Measurements

Here are the detailed seat measurements:

• Seat width 23.75in
• Seat depth 13.5in

• Seat height (without anyone sitting) 12.0in
• Seat height (seated) 9.8insinks 2.2in under load

• Backrest height 28.5in
• Backrest width 19.0in
• Recline angle ~29 degrees

Headrest & Pillow

The headrest-pillow is fully removable using these attached toggles:

Alternatively, you can sweep it behind the backrest when you don’t want to use it.

Pockets

There are 2 mesh pockets, one on each side.

• Each pocket size 6.5in x 3.75in

Breathability

This chair has no mesh at all — just lightweight fabric and 2 vent slits at the bottom.

After an hour sitting in it, here’s the temperature change I measured:

• Start temp 78.8°F
• After 1 hour 86.7°F10% increase

Materials

Here’s what the chair is made of:

• Fabric 300D ripstop polyester with a DWR finish
• Poles Aluminumcenter bar 0.79in thick, the rest 0.67in
• Feet Rubberized tips
• Made in the Philippines

Stability & Quality

Here’s how it tested:

• Stitching Good all around
• Pole layout Narrow at the front, wide at the sidesthis is the reverse of most chairs, so it’s less stable if you shift around
• Weight limit 300lbs
• Durability Mine broke after 3 daysa pole end punched through a bottom pole pocket

Portability

The carry bag has one loop/handle near the opening.

Here’s the weight and packed size:

• Chair 3.0lbs
• Headrest 0.26lbs
• Carry bag 0.14lbs
• Total 3.4lbs
• Packed size 21in x 7in x 6in

Packed, it’s about 15% smaller than a 2-person Coleman Sundome tent.

Warranty

REI’s warranty is only 1 year for all products.

Pro TipTest it hard in the first week to catch any manufacturing defect — like the pole-pocket failure mine had.

Pros & Cons

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

Portable

At 3.4lbs and 21 x 7 x 6in packed, it’s genuinely easy to carry for a high-back chair.

Inexpensive

It’s one of the cheapest lightweight high-back chairs I’ve tested. MSRP is $100, but wait for a 30% sale like I did — I paid $70.

Lightweight High-Back	MSRP (USD)
REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer	$100
Helinox Chair Two	$130
Helinox Sunset	$170
Big Agnes Big Six Armchair	$280

Larger than average seat size

The seat is bigger than average — wider and deeper than every other chair I compared it to.

Lightweight High-Back	Seat Width (in)	Seat Depth (in)
REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer	23.8	13.5
Big Agnes Big Six Armchair	23.0	12.5
Helinox Sunset	22.5	12.0
Helinox Chair Two	21.1	11.0

Pretty comfortable

The high-rise back and removable headrest make it a comfortable sit. The pillow’s a touch stiff, but overall it’s decent.

Seat height not tall

The real seated height is just 9.8in — the second-lowest of the lightweight high-back chairs I compared. If low seats are hard to get out of, this isn’t the one you should get.

Lightweight High-Back	Seat Height (in)
Helinox Sunset	13.0
Big Agnes Big Six Armchair	11.4
REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer	9.8
Helinox Chair Two	7.5

First few setups very difficult

The first few setups are brutally tight. I’m not strong, and forcing that last pole into the bottom pocket took real muscle until the chair broke in.

Manufacturing defect found

Mine broke after a few days. I’m only 117lbs against a 300lbs weight limit, so I’m confident it was a defective pole pocket, not overload.

Bonus – MUST Read!

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