Helinox Chair Zero LT Review

What sets the Helinox Chair Zero LT apart from other chairs is its breathable fabric and stabilizer strap. Combined, they make it cooler to sit in and give it a sturdier base on loose dirt, sand, grass, or mud.

Comfort

When it comes to traditional frame-style backpacking chairs, the Zero LT definitely stands out. Its comfort easily convinced us to give it higher scores for this metric. However, larger or taller campers may feel slightly shortchanged by its overall size.

The Ghostgrid ripstop fabric of the Zero LT seat is super thin and flexible, allowing it to mold and flex to the body. It's also mesh, so it breathes better than the standard fabrics common to most backpacking chairs. We used our Helinox on a five-day backpacking trip through Grand Teton National Park and loved its cushiony feel, especially when leaning back. For having such a minimal design, it's surprisingly comfortable for most body types. That said, our tester for this review is a bit larger and taller than average backpackers (6'5", 265 lbs). So although we do feel this chair is comfy for a large majority, we do admit that larger bodies simply don't fit as well.

Closer to home, we sat in the Zero LT at work. We also lounged in it at home while watching the U.S. Open. This chair's back panel was tall and wide enough to offer decent support to our lower and mid backs. However, some of our larger or taller users were disappointed by their inability to really sink their rear ends into the Helinox. Some said they sometimes felt like they might slip out of the chair. Likewise, they complained that the outward edge of the seat pressed against their hamstrings. However, on the whole, our average-sized testers reported being perfectly comfortable.

We liked that the Helinox sits higher on the back, giving even taller bodies the ability to lean back and lounge.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

Some of our testers felt the seat was a little shallow, causing them to feel like their butt could slip out when they were lounging. You can see how these size 13s fit. Not a lot of room to spare.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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Size and Weight

Shut the front door. We're still scratching our heads over this chair's weight and packed size, especially since it's rated to hold up to 265 pounds.

We weighed our chair (without its stuff sack) and locked it in at 16.6 ounces. That's just over a pound. The Helinox has one of the best weight-to-capacity ratios in our lineup. In addition to its feather-weight status, it packs down into a tight little bundle—small enough to stuff inside most backpacks, rather than strapping it to the outside.

The Helinox compared to a 1-liter bottle. It packs down small.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

For its size, the Helinox is incredibly lightweight.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

packed down, the Helinox is a little less than 15 inches wide. This is small enough to fit inside your pack.   Credit: Jason Wanlass

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Stability

This chair's weight, size, and strength combine to give it impressive stability. After completing our at-home tests, we initially gave it higher scores than you see below. Unfortunately, we reduced them after the Helinox broke during a trek through the Tetons. We're not saying it's inferior; we love this chair in many ways. We just felt lower scores were our only option, given our first-hand experience.

Yes, the Helinox wobbles and sways a little bit, but it's supposed to. Each of its nine aluminum poles attach into two nylon hubs. These connection points allow a certain amount of sway to maintain the chair's integrity. Allowing the poles to move relieves pressure, which keeps them from breaking or bending.

During our five-day backpacking trip, we learned the hard way that maxing out this chair's capacity comes with consequences. As mentioned, our lead tester weighs exactly its maximum capacity (265 lbs). We felt this tester's size and weight would give us a great opportunity to push the Helinox to its limits during testing. Unfortunately, on the second day of our trek, one of the aluminum back supports split at its connection point. We're not sure why, but we think the aluminum tubing may have weakened before the trip, during our at-home testing. Luckily, someone in our group packed just enough duct tape for some primitive repairs. It goes without saying that ultralight products like this have their limits, but we still think it's an excellent chair, especially for those who fall well under its 265-pound weight limit.

The Helinox sits well on dirt, grass, sand, or rock, thanks to an X-shaped piece of nylon webbing. This simple gadget locks onto each of the chair's four legs, adding strength, structure, and balance. We particularly loved how it performed on sand and loose dirt. By unifying the legs, it increased the chair's stability and prevented one or more legs from post-holing into the ground and causing the chair to lean.

Ease of Use

The Helinox frame quickly snaps into place, thanks to its high-quality shock cords. The process is painless; we assembled our chair quickly the first time without instructions.

Total setup, including the bottom x-strap stabilizer, takes about one minute. The assembly is simple and intuitive, but it takes a little longer than the easiest chairs in our lineup. One thing to keep in mind: it takes a little muscle to lock both the chair fabric onto the frame and the X-strap onto each leg.

Should You Buy the Helinox Chair Zero LT?

We think the Chair Zero LT is one of the best lightweight backpacking chairs on the market, but before buying it, consider your weight and size. We maxed it out at 265 pounds and didn't get the best results—we broke it. Yes, it's super strong, but we feel it's best suited for average-sized backpackers. If you weigh around 150 pounds and treat this chair with care, we expect it to hold up well. Although similar, this chair differs from the Helinox Chair Zero in three key ways. The Chair Zero LT is a little lighter, uses breathable chair fabric, and includes the X-shaped stabilizer strap. If we had to pick between the two, we'd go with the Chair Zero LT.

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