You might be wondering what hiking, caravanning, motorcycle camping and bicycle touring all have in common? Well, all of them require you to keep the weight of your camping equipment to a minimum.
To achieve this you should purchase a lightweight camping chair when you look at investing in camping furniture.
When researching the best camping chair your main priority should be to find the most comfortable camping chair but you should also take into account any specific requirements that you have such as cost, size, weight and style of your picnic chairs.
We reviewed nine folding chairs; including two camping stools and seven camping chairs in the quest to find the best lightweight camp chairs.
Table of Contents
Best lightweight hiking chair (weighs under 500g)
If you plan to take a small folding chair with you on your next hiking trip then you will need to find a lightweight compact camping chair. You should aim to keep both the size and the weight of the camping seats in your backpack to an absolute minimum.
In the best lightweight hiking chair category, we reviewed the Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Stool and the Helinox Chair Zero both are a small folding chair and weigh less than 500g.
The Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Stool is what you would call an ultra lightweight camping chair as it weighs in at a miniscule 460g. The Helinox Chair Zero is slightly heavier at 490g and even when packed in its bag and weighing 510g, it is still a light camping chair.
In my opinion the big downside to the Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Stool is that it is a tripod camping chair and has no backrest, whereas the Helinox Chair Zero hiking chair does have a back rest. For only an additional 50g of weight (if you store the collapsible chair in the bag) you can lean back and relax on your lightweight hiking chair after an exhausting day on the trail.
Winner: Helinox Chair Zero
Click here to see more information on the Helinox Chair Zero
Best Big Man’s camping chair (120kg+ weight capacity)
Finding lightweight camp chairs that are also suitable as a big man’s camping chair can be a difficult task. The fold out chair needs to be strong but still have a lightweight frame to keep the overall weight of the chair down. We reviewed five outdoor folding chairs that had a weight capacity of over 120kg.
The makers of the Helinox chair have obviously found the secret of making strong fold up chairs as four of the six lightweight camp chairs reviewed in the big man’s camping chair category were a Helinox chair.
The six folding camping chairs reviewed were the Explore Planet Earth Zulu Deluxe Chair, the Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Chair, the Helinox Chair One, the Helinox Chair Zero, the Helinox Chair One XL and the Helinox Savanna Chair. The chairs have a maximum weight capacity ranging from 120kg to 145kg.
The Helinox Savanna Chair is the clear winner of the big man’s camping chair category as not only does it have a maximum weight capacity of 145kg but these are incredibly comfy camping chairs to sit in.
Winner: Helinox Savanna Chair
Click here to see more information on the Helinox Savanna Chair
Read this story about camping at Mungo National Park.
Best cheap camping chair (under $50)
In this category we reviewed three cheap camping chairs all under $50; the Companion Deluxe Camp Stool, the Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Stool and the OZtrail Compaclite Traveller Chair.
In my opinion, this was an easy decision as the OZtrail Compaclite Traveller Chair was the only one of the cheap folding chairs to have a back rest. The bucket style of this lightweight folding chair is surprisingly comfortable and far more relaxing than sitting on a folding camping stool.
Winner: OZtrail Compaclite Traveller Chair
Click here to see more information on the OZtrail Compaclite Traveller Chair
Best mid-range camping chair ($50 – $150)
In the category of best mid-range lightweight camping chair we tested four outdoor camping chairs in the price range of $50 to $150. They were the Explore Planet Earth Zulu Deluxe Chair, the Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Chair, the OZtrail Compaclite Explorer Swivel Chair and the Helinox Chair One.
I found this the most difficult category of the fold up camping chairs to make a decision and in the end chose the Helinox Chair One based on personal preference.
Winner: Helinox Chair One
Click here to see more information on the Helinox Chair One
Best luxury camping chair (over $150)
We reviewed three chairs in the category of luxury lightweight camping chair; the Helinox Chair Zero, the Helinox Chair One XL and the Helinox Savanna Chair.
If money is no object and your purchasing requirements are purely your own personal comfort and a lightweight folding chair then the Helinox Savanna are the luxury camping chairs for you.
While the Helinox Savanna Chair is a big camping chair compared to the size of some of the other outdoor fold up chairs we reviewed it is definitely one of the most comfortable folding chairs you will find.
Winner: Helinox Savanna Chair
Click here to see more information on the Helinox Savanna Chair
Best camping chair for packing flat
If you are looking for a folding camp stool that will pack away flat then the Companion Deluxe Camp Stool is your best option.
This is a very basic fold up camping stool with no back rest and while not the most comfortable folding chairs you will find on the market, they do pack away flat to a height of 18mm.
Winner: Companion Deluxe Camp Stool
Click here to see more information on the Companion Deluxe Camp Stool
Camping Chairs Reviewed
While searching for the best camping chair in Australia that fit into the category of a light camping chair, we reviewed the following:
Comparison Chart
| R.R.P | Size Open | Size Closed | Weight | Maximum Weight Capacity | |
| Companion Deluxe Camp Stool – Steel powder coated tube – Single action folding – Loop stool frame | $16.99 | 320L x 330W x 400Hmm | 590L x 350W x 18Hmm | 1.9kg | 80kg |
| Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Stool – Lightweight – Compact Design – Aviation Aluminium Frame – High Weight Capacity – EPE Colour Scheme – Super light for hiking – Wraps into itself for compact carrying – 12-Month warranty | $39.95 | 32 x 30 x 44cm | 33.5 x 8 x 3cm | 0.46kg | 100kg |
| OZtrail Compaclite Traveller Chair – Full size chair in a package small enough for most day packs – Integrated 3-step high tensile steel frame for easy assembly – Comfortable bucket style – Side storage pocket and organiser – Carry bag clips to frame for additional storage – 12-Month warranty | $41.99 | 55cm x 54cm x 68cm | 33cm x 12cm x 12cm | 2kg | 100kg |
| Explore Planet Earth Zulu Deluxe Chair – Compact Pack Size – Lightweight Steel Frame – High Weight Capacity – EPE Colour Scheme – 12-Month warranty | $69.95 | 52 x 35 x 35/90cm | 50 x 12 x 14cm | 2.36kg | 130kg |
| Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Chair – Mesh and Solid Seat Material – Lightweight Aluminium Frame – Compact Design High Weight Rating – Carry Bag Included – 12-Month warranty | $99.95 | 55 x 37 x 66cm | 37 x 13 x 10cm | 0.99kg | 130 Kg |
| OZtrail Compaclite Explorer Swivel Chair – Integrated 3-step high tensile steel frame for easy assembly – Comfortable bucket style 600 Denier polyester skin – Front storage pocket and organiser – Carry bag clips to frame for additional storage – A high back chair with a headrest stored in a bag smaller than most stools! – 300D Polyester carry bag supplied – 12-Month warranty | $104.99 | 66 x 64 x 87 cm | 38 x 15 x 15 cm | 2.7 kg | 110 kg |
| Helinox Chair One – Lightweight – Alloy DAC Frame – High-Strength Nylon Hubs – Premium Fabrics – Elastic Shock-Cord Frame – Included Storage Sack – 5 year warranty | $149.99 | 50D x 52W x 65Hcm | 35 x 10 x 12cm | 960g | 145kg |
| Helinox Chair Zero – Extremely lightweight – Small enough to fit in any backpack – Easy to assemble – Sleek design – Instructions printed on reverse of seat – 5 year warranty | $169.99 | 64H x 50W x 48DDcm | 10H x 35W x 10Dcm | 490g (510 g packed) | 120kg |
| Helinox Chair One XL – Black with Blue Frame – Made to last – TH72M alloy frame – High-strength nylon hubs – Premium fabric construct – 5 year warranty | $199.99 | 89H x 59W x 68D cm | 13H x 47W x 12D cm | 1.610kg | 145 kg |
| Helinox Savanna Chair – Black with Blue Frame – Made to last – TH72M alloy frame – High-strength nylon hubs – Premium fabric construct – 5 year warranty | $259.99 | 98cm H x 59cm W x 73cm D | 14cm H x 47cm W x 12cm D | 1.475kg | 145kg |
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Leave a comment below if you can recommend a lightweight camping chair.
