Verdict
It’s a pity that the Helinox Chair One is so pricey, as our review team thought it was comfortable and well built, as well as being light and easy to carry.
Pros
It is very light and packs down to a very small size
Cons
It is expensive
Sitting in a folding chair doesn’t have to be a punishment on site – so here at Practical Motorhome, we tested a range of lightweight camping chairs for comfort, weight, value for money, size and portability.
This product, the Helinox Chair One, boasts a tiny pack-down size of 35cm x 10cm x 14cm and low weight, at just 866g (950g with its bag). This makes it ideal for packing into a rucksack for a day’s walking, or for taking away on your motorhome holiday in a ‘van where you’re being careful about locker space and payload weight.
You might also be pleased to learn that it comes in a choice of colours, so you can match it to your other touring and camping accessories. Choose from black with metallic turquoise legs and frame, or green or red with metallic grey legs.
However, the seat base height of 27cm is lower to the ground than that of most folding chairs, so this means that the Helinox Chair One is not ideal for anybody with back or hip trouble. Still, moon chairs (such as the Gelert Caldera) also put you almost as low to the ground. The hammock-like seat in the Helinox is comfortable, once you get used to it.
The maximum load this chair can take is 110kg (approximately 242.5lbs or 17 stone 4lb) and the seat dimensions are 65cm x 52cm x 50cm (about 25.6in x 20.5in x 19.6in).
There’s even a video showing you how to use the Helinox Chair One, unpacking it from its tiny bag, pulling the legs out, fitting the seat cover over them and using your own body weight to tighten it up. This shows that it is really easy to put the camping chair together or pack it away quickly for touring.
It should be a strong little chair, because it’s made by expert tent pole manufacturer DAC. The high-quality materials and portability cost plenty, though. The recommended retail price is £85 – and its price hurt its rating, as this is a good product but it only scored three out of five.
If you’re wondering what other options are out there when looking for folding camping chairs for your motorhome holidays, read Practical Motorhome’s reviews of the Promech Paddock Seat, the Outwell Spring Hills, the Easy Camp Camp Chair Deluxe, the Kampa Easy In/Easy Out, the Outwell Fountain Hills, the aforementioned Gelert Caldera Deluxe Moon Chair and finally the Outwell Tuscan Hills.
The hammock-like seat s comfortable, once you get used to it