Most backpackers prefer a small, lightweight, compressible and easy to use luggage. Adding a backpacking chair, therefore, becomes quite tricky. But, did you know that the best backpacking chairs in 2020 are light, resilient, and portable? In addition, they add luxury to your backpacking trip without straining your back? In this review, we take a detailed look at four such chairs and present our verdict on their suitability for a backpacking trip.
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Crazy Creek Products HEX 2.0 Original Chair (Black / Royal Blue)
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Overall Construction
The Crazy Creek HEX 2.0 Original Chair is a small foldable chair measuring 33 inches long and 17.5 inches wide when flat. It weighs 21.9 ounces, a lightweight barely noticeable on the backpack. This chair has an insulation layer of 8mm high-density cored EVA closed cell foam, keeping you warm, dry, and insulated from cold or wet surfaces.
Versatile Design for Maximum Comfort
As per Crazy Creek’s motto of creating comfortable products for the backpacker, this chair’s design keeps you comfortable over extended sitting positions. It has convenient straps that allow you to adjust the chair to your preferred inclination. Better still, you can loosen the straps and use the chair as a mat when sleeping.
Resilient Fabric
The Crazy Creek HEX 2.0 Original Chair’s ripstop nylon fabric is water-resistant yet breathable. You won’t have to worry about sweating or getting sand or dirt to your clothes. Additionally, this chair’s reinforced web knitting pattern makes it strong enough to support users weighing up to 250 lbs. The chair is available in black/royal, copper/slate and royal/emerald.
Convenience
To pack the chair, roll it up to a small diameter of 4 inches wide and use its straps to keep it firmly packed. Carry the chair outside your backpack by clipping the conveniently built-in hanging loops to the side of your bag. This way, you save more space on your backpack.
Multipurpose Use
Use the Crazy Creek HEX 2.0 Original chair to take an impromptu break on your backpacking trail, sit at the park on a picnic, watch your favorite concert, or read a book besides a bonfire. One of the best backpacking chairs in 2020, this chair is ideal for both indoors and outdoors uses.
Pros
Cons
The Verdict
The Crazy Creek HEX 2.0 Original Chair is the best pick for a first-time backpacker who has limited storage space and wants to minimize additional weight on his luggage.
Helinox Chair Zero Ultralight Compact Camping Chair
Features
Ever since 2012 when Helinox launched its Chair Zero series of outdoor chairs, it has won several awards for designing compact, innovative, lightweight camping chairs in small packs. This series is a lighter version of the previous Chair One version.
The Helinox Chair Zero Ultra-light Compact Camping Chair model features a 1.1 pounds chair measuring 4 inches by 4 inches by 14 inches when packed. This chair has a weight capacity of up to 260 pounds. When assembled the chair reaches up to 64 cm above the ground.
The chair’s metal frames are of DAC TH72M alloy, an anodized aluminum frame that is eco-friendly. This metal frame is the reason behind the chair’s featherweight construction. It is foldable into a small pack equivalent to the size of a water bottle. The aluminum frame does not rust or heat up on a hot summer day. Instead, they are resistant to harmful ultraviolet rays, long lasting and easy to assemble.
The Helinox Chair Zero Ultra-light Compact Camping chair features a rip-stop polyester fabric that is light, durable, flame-retardant and resistant to harmful weather conditions. This material is fitted securely onto the sockets of the alloy sections, ensuring your chair maintains its shape and stability when you use it.
The chair offers a comfortable leg and hip position giving you a sitting solution for long hours stay in the wild. It is spacious, accommodating wider hips. This chair will neither sag nor make you sweat.
The chair is available in black, grey, and sand colors. It is ideal for hiking, backpacking, trekking and other outdoor events. To set up the chair, pull up the single internal bungee cord to release and straighten the poles. Use these chairs to set up a lounge room experience wherever you are. The seat has a five years manufacturer warranty.
Here is even more detailed review about The Helinox Chair One Series.
Pros
Cons
Travelchair Joey Chair
Features
Ever since 1984, TravelChair has held up its strong reputation as an industry leader in making laboratory tested high quality folding camp chairs that are tolerant beyond the needs of the average consumer. These chairs are built tough and feature extra heavy frames, durable nylon connectors, oversized rivets, wear resistance and PU-backed polyester fabrics.
The company’s latest addition, the Travelchair Joey Chair model is a small, portable camping chair measuring 4 inches by 4 inches by 14 inches when packed and 21 inches by 21 inches by 28 inches when fully assembled. This chair weighs 2.35 lbs., a slightly heavier weight than other portable chairs. This additional weight comes with various versatile features that guarantee comfort to the user.
The chair can support a weight of up to 300 lbs, a weight capacity higher than the average camping chairs. It has a sitting height of 16 inches, the most top height in its class. Travelchair has outdone themselves in providing above average features in a backpacking chair, meeting the needs of the user who looks for more than just functionality.
The chair’s sitting area is of a double-coated rip-stop nylon fabric with breathable mesh panels. The chair’s seating area can comfortably accommodate a pair of wider hips. The material is weather resistant, anti-static, and uses the shock cord self-assembly technology. This technology will assemble the chair in one touch. It also ensures that you do not lose any of the free parts when doing the assembly.
The Travelchair Joey Chair features a heavy-duty anodized aluminum frame that is resistant to rust and cold, repels ultraviolet rays and easy to clean and maintain. These metal frames fit well into the fabric construction ensuring there the fabric does not gather at one point. Its feet feature an anti-sink disk feet design that provides the chair stays firmly on soft sand and uneven surfaces.
The chair provides you comfort and durability at an additional weight. It folds well into a small size pack that is convenient for long treks. Pick this chair as the best backpacking chair 2020 for your car camping, backpacking or kayak expeditions.
Pros
Cons
ALPS Mountaineering Ready Lite Low Chair
Overall Construction
Size: The ALPS Mountaineering Ready Lite Low Chair is a lightweight, foldable camping chair measuring 22 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 26 inches deep. It has a weight capacity of 250lbs, effectively supporting a plus size adult without making any squeaking sounds.
Metal Frame: The chair’s construction features a robust, lightweight 7000 series aluminum metal frame that is resistant to harsh weather and harmful ultraviolet rays. This metal frame is of a compact foldable design that is ideal for travelers and backpackers. The metal frames raise the chair high above the ground making it comfortable for all users.
Seat Fabric: The seating area is made from a 420 honeycomb ripstop fabric made of polyester and a breathable nylon mesh in blue and charcoal colors. This fabric has reinforcements on all its corners to give it a firm shape and prevent it from pulling inwards when in use. The material is easy to clean and maintain. The combined weight of both the aluminum frame and the fabric is slightly above 2 lbs, a minimal additional weight to your backpack luggage.
Convenience
The ALPS Mountaineering Ready Lite Low chair retails as separate parts packed in a convenient carry case. Inside the 7” by 17 “carry case are a set of easy to follow instructions on how to assemble the chair. Additionally, all the aluminum parts have convenient numerical labels for ease of assembly.
Durability
ALPS Mountaineering offers a limited lifetime warranty on all its Ready Lite Low Series products, a clear indication of their confidence in the product’s strength.
Pros
Features a small, stable, lightweight construction
Very comfortable low chair
Fits into a small tent
Retails with a convenient carry case
Sturdy ripstop fabric with robust aluminum reinforcements
Easy to assemble and disassemble
Cons
- No neck support
The verdict
The ALPS Mountaineering Ready Lite Low Chair is one of the Ready Lite Series products from ALPS mountaineering targeting the space and weight conscious backpacker. The chair is easy to use and maintain both indoors and outdoors.
The Best Backpacking Chairs in 2020 FAQs
Q. What should I look for in the best backpacking chair?
A. When picking your ideal backpacking chair, choose one that is affordable, spacious, portable, stable on varying surfaces, and is easy to assemble and disassemble.
Q. What other chair designs are available for a backpacker?
A. Backpacking chairs are available in the classic design or as a two-legged, three-legged, scooped, suspended, camp stool, glider or a rocker. Choose the model that is appropriate for your intended use.
Q. What is unique about low backpacking chairs?
A. Low backpacking chairs offer the best stability on the sand and uneven surfaces. They tip less frequently and are ideal for outdoor concerts where organizers put a limit on the height of chairs you can use.
Conclusion
Whether you are going hiking, camping, trekking or just relaxing in your backyard, using the best backpacking chairs in 2020 will make your trip or time comfortable and relaxing. If you are planning to extend your trip, make use of these chairs. That way, you will no longer have to worry about sitting on hard cold rocks or sand. The above chairs are durable, comfortable to use, and available in attractive designs.
I absolutely love what I read in this insightful article because it is full of great information. This is fascinating and interesting to me. Helinox Chair Zero Ultralight Compact Camping Chair is my best choice, I love its features, color, and his mobility. also, the price is pocket-friendly. Can this backpacking chair be used for a long time?
Thanks for the review. Best regards
Hi, Adamu2 and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Yes, these backpacks hairs are very durable so you can use them all for a very long time.
If I can help you with anything else, or if you have any questions, don´t hesitate to contact me.
Hi, I love the initiative of reviewing on backpacking chairs. From the pictures and features of all the four backpacking chairs you reviewed, one can deduce that they are top notch.
I think I particularly love number one, considering the fact that its only cons is that bottom cushion is made with limited padding. What is usually very important when buying backpacking chairs, is the comfort, lightweight etc of the product, and you have aptly put them down.
The second backpacking chair is great, however the experience of backpack chairs sinking into soft grounds is not a wonderful experience.
Thanks for reviewing on this topic, a great help to people that hike and indulge in other outdoor activities.
Hi, Gracen and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
If I can help you with anything else, or if you have any questions, don´t hesitate to contact me.
Finally I have been looking for something like this backpacking chairs are nice, I love the Travelchair Joey chair. The chair seating area can comfortably acomodate a pair of woder hips, it uses the shock cord self assembly tech. I love it because the material os weather resistant, it is strong and durable, high and stable, and the best of all easy to set. At least one can travel around with it. I will have to bookmark this site to show to my wife, it will blow her mind, thanks to this site.
Hi, Destiny and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
If I can help you with anything else, or if you have any questions, don´t hesitate to contact me.
I have to say that these chairs are awesome!
It looks like they provide a lot of comfort for something being so lightweight and portable.
It might not be easy to choose one among these but if I had to it would be
the Helinox Chair would be my choice because it looks to be the most comfortable one and offers a lot of pros.
It appears that it is very easy to set up and is sturdy enough for any trip.
I like the size and the fold up ability as well.
Does it come with a warranty?
Hi, Rob S. and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
The Helinox Chair is a great choice. It has a 5-year warranty.
All of these chairs have a good warranty. Like for example the Crazy Creek Products HEX 2.0 which has a lifetime warranty.
If I can help you with anything else, or if you have any questions, don´t hesitate to contact me.
I will like to commend you for taking out time to write this article about the best backpacking chair in 2019.i will also like to add that the review is completely informative. I will be going for a picnic during this coming easter period, and I will be going with my younger sister that looks weightier than the weight capacity of the backpacking chair you have reviewed.what I kind will you recommend for her?. Because she must need go with me.
but like the Crazy Creek Products HEX 2.0 Original Chair, because it’s multiple purpose
Hi, Barrywesley and thank you.
Thank you for your kind words.
Of course, you must go together. I would recommend this one, put a link to Amazon in it because it is so easy with shipment and buying. But if she has a back problem I would not use it. If so, send me a letter and I will help you.
Good luck.
If I can help you with anything else, or if you have any questions, don´t hesitate to contact me.