Field Test and Review
I’ve owned the Helinox Chair One for over two years, and it’s been a permanent part of my pack for every hike since. Carrying a chair adds weight that some hikers wouldn’t bother with, but being able to sit back properly after a long day on the trail makes it worth it to me.
When it comes to comfort during hiking and camping, I think the extra weight is worth carrying, and the Helinox Ground Chair takes that a step further again. Weighing just 640 grams, it’s 320 grams lighter than the Chair One, and it packs down to a fraction of the size of a traditional camp chair, which makes it easy to carry in your pack.
Setting it up looks like it might be fiddly the first time you see it, but it isn’t. Open the carry bag and the frame pops out on its own. The Helinox frame is a single piece that breaks down much like tent poles, and once it’s out of the bag it snaps into place, you fit the poles into their sockets and the frame’s ready. The seat portion, made of mesh and fabric, attaches to the frame with four reinforced end pockets.
One feature I particularly appreciated in the Ground Chair over the Chair One is the solid fabric seat combined with mesh sides, which gives more warmth on the back compared to the Chair One’s mesh back and solid sides. With the practice I already had from the Chair One, I can set up the Ground Chair in under 20 seconds, which is handy for quick stops on the trail.
The Ground Chair is made with the same ultra-durable alloy as the Chair One. It sits lower to the ground with a more reclined design, which gives a relaxed seating position after a long day, and the frame is connected with shock cords for quick, consistent assembly every time. Between the light weight, the compact pack size and how quickly it goes together, it’s an easy chair to justify carrying. The seat fabric itself is robust, resisting snags, tears and even sparks from a nearby campfire, and the low, reclined design works as well for outdoor events and camping as it does for hiking.
I haven’t tested a lot of other ground chairs, since I’ve generally just gone with what I already knew worked for me, so I can’t speak to how it stacks up against every option out there. The Ground Chair sits at the higher end of the price range, but I think it earns that: it’s the lightest and most portable chair of its kind that I’ve come across, and when you’re counting every gram in your pack, that difference matters even where it’s only a few grams on paper.
Thanks to its low profile, the Ground Chair isn’t just good for hiking, it works just as well for camping and outdoor events. Sitting closer to the ground also puts me closer to my cooking and food prep surface, which adds to the convenience when setting up camp.
I keep both the Ground Chair and the Chair One in my car at all times, ready for whenever I’m not hiking. I still prefer the Chair One for camping because of its higher seating position, but the Ground Chair is the one that comes hiking with me.
Purchase Directly from Helinox for $124 (RRP: $152)
Tech Specs
- Assembled Dimensions: 52 cm wide x 44 cm deep x 50 cm high
- Packed Dimensions: 30 cm long x 11 cm wide x 11 cm high
- Ground to Seat Base: Approx. 12 cm
- Weight: 615 grams (assembled), 640 grams (packed)
- Capacity: 120 kg
- Color: Black fabric with cyan blue frame and black tote bag
