GoGear: High-tech Camping Chair

Nearly 40 years ago my dad bought a classic Zip Dee metal and canvas RV chair for his motorhome. I never had the heart to part with it and, when we bought our first Navion and wanted a second one, I was flabbergasted that the company still had the same material to make a matching one for us.

While I love our Zip Dees, as they are very comfortable and fold very flat, they are rather heavy. I looked around at the standard issue folding camp chairs and found them often cumbersome to store and, after a short time, not particularly comfortable to sit in.

It was a few months ago at REI that we came across what clearly is a state of the art camp chair.

It's light, it stores super compactly, and it's comfortable to sit in. For $139 bucks it ought to be. While the Helinox chair is expensive (even more than the Zip Dee), it's proven to be a winner.

It takes a little figuring out, but once you understand how to assemble/disassemble it (instructions are printed on the chair itself), it's easy. Another pleasant surprise is that, without any advanced math skills you can fold and roll it up so it actually fits in it's carrying case.

Helinox makes this chair in two sizes and the lower to the ground version is equally as comfortable and $40 less. Less limber owners will definitely appreciate the higher chair which is pleasantly easy to get in and out of.

You can find the Helinox chair by clicking here.