I have always scoffed at chairs... but Helinox came out with a chair similar to the chair one but almost a pound lighter. At one pound total weight I may consider this chair in the future...if it ever goes on sale...

Anyone use the Chair Zero yet in the BWCAW? It just came out last winter I believe and I haven't seen any posts about this Chair specifically.

Chair Zero

I passed on the Chair Zero as the weight savings come with making the chair slightly smaller and lower to the ground. I'm sticking with my Chair One at 34 oz.

Check out travelchair.com . I have one and really like it. Cheaper than helinox. ;)

quote old_salt: "Check out travelchair.com . I have one and really like it. Cheaper than helinox. ;)"

What he said.... I have a TravelChair Wallaby and love it - It sits up straighter so I am not continually "star gazing".

Okay which travel chair are you guys referring to? The lightest one I saw was Twice the weight of the Chair Zero? A good looking chair a little over 2# would be the Helinox chair two, has a head rest and full back support with optional pillow head rest, but I really want to be around 1#. Maybe there is something I am missing at Travelchair their website was difficult to navigate or me?


T

We were looking at chairs at rei the other day and I was quite impressed by the chair zero. It's actually lighter than my Alite Monarch but has 4 legs. Of course, that might mean people would steal it from me.

I'm also curious about field experience.

The Helinox Chair Zero has impressive stats. 11 Inches off the ground-Only #1 and $120, but the seat angle is my question. Can you sit up straight or does it aim you to the sky?

I know what ya mean Grandma about chairs leaning you back--I just tested it at REI and it seemed to sit you up pretty straight. Chairs are so hard to tell though, sitting in one for a minute is so different than sitting at a camp trying to relax at a fire.

$120 is impressive lol, hence it will be a sale or clearance purchase only.

T

quote timatkn: "I know what ya mean Grandma about chairs leaning you back--I just tested it at REI and it seemed to sit you up pretty straight. Chairs are so hard to tell though, sitting in one for a minute is so different than sitting at a camp trying to relax at a fire. $120 is impressive lol, hence it will be a sale or clearance purchase only.
T"

I usually take my knitting to the store and sit a while "testing' chairs for both the living room and/or camping. About 10 minutes and you can tell how it will work out on the trail.

On a BWCA trip a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to try a Chair Zero and a Camp Chair from Helinox. I much preferred the larger chair: more comfort, more back support, higher off the ground, and easier to get in and out of it. The Zero kept me off the ground but it had a tendency to rock back a bit. If weight were the overriding goal, the Zero would be a reasonable choice, but I am not a fan.

Tim,

I have the Joey 7789. I like it because I can use it a couple of different ways. I can throw my butt pad in it, and it's great for upright sitting such as cooking, etc. It sits high enough so that getting up or down doesn't require filing a flight plan. Or I can remove butt pad and recline by the evening fire.

quote old_salt: "Tim,
I have the Joey 7789. I like it because I can use it a couple of different ways. I can throw my butt pad in it, and it's great for upright sitting such as cooking, etc. It sits high enough so that getting up or down doesn't require filing a flight plan. Or I can remove butt pad and recline by the evening fire."

TravelChair Joey
Only 2 #

We have had chair ones for several years now and love them. We checked out the zeros at Piragis and they were nice but are definitely not quite as strong and come with a lower weight rating. If you are under the weight rating and on perfectly level hard ground than I think the zero would be ok. The slightly smaller size did not seem to bother us much. But the fact that in the boonies you rarely have level ground and the legs can sink in loading the chair unevenly, you need all the strength you can get. At least that was our thinking, and the chair ones are crazy strong. We use to scoff at chairs also, but we have found that being able to truly relax our backs has made us able to travel harder and faster as well as enjoy any down time. At 52 I'm starting to really feel all those aches and pains but my wife(also 52) and I did 160 miles in 19 days in June and the chairs helped tremendously.

Too low to the ground for me. I have a Helinox Camp Chair, and I reign like a king when I travel! Yeah, it is more expensive and weighs more (41 ounces vs. 16), but if I was truly worried about a few ounces, I would work on dropping a few pounds. At 55, this is one of the most important Items I carry. I make up for the weight by sleeping in a Lean (or whatever it takes to justify your boat!!!)



Tim, you are literally in my neighborhood. I would be more than willing to loan you the Camp Chair for your next trip. If you do not like it, you can keep it!

quote timatkn: "I have always scoffed at chairs... "

Me too. I was always happy to sit on the campsite logs or on the ground. Then for some odd reason I picked up an REI Flexlite on a whim and on sale, and in one trip was a convert. My chairs specs are similar except for the cost and weight. I say try it, and if you are not a convert after one trip, I'm sure you can sell it here in the forum quickly,

Thanks for the offer Frenchy, but I am a firm believer in if I don't know what I am missing then I am not missing anything lol. The camp chair is too heavy for me. Maybe some day.

T

Okay I lied Frenchy lol,

Found the Helinox chair two for 25% off. It is lower to the ground than the camp chair but has a high back like the sunset so more support. It weighs the same as the camp chair. This might be the beginning of the end :) I'll see how it feels.

Still looking for reviews of the Chair Zero as I may be interested, wife and kids still need lightweight chairs and I am not sold on carrying 4 2#+ chairs in vs. 4 1# chairs.

T

quote timatkn: "Okay I lied Frenchy lol,


Found the Helinox chair two for 25% off. It is lower to the ground than the camp chair but has a high back like the sunset so more support. It weighs the same as the camp chair. This might be the beginning of the end :) I'll see how it feels.


Still looking for reviews of the Chair Zero as I may be interested, wife and kids still need lightweight chairs and I am not sold on carrying 4 2#+ chairs in vs. 4 1# chairs.


T"

You will not regret the chair! I started with an Alite model, but my big butt touched the ground; legs were too short. Moved to an REI Flexlite, and that was better, but still too low to the ground-especially when cooking. A couple years ago I bought the Camp Chair, and, man, it is heaven! I know it is heavy, but it is one luxury that I will not leave behind.

Enjoy your quest!!!

I have the Helinox Chair One which I really like.
I've tried the Chair Zero. It sits 2" lower. For me that makes it just a little more difficult to get out of. I'm 63 and 6' tall and my knees aren't what they used to be.
The Zero might be just the ticket for your kids or a shorter person.

I purchased 2 G4Free Camp Chairs at Amazon for $30 - yes, THIRTY dollars, and my wife and I love them. They fold up very small and are light.

They are a must-have on all of our camping trips now.

I've never used a Helinox, but at a $70 difference, I'm quite happy with mine.

Okay Mountaingear.com is tempting me. They have a big sale on Helinox/Big Agnes chairs.

For example The Sunset Chair is $111.00, Chair Zero $89.

Might pull the trigger on the zero, still too expensive but it is the only 1# chair on the market right now.

T

I own both the REI flexlite and the Chair Zero. I think comfort wise they are very similar. I actually think the Chair Zero is a little sturdier - granted the flexlite has been on a few more trips and may have lost some initial stability with that use. The weight savings and more importantly (to me is anyways) the pack size difference is very significant. I would highly recommend the Chair Zero if you are OK dropping the extra dough. One thing to note, I have little to no experience with the other Helinox chairs.

Thanks SurlyDude for helping me drop another $89! Lol

I really do appreciate the feedback.

T

Timatkn, Let us know how you like the zero, I would be interested in some more reviews on it.

I did order it, but it will take few weeks to arrive. Might take it on my upcoming Black Hills trip, so review after that.

T

I sat in a Chair Zero at REI. It was ok but I thought it was kind of "tippy" and the poles kind of poke you a bit when sitting in it. For backpacking it might be the winner, for the BWCA I am not as convinced.

I am going to out our family as chair freaks...

We have the REI Flexlite, several BSA Helinox knock offs, several Helinox Chair Ones, and I just picked up the Chair Zero this May as my Mother's Day gift to myself before my annual May trip.

At first I was having an issue with the chair fabric being too tight and found that I was sliding out of the chair if I didn't have my feet braced on a rock or the fire grate. After using it for several more trips I have found that the chair has stretched a bit and I now have no issues with it. I really like it and it takes up very little room in my pack and is substantially lighter than my other chair.

I am 5'5", and not terribly wide so I don't have any issues with the bars digging into my arms but I could see where a wider or taller body might not like the chair as much as I do.