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Boundary Waters Quetico ForumGear ForumKnock off Helinox chairs
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04/22/2023 04:41PM
Be careful on those REI Flexlite chairs. The spine underneath runs front to back instead of side to side like the Helinox. The REI can be incredibly tippy! I brought back four REI chairs in favor of a bullet-biting purchase of two Helinox Sunset and two Chair One and I couldn't be happier. Sitting comfortably is something on which I will spend whatever cash I need to. Also, I can't recommend the Helinox Table One (Large) enough! Awesome setup! Enjoy paddling!
04/27/2023 07:53AM
Long post for people who like gear details.
In 2017 I wrote a review of "rollable" chairs for an outdoor gear company to help them compare their models to other manufacturers and improve them. I looked at comfort, usability (ease of getting up), strength, and stability.
After testing a number of chairs, I came up with the below indicators of quality and comfort that might help others compare chairs if you can't test them in person. All of this depends on your height and weight---in the early days of these chairs, Chinese manufacturers seemed to be building chairs for small Asians, not large Americans.
(1) Height of front edge of seat:
•Easy to get up: 15”–18”
•Moderate effort required: 13”
•Difficult to get up: 12” and less
(2) Depth and shape of seat bucket: Some seats are too short front to back, either failing to support your legs or pitching you forward.
(3) Shape of the fabric part: Short chairs are often square or rectangular, as in the Helinox Chair One. This shape leaves ample room for the hips, waist, and upper body. Taller chairs are sometimes narrower in the midsection and at the top, so you may feel constricted at the waist or your arms may fall unsupported outside the chair.
(4) Angle of the back, which creates either a relaxed or more upright position.
(5) Headrest: Is it the same height as your head? Does it actually support your head, or is it angled too far back, as on the Helinox Sunset?
(6) Weight of user: Are the claims honest and realistic? Overall, these are not chairs for huge people---probably 275 lbs maximum.
I tested 4 chairs, including the Helinox Sunset and a previous version of the Moon Lence (the design has now been changed) with male 6’ 1” tall and 250 lbs. A notable difference that contributed to stability was the diameter of the legs---3/4" for the Helinox and 1/2" for the others:
Another was the hub structure: the Helinox cross piece under the seat is riveted to the hub, while the others were not attached and swiveled freely, leading to the chair swaying when you move. The distance between the legs across the front and the sides made a big difference in stability: the Sunset was 2" to 5" wider across the front and sides. The photo below shows the larger leg base of the Sunset. You can see that the frame of the other chair is too small for its height.
In terms of ease of getting up, the lowest point of the seat bucket was 11" on the smallest chair and the highest was 15" on the Sunset. The height of the front of the seat varied from 13.75" to 18", with the Sunset the tallest. The width across the front of the seat varied from 19" to 23"---a big difference for larger people.
We tested the chairs on a hard surface and on firm level ground. The differences were striking. When I sat in one of the chairs with a swiveling hub on the ground, it immediately toppled over! Not so with the Helinox. The other tester refused to sit in the smallest chair, commenting that it looked like a child's chair. We both gave the Sunset 4 stars out of 5 overall. The only near competitor was a large Chinese knockoff, with 3 stars.
That was in 2017. There are many more knockoffs now, along with knockoffs of the Helinox cots and tables. I own the Sunset chair, Cot One convertible (with the extra set of legs to raise it to 15"), and the Table One. If I were to replace these today, I would definitely investigate other brands as the cost of Helinox products has gotten ridiculous. I must admit, though, that the Cot One convertible has tripled my camping pleasure. And the cot, chair, and table all fit in my kayak hatches, which is a total game changer for camping comfort compared to years ago (I don't portage).
In summary, when you're comparing chairs, check the ***dimensions of the seat bucket, diameter of the legs, the distance between the legs on the front and sides, and how the hub is made.*** Once you've sat in a number of these chairs you will see that there actually are big differences in the comfort and stability---or they may seem small at first but bug you after an hour at your campsite, like not having support under your legs or sliding forward because the angle of the back is wrong.
In 2017 I wrote a review of "rollable" chairs for an outdoor gear company to help them compare their models to other manufacturers and improve them. I looked at comfort, usability (ease of getting up), strength, and stability.
After testing a number of chairs, I came up with the below indicators of quality and comfort that might help others compare chairs if you can't test them in person. All of this depends on your height and weight---in the early days of these chairs, Chinese manufacturers seemed to be building chairs for small Asians, not large Americans.
(1) Height of front edge of seat:
•Easy to get up: 15”–18”
•Moderate effort required: 13”
•Difficult to get up: 12” and less
(2) Depth and shape of seat bucket: Some seats are too short front to back, either failing to support your legs or pitching you forward.
(3) Shape of the fabric part: Short chairs are often square or rectangular, as in the Helinox Chair One. This shape leaves ample room for the hips, waist, and upper body. Taller chairs are sometimes narrower in the midsection and at the top, so you may feel constricted at the waist or your arms may fall unsupported outside the chair.
(4) Angle of the back, which creates either a relaxed or more upright position.
(5) Headrest: Is it the same height as your head? Does it actually support your head, or is it angled too far back, as on the Helinox Sunset?
(6) Weight of user: Are the claims honest and realistic? Overall, these are not chairs for huge people---probably 275 lbs maximum.
I tested 4 chairs, including the Helinox Sunset and a previous version of the Moon Lence (the design has now been changed) with male 6’ 1” tall and 250 lbs. A notable difference that contributed to stability was the diameter of the legs---3/4" for the Helinox and 1/2" for the others:
Another was the hub structure: the Helinox cross piece under the seat is riveted to the hub, while the others were not attached and swiveled freely, leading to the chair swaying when you move. The distance between the legs across the front and the sides made a big difference in stability: the Sunset was 2" to 5" wider across the front and sides. The photo below shows the larger leg base of the Sunset. You can see that the frame of the other chair is too small for its height.
In terms of ease of getting up, the lowest point of the seat bucket was 11" on the smallest chair and the highest was 15" on the Sunset. The height of the front of the seat varied from 13.75" to 18", with the Sunset the tallest. The width across the front of the seat varied from 19" to 23"---a big difference for larger people.
We tested the chairs on a hard surface and on firm level ground. The differences were striking. When I sat in one of the chairs with a swiveling hub on the ground, it immediately toppled over! Not so with the Helinox. The other tester refused to sit in the smallest chair, commenting that it looked like a child's chair. We both gave the Sunset 4 stars out of 5 overall. The only near competitor was a large Chinese knockoff, with 3 stars.
That was in 2017. There are many more knockoffs now, along with knockoffs of the Helinox cots and tables. I own the Sunset chair, Cot One convertible (with the extra set of legs to raise it to 15"), and the Table One. If I were to replace these today, I would definitely investigate other brands as the cost of Helinox products has gotten ridiculous. I must admit, though, that the Cot One convertible has tripled my camping pleasure. And the cot, chair, and table all fit in my kayak hatches, which is a total game changer for camping comfort compared to years ago (I don't portage).
In summary, when you're comparing chairs, check the ***dimensions of the seat bucket, diameter of the legs, the distance between the legs on the front and sides, and how the hub is made.*** Once you've sat in a number of these chairs you will see that there actually are big differences in the comfort and stability---or they may seem small at first but bug you after an hour at your campsite, like not having support under your legs or sliding forward because the angle of the back is wrong.
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