I get it. Generally, it’s exhausting to justify packing a camp chair on a backpacking journey. It looks like a luxurious merchandise we’d not have area for, selecting to take a seat uncomfortably on a slanting log, awkward boulder, or within the dust hunched over our camp range. However today, it turns into simpler and simpler to justify when a chair just like the REI Co-op Flexlite Air ($100) packs right down to virtually nothing — and might solely add a pound extra weight.
The Flexlite Air is the smallest and lightest addition to the REI tenting chair quiver and is a wonderful alternative for ultralight backpackers and leisure campers alike. At a mid-range value level, this comfy seat is insanely gentle, weighing a mere 16 ounces. For that weight, it’s exhausting to make an excuse to not convey it alongside on each backpacking journey.
I measured this chair in opposition to a number of different high contenders in our total assessment of backpacking chairs, holding the Flexlite as much as rigorous testing requirements and testing it over the course of a number of months and thru totally different seasons.
This chair got here out on tenting journeys to the Alabama Hills in Southern California and routinely obtained dragged out to yard hangouts, and I had numerous associates of various heights and weights sit and provides their two cents. The reviews had been unanimous: that is one of the best seat in camp.
Briefly: The REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair is impossibly gentle, making it the right companion for backpacking journeys the place you need to take pleasure in some additional consolation however don’t need to add an excessive amount of additional weight. At an reasonably priced value, it’s an incredible alternative for area of interest ultralight backpackers and informal campers alike.
The Flexlite Air Chair at the moment enjoys the Finest General designation in our Finest Backpacking Chairs Purchaser’s Information — try the lineup to see how the Flexlite measures up in opposition to the remainder of the market.
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Weight
16 oz. -
Seat top
11″ -
Weight restrict
250 lbs. -
Packed dimension
5″ x 16” -
Supplies
Ripstop nylon and aluminum
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Light-weight at simply 1 pound -
Fast and simple setup -
Aluminum poles are sturdy and seat securely -
11″ seat top is about good for kicking again or sitting at a desk -
Reasonably priced pricing
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Slender legs make it really feel barely unstable -
Again assist is not one of the best on the market
REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair: Overview
First Impressions
The primary time I dealt with it, I used to be severely impressed that you would purchase a chair this ultralight at a comparatively reasonably priced value. The legs on the REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair are fairly skinny and, due to this fact, don’t encourage the utmost confidence of all of the chairs I’ve ever examined, however that is the trade-off for the load.
Feeling gentle as a feather straight out of the bag, the 16 ounces of the Flexlite Air is lighter than most choices on the market — together with the base-model Flexlite Chair it’s cousins with.
This camp chair’s two-leg aluminum body design makes setup simple, too. The joints pop simply into place within the plastic hubs when coaxed, and the seat top of 11 inches permits you to sit up comfortably with out feeling too low to the bottom. The material stretches simply over the body, and the seat is comfy proper out of the gate.
When the time involves roll out, the Flexlite folds down rapidly and simply into an included, light-weight stuff sack. There’s no wrestle to squeeze the supplies again into the stuff sack, which is vastly appreciated, and when packed, the chair is in regards to the dimension of a Nalgene bottle — good for sliding into the bottle pocket in your pack.
Flexlite Air Has Received Your Again
The Flexlite Air consists of two elements — a collapsible aluminum body and a sling of ripstop nylon material. Whereas different designs go for mesh of their seats for breathability, the Flexlite Air retains it easy with a single panel of light-weight nylon.
This not solely reduces irritating seam traces, nevertheless it additionally retains issues stronger by lowering the variety of failure factors. The seat itself is comfy and supportive, and that 11” seat top strikes an excellent steadiness between being low sufficient to the bottom to chill, however excessive sufficient to take a seat up at a small desk and play card video games.
Whereas another chairs have deep, scooped seats, the Flexlite Air is a little more taut, permitting you to take a seat up straighter. The again assist is ample, although not noteworthy, with a 22-inch whole top.
Ultimately, the Flexlite Air’s consolation is nothing to jot down dwelling about, however for a mere 1-pound weight, it’s loads comfy sufficient! When you think about that even backless camp stools weigh extra, you get a good suggestion of the worth of the commerce right here.
REI determined to go along with an uncommon body design with the Flexlite collection — the aluminum body has 4 small legs linked by a strut that runs entrance to again as a substitute of facet to facet like different chair designs. This would possibly work higher if the legs had been decrease and additional aside. And whereas it’s a bit tippier than another chairs I’ve examined, it nonetheless has a agency grip on terra firma.
Inevitable rocking motions when reaching ahead for one more marshmallow or leaning over to fireside up your Jetboil may end up in an unstable feeling because the chair teeters along with your weight with out counterbalance help from the tall again. After a night of sitting within the chair, you be taught to foretell it, and by the top of the evening, I had no points kicking again.
As virtually a trade-off, this design opens up a unique form of stability, and that’s when you lean your weight backward to search for the celebs. With much less probability of toppling over in your light-weight chair, we may watch the evening roll by, not like another extra upright chairs.
The Dimension of a Nalgene and a Handful of Ounces
I already knew the Flexlite Air would take the cake on this class, however the dimension and weight for the value level of this chair are positively value repeating. A mere 1 pound, even ultralight backpackers would have issue discovering a motive to show their noses up at this useful piece of substances.
Folded up, its dimensions are 5 x 16 inches, and its legs are much less cumbersome than different chairs I’ve examined, making it a pleasant, small package deal. Its stuff sack provides a number of extra grams of weight however can also be one thing a diehard UL’er may go away behind in the event that they so select.
Though it’s among the many lightest precise chairs accessible, it doesn’t skimp on dimension, sustaining the identical common dimensions as different backpacking chairs. It shaves weight in its small aluminum body and minimalist ripstop nylon material whereas nonetheless having a 250-pound weight capability. The Helinox Chair Zero is a detailed competitor right here, however even it’s 2 ounces heavier — although it does sport a barely larger weight capability of 265 kilos.
Ease of Setup
Like most traditional backpacking chairs in the marketplace in the present day, the Flexlite Air is a breeze to arrange. The aluminum body consists of joints that fold away for storage and join to one another simply. Simply unfold the legs, that are all already linked through an inside twine, and snap them into place.
Whereas the joints on this specific chair aren’t fairly as clean as another fashions, which just about snap into place themselves, the Flexlite continues to be a no brainer to arrange, taking a complete of 30 seconds and ending with stretching the nylon seat over the legs.
Room for Enhancements
Our greatest gripe with this chair most likely lies with the vertical orientation of the middle pole within the body as a substitute of the extra widespread horizontal one — corresponding to seen on the NEMO Moonlite Camp Chair. This simply provides an already gentle and prone-to-wobble chair an added feeling of insecurity, which may simply be solved by a slight design adjustment.
I’d like to see a model of this chair that sits even decrease to the bottom, shaving off much more ounces and changing into extra steady within the course of.
REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair: Conclusion
In case you’re in search of a top quality backpacking chair that’s among the many lightest of the sunshine, comfy, and simple to pack, then the Flexlite Air Chair from REI Co-op is a incredible alternative, in our e-book. Beating out different ultralight manufacturers in weight and value, this versatile choose will slip into your backpack almost imperceptibly.
I do know some die-hard backpackers who normally go for sitting within the dust over carrying something additional, however even they couldn’t deny that this chair was a superb alternative throughout.
The body design is a novel one, and also you’ll want to present it a whirl a few times to make sure that it’s best for you. Fortunately, REI has these items popping out of its ears in storefronts nationwide, and an excellent check ought to solely take a second or two. For many backpackers, nonetheless, I’d say it’s a non-issue, and definitely so whenever you take one other have a look at the load.
Carried on the skin of a backpacking pack, this chair is true at dwelling and goes a great distance towards making your camp really feel that means as soon as you set down stakes. Luxurious objects like backpacking chairs ought to be thought of rigorously, however in terms of whether or not the Flexlite Air is value it or not, the reply is a convincing sure.