Helinox Chair One (re) review: from where I’m sitting, this is an impressive upgrade to a lightweight favorite

Helinox Chair One (re): first impressions

When South Korean brand Helinox released the original Chair One in 2012, their approach to a lightweight and packable camping chair made from the same materials used in backpacking tents transformed the camping scene.

Since then, a lot of brands have taken a leaf out of Helinox’s book and launched similarly light and well-designed models, but fortunately for Helinox, the brand has maintained its reputation as the OG and Chair One remains a cult favorite. Rather than trying to stay ahead of the competition with more and more new models, for 2025, the brand has decided to go back to one of its original designs and give it a makeover.

The Helinox Chair One (re) looks similar to the original, but is engineered with a secondary tension line, which the brand is calling ‘ReTension Design’. Basically, it does a better job of distributing your weight around the frame to improve comfort (but it’s still got a tremendously high load capacity for such a small chair).

Helinox has also increased the height of the chair, which will come as a welcome upgrade to anyone who has sat down in the earlier version and discovered just how low to the ground they are. It’s now about 2.5in taller, and that does make a difference for stretching out at camp. It will still be tricky for some people to stand up out of, so it’s worth testing it out before you commit.

The revised edition is also 2.5in wider than before, which makes it more comfortable for more people, and despite the increase in size, Helinox says it's reduced the waste generated in the manufacturing process by 30%. It's also added a gear pocket for your headlamp or phone, and used a 300-denier recycled polyester (still bluesign-certified), which is 50 percent lighter than the fabric used in the original Chair One.

It is, of course, a little heavier than the original, but not enough to make a difference, and packs away into a handy carry case that can be attached to a backpack. It’s also quite a bit pricier for all the upgrades it’s received, and the feet will still sink into muddy ground (they do sell a separate ground sheet for that) but overall it’s a fantastic series of upgrades to a popular but not quite perfect chair.

Helinox Chair One (re): first impressions

The first time I tested out a Helinox chair was actually at an outdoor tradeshow a few years ago. The folks from Helinox had the Chair Zero out for testing, and despite being quite a small woman, I eyed it dubiously. 'No way my hips will fit in that,' I thought to myself. To my surprise, I did fit, and it was actually very comfortable.

Fast forward to this spring, and when I heard the Chair One, which is one of Helinox’s lightweight (but not ultralight) chairs, had been updated, I was eager to take it out on test. So myself, my partner and his 9-year-old set off on a short backpacking trip to the top of a nearby mountain so we could fight over the only seat for 24 hours, with a lovely view.

Here’s how it performed:

Weight and packability

When I received the Helinox Chair One (re), I couldn’t quite believe how small and light it is. It comes neatly packed inside a carrying case that has an easy-open U-shaped zip and attachment points on each end.

My partner and I split all the camping gear for three between the two of us, so I had one tent, two sleeping bags, a sleeping pad, my Jetboil Flash 1.0 and some food and clothes inside my Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor pack.

With all of that, there wasn’t easily room for the chair too, but that was no issue, thanks to various straps and attachment points on the carrying case, I quickly strapped it onto my backpack. At just over 2lb (1kg), it’s about the weight of a bag of sugar and I didn’t notice the added weight at all for our hike in.

Performance and comfort

Like its predecessor, this is a smartly designed piece of equipment. It comes in two pieces: the aluminium frame which clicks together just like tent poles do, and the polyester seat.

Without any instructions, it was really easy for me to see how to set up the frame, then attach the seat via four connection points (these are just pockets where the poles from the frame insert). The fourth connection takes a little wrestling, a bit like getting the fourth corner of a slightly-too-tight bed sheet on the mattress, but it’s nothing I couldn’t handle.

Set up takes mere seconds, then I plopped down and was instantly pleased to discover how comfortable it is. The added height and weight really do make a big difference, but I am only 5’4” tall, so for good measure I let my 6ft tall partner have a go and he was equally impressed. It’s designed so you can stretch out or sit upright and stay that way comfortably until your GPS watch buzzes you and tells you that you’ve been sitting for too long.

Durability and value

This is easily the sturdiest camping chair I’ve ever owned, and I can see it lasting me the rest of my camping days as the design sidesteps a lot of the common wear-and-tear spots in more budget-friendly chairs. As long as you don’t beat it up too much, the frame joints are designed not to break the way they do on cheaper chairs, and I even have faith that the polyester won’t easily fray at the connection sites.

As for value, it's quite a pricey chair, and more expensive than the original, but it’s nowhere near as expensive as something like the Nemo Stargaze. I think it’s a clear upgrade on the original, and if you want something extremely comfortable that you can take backpacking as well as car camping, I can’t imagine you’ll get more for your money elsewhere (though other brands are coming for this design).

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