The KING Of Backpacking Chairs Revealed!

here in front of me I got the three most popular backpacking chairs the skyline UL from Big Agnes the chair Zero from helinox and the Moonlight from Nemo equipment so there's no getting around the fact that the helinox chair zero is the quintessential choice for people to take on a backpacking trip for good reason I believe because what it does is allow for you to get your butt off of the cold ground out of the wet dirt and relax your back after a long day on the trail and it does that for the lightest weight possible of the three options that we're talking about today 18 ounces with the stuff sack even with those aspects in play there are two big issues that I have with this chair and it's funny I have to just maybe preface this a little bit that in some ways this is a little ridiculous A lot of people are going to think dude it's a chair just enjoy the fact that it's a chair and it's a huge luxury item and I I absolutely recognize that but for people that are looking at a chair as a big part in the overall comfort and experience on a backpacking trip these things that I'm talking about do play a big part in that decision making so the two things that I am not a big fan of with this chair is the fact that of the options we're talking about today it sits the lowest to the ground at nine inches off of the ground so when you're sitting in this chair it is the lowest to the ground and it makes it so that when I'm sitting my knees are a bit higher and when I have to get up it's almost as if I'm just sitting on the ground in a lot of ways but I do love the fact that I can just kick back relax and really enjoy the overall Comfort aspect to this chair this chair is notorious for sinking into soft ground and then because of that you're basically sitting on the ground anyway and one of the other chairs that we'll talk about really remedies that situation and makes it so that you don't sink into the ground and any of you that have friends that have a helinox or yourself everyone has sat down in this chair it is dug into the ground and you've Fallen back in the chair and potentially even broke one of the legs and because of that this chair is not the most ideal option it's even doing it right now like this is a good inch and a half two inches into the ground and so the composite Plastics that are on the Hub here of the chair can become an issue and a weakness for the chair overall but I think for the price point at about 150 bucks for this for the weight Savings of a chair compared to other options this is just a phenomenal option and it's honestly really comfortable to sit in and I don't have pressure points up into my armpits like with some other chairs it's really just a great all-around option but it's not my absolute favorite so let's talk about the next chair the Nemo equipment Moonlight chair is the next that we'll talk about this may be the most sophisticated of the chairs that we'll discuss today it's also the most expensive and the heaviest so 30 ounces of weight and 160 dollars U.S for you to get into this chair so why would you consider taking this when it is way heavier than the chair zero well there are some cool things to consider with the Moonlight that make it a very different option than just hey I want to take a chair want to carry the least weight possible so I'll take the chair zero well the moonlight just adds some really cool Comfort aspects to it that make it a bit more modular so you have this really neat like mesh netting stuff which is nice because it allows for a nice like breeze and such so you're not getting sweaty while sitting in the chair not that that's a big deal while you're out backpacking you've got a lot of movement and comfort so the chair moves with you when you sit in it and that's done because each of these joints is a little ball head so you've got the chair moving around on a ball and then when you sit in it it just is really comfortable but you've also got these little handle thingamajigs right here then when I pull on this I'm making the chair a bit more upright so I'm more comfortable that way but then I can just recline the chair as well and that makes it easier for me to use the chair for different types of situations so maybe I want the chair to be more upright I'm doing some cooking here in front of me I've got my pot and stove system now this chair also sits off of the ground at 13 and a half inches so significantly higher than the chair zero and you notice it when you are going to get up out of the chair I don't have to strain my knees as much to be able to get up out of the chair the construction of the Moonlight is all metal so there's no plastic components around the Hub system but this thing is Burly like it is built like a tank and you take on that weight penalty basically with all of these really robust super beefy metal construction that you have on the frame system and then unlike the chair zero that likes to sink into the ground really easy you have these rubber feet on here that are a lot wider they help spread out that weight of the chair and so you don't sink into the ground the same way that you do on the chair zero it's really nice especially in Sandy situations for that but dude this chair is so comfortable it's so enjoyable and if it wasn't for the excessive amount of weight then I don't know I think I would take this more often the pack size is also pretty large and kind of odd so it doesn't always fit into my pack super well I like to put my chair into the side pocket of my pack but it's very comfortable it's also the most expensive it's also the most weight and for those reasons I don't take this one with me as much and I take what is my absolute favorite chair with me the skyline ul and let's talk about that next so now last but definitely not least let's talk about the skyline UL from Big Agnes this chair is phenomenal and what I would say is the king of backpacking chairs for a few different reasons what this chair provides is the fact that my qualms with the helinox chair zero are remedied by the Big Agnes Skyline UL now I've actually had two of these Skyline ul's I gave a bright yellow one that I had when I first bought it to my brother and I missed this chair so much that I was like I have to buy another one even though I have two other chairs to choose from this chair I genuinely missed it is 15 inches of height off of the ground and even though it comes in at a full 10 ounces of weight more than the chair zero at 28 ounces it is slightly lighter than the Moonlight but it's just overall a more comfortable chair in my opinion because it sits way higher off the ground 15 inches versus nine inches of height and that 10 ounces of weight to be totally Frank and honest you don't really feel that in your backpack when you are in that 22 to 25 pound range of weight for your total pack weight the other thing that this chair provides is it does not sink into the ground the way that the chair zero does so not only do you have additional height but you also have a bend in the back legs that helps spread the load of the chair out more across soft grounds and soft surfaces and you don't find yourself sinking deep down into the ground that's basically making you sit on the ground at that point anyway which I've already explained from the chair zero in my experience with it the construction of the skyline UL is also really cool in the fact that you don't have a hub that everything falls into it works a lot like a tent pole system where the poles go through a main aluminum pole and then it goes in and just creates a really nice a strong structure but this is also got a movable joint through the middle of this horizontal support structure and because of that it makes it so that when you're sitting on uneven ground like I am right now the chair is going to rotate and move a bit which makes it more comfortable in that aspect as well and so the flaring of the seat poles make it so that the chair seat is more comfortable overall it's not pinching and pushing your hips together just I don't know I freaking love this thing it is the king of backpacking chairs in my opinion and I love it for the added height for the comfort and it's not overly heavy when you really break it down if you're carrying a chair with you take that weight penalty and enjoy the most comfortable experience possible that's what I say so which backpacking chair is your favorite the helinox chair zero the Nemo Moonlight or the Big Agnes Skyline you guys already know Skyline is my go-to but they all have their pros and cons they're all really great options and if I really am trying to save as much weight as possible but still carry a chair with me then the chair zero is obviously the go-to option but the best Comfort The Sweet Spot for the ability to sit the highest amount off of the ground to not sink into the ground and just be as most comfortable as possible the skyline ul and then the Moonlight it's just fancy this thing is wicked cool but it is the most expensive it is the heaviest and it doesn't sit quite as high off the ground as the skyline new well does three of the most popular backpacking chairs out there on the market my thoughts my opinions on each of these options thanks for watching today guys if you are not subscribed to the channel you know what to do hope you have an awesome day catch you in the next one see you later

Channel: Backcountry Exposure

Views: 96,165

Keywords: backpacking, ultralight backpacking, backpacking gear

Id: MDHuQgtaQ7A

Length: 11min 22sec (682 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 03 2023