Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 Review

What sets the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 apart from most backpacking chairs is its unique design that gives campers the ability to really relax without the need to monitor or balance their body weight.

Comfort

The Crazy Creek chair earned solid scores for this metric; however, our initial scores were much higher. In the end, we chose to adjust its performance for two key reasons.

The most avid backpackers in our testing crew have sat in Crazy Creek chairs for nearly 10 years. They swear by their unique design and comfort, and they love their convenience. For this review, we tested the Original Hex 2.0 and its Longback model. Both are super comfortable; however, those of us with larger bodies and longer legs found the Longback to be more accommodating. The key difference between the Crazy Creek and other chairs in our lineup is that it sits directly on the ground. Some of our testers didn't like this, which led to us lowering our comfort scores just a bit. On the other hand, those of us who didn't mind placing our chairs directly on the forest floor absolutely loved our lounging experience.

Even directly on rocks, the Crazy Creek is cushioned enough to be extremely comfortable. The Original Hex 2.0 isn't as wide or long as the Longback model, so it's a bit snug on larger bodies (above). It also doesn't provide extensive back support for taller users and it rides tightly against the lower back.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

The Longback model sits much higher on the back (almost reaching the shoulder blades). Its wider seat also more easily accommodates the hips and legs. If your body is tall or large, carrying the Longback's added ounces is worth it.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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The Hex 2.0 uses a high-density foam core and a rugged rip-stop nylon exterior to shield your rear end from the ground. Over the years, our testers have rested their butts on dirt, sand, rock, gravel, and even concrete without any issues. We've even made them our stadium seat at a few local football games.

Showing the Crazy Creek's padding. It's a matrix of circular dense foam protected by a rugged rip-stop nylon exterior.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

Holding our Crazy Creek against the sun to more clearly show the structure of its padding. The darker sections are foam, while the lighter parts are hollow sections colored by the chair's nylon shell. This system allows the chair to breathe and it saves on weight without sacrificing a lot of comfort.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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What we loved the most about this chair was the ability to recline with our full body weight — no holding back. This chair's clamshell design gives tired backpackers the freedom to relax and lean backward, while being fully suspended or counter-balanced. The idea of the Hex 2.0 is quite simple. It's basically a padded mat folded in half and held together by two adjustable straps. The result is relentless support for the back, which allows the user to effortlessly lounge. It's kind of like having a recliner sofa in the wild. Most of us couldn't help using ours like rocking chairs.

Size and Weight

We gave the Crazy Creek decent scores for this metric, but they were far from our best marks. But, when we consider this chair's comfort and ease of use, we'll gladly accept the trade off.

For what it offers, the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 is reasonably lightweight and it packs up impressively well. Our scales measured the Original at 19.3 ounces and the Longback at 23.3 — not our daintiest models, but certainly not the heaviest either. Backpackers bent on minimizing size and weight may want to pass on the Hex 2.0 for longer treks, but the majority of our testing crew would gladly endure the larger packed size and weight in order to enjoy more restful evenings at camp.

The Crazy Creek simply rolls up and buckles into place. Packing this chair up is a breeze.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

The Original Hex 2.0 is a little more than 15 inches wide, but still small enough to fit inside most packs, rather than being strapped to the exterior.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

The Longback is about 17.5 inches wide -- large enough to that we strapped it to the top of our pack.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

Side by side views of the Original (left) and the Longback (right). The Longback model is clearly wider, but it still rolls up as tightly as the Original.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

We unbuckled both chairs and laid them out flat to show their overall difference in size.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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Stability

Directly on the ground: we don't think it gets much better when it comes to balance. The Hex 2.0 simply rocked our world in all of our stability metric tests.

During a month of testing, our Crazy Creek never swayed, wobbled, bowed or bent. It sits directly on the ground, so we couldn't fall out of it either. It also requires a lot of force to tip it over backward, so that was never an issue. In short, this chair is about as stable as they come. The only thing we noticed is, like any chair, it performs better on a level surface. However, even when we had to settle for uneven ground, it still performed better than the majority of the chairs in our lineup.

We enjoyed our Crazy Creek on all types of terrain. From dirt to rock, its adjustable straps allowed us to make it sit level just about anywhere.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

The bottom ends are capped with abrasive nylon fabric (black). This provides added protection and grip. These caps are the chair's primary contact points (especially when being used as a rocking chair).   Credit: Jason Wanlass

A view of the caps as they sit on the ground.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

Over time, the caps wear out and become damaged. We didn't like that. However, they still are tough enough to withstand years of outdoor sitting. We've used the blue chair for two years.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

Only a small section of the Crazy Creek sits on the ground during use. Most of the chair remains suspended. This wide, thin spine allows it to remain stable on different terrain. Unlike chairs with legs, the Crazy Creek doesn't pierce into the ground.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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The keys to this chair's stability are two internal fiberglass rails that run the length of the back panel. Each is embedded on either side of the chair, increasing both strength and balance, but also enhancing its ability to cradle and support the upper and lower back. Depending on individual body dimensions, we noted that sometimes the upper tips of these support rails can dig into the middle of the back or just below the shoulder blades — we didn't like that. But we only noticed it after longer periods of lounging (and we chilled in our Crazy Creek a lot).

Ease of Use

The Hex 2.0 can be ready to use in less than five seconds, no assembly required. It also packs down just as quickly. However, for Ease of Use, we considered more than setup and tear-down times.

One key complaint kept us from showering the Hex 2.0 with perfect scores: some of our testers wisely noted that this chair could be difficult for some users to get in and out of. Since it sat directly on the ground, it required a bit of body strength and contortion to lower ourselves into it. Likewise, we needed a bit of leverage to push ourselves from the ground back to our feet. We don't feel this will be much of an issue for most backpackers, but we do think it is worth mentioning to readers who may have mobility limitations.

Being closer to the ground has its benefits, especially when it's time for breakfast or dinner. We found that being at ground level makes it easier to use a stove and prepare food. This was much easier than being higher off the ground (in a standard chair) and being forced to fold our body in half just to reach our stuff.

Firing up the Jetboil. We loved having everything we needed at our fingertips.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

We also liked to lay our Crazy Creek out flat like a doormat. This configuration was nice for taking off our boots or storing items (off the ground) under the vestibule at night.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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Should You Buy the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0?

If you love to lounge with your legs fully outstretched in front of you, you'll fall in love with this beauty of a chair. The simplicity of the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 is unmatched and its performance and function is supreme. So, if you don't mind sitting directly on the ground and you're okay with carrying a few extra ounces, just drop the cash and go for it — your back will thank you. And that price? We just don't think this deal gets any better.

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