Unknowndivide may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this post.
Camp chairs used to be a trade off. The comfortable ones were big, heavy and clunky to haul. The light ones felt like sitting on a folding stool. The Helinox Chair One changed that balance. It weighs under two pounds, packs into a bag about the size of a large water bottle, and still gives you a real seat with a back. More than a decade after launch, it is still the chair many people picture when they think of packable outdoor furniture.
Who makes it
The Chair One is made by Helinox, a company founded in 2009. Helinox says the Chair One arrived in 2012 and created the lightweight portable furniture category. The brand's core idea is to borrow frame technology from high end tent poles and use it to build chairs, tables and cots that fold down small.
What the Chair One is
The Chair One is a four legged, low slung camp chair. A shock corded aluminum frame snaps together in a moment, and a fabric seat hooks onto the four corners of the frame. When you pack it up, the poles fold into short sections and everything slides into an included zip case with a daisy chain and webbing handle.
The frame is the heart of it. Helinox uses DAC TH72M, a proprietary aluminum alloy from the tent pole world, and says it is the only outdoor furniture brand to use it. The poles join at nylon resin hubs, and the corners of the seat are reinforced where the load is highest. The seat is 600 denier polyester, a measure of fiber thickness that signals a tough fabric, with mesh panels for ventilation.
- Frame: DAC TH72M aluminum alloy with nylon resin hubs
- Seat: 600 denier polyester with mesh paneling
- Weight: 1 pound 15 ounces (893 grams), 2 pounds 2 ounces packed
- Packed size: about 14 by 4.5 inches
- Height: 25.5 inches, with the seat 9 inches off the ground
- Width and depth: 20.5 by 20 inches
- Capacity: 320 pounds (145 kilograms)
- Fit: Helinox says it is optimized for adults up to 6 feet 1 inch
- Warranty: five years against manufacturing defects
Why it is cool
The ratio of comfort to size is the obvious win. The seat hangs from the frame like a sling, so it cradles you instead of holding you bolt upright. Helinox calls the shape ergonomic, and the mesh keeps it from getting sweaty on hot days.
The packed size is the real magic. At about 14 inches long, it fits in a daypack side pocket, a bike pannier, a kayak hatch or the corner of a car trunk without taking over. That changes how often you bring it. A chair you can carry anywhere is a chair you actually use, whether that is at the trailhead, the beach, a festival or the backyard, all places Helinox names.
It is also built to be repaired. Helinox treats the Chair One as a flagship and offers self repair parts including poles, hubs, shock cord, end caps and feet, plus replacement seats. A cheap chair goes in the trash when one leg fails. This one can be fixed.
And it can grow with accessories. Helinox sells Rocking Feet that clip onto the legs and turn the chair into a gentle rocker, and a Chair Anchor that pushes into dirt, sand or turf to steady the chair in wind.
Who should buy it
Buy the Chair One if you camp from a car, ride or paddle to campsites, go to outdoor concerts or games, or simply want a better seat at the beach. Helinox points to car camping, backpacking, beach trips, outdoor concerts and sporting events as its natural habitat.
Think twice if you are very tall, if you want a high seat that is easy to get out of, or if you will mostly sit on very soft sand without an anchor. The seat is low, which is great for stability but less great for knees. Ultralight backpackers counting every gram might also want an even lighter model.
Chair One at Helinox
Helinox Chair One in black and blue
Helinox Chair One in coyote tan
Planning a full camp kit? Pair the chair with our MSR PocketRocket 2 guide, our camp coffee gear list and the Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket, and learn more about Japanese camp style in Snow Peak, explained. See more picks in our buying guides hub.
