Helinox Chair One Review by a Big Man

Picked up a couple of these for a upcoming trip that the wife and I are taking over Labor Day weekend, these appear to be really well made and in my limited tests around the house they seem to be comfortable. I went back and forth between these and the Kermit chairs, I am glad I went with these; they pack smaller, are lighter, and I think they fit the bill for what I needed perfectly.

It's a 20+ year old collapsible chair with aluminum legs and a very heavy duty fabric seat. They aren't sold any longer. Heavier and bulkier than these chairs but much better and lighter than any cheap modern chairs I've seen. Works fine for touring on my street bike.

Ok,

so you are comparing a chair that is larger, heavier, and made 20 years ago, perhaps not available now at any cost, to a chair that is smaller lighter and under $75, got it.

Where did I say it was comparable? What I said was I'll continue using the Walmart chair. It did fine strapped to my old GL500 on my recent Alaska trip.

right, and I use a different chair too, it costs $9.99, folds flat doesn't weigh much..

but I have to wonder if you even read the thread title?

Where did you get the orange conduit is it any different then 1" electrical conduit.

My wife and I have been buying chairs to take on the bikes for a while now and came upon these in Mountain Equipment Co-op this spring.

These are as close to being perfect for the bike as you are going get. They fold into a surprisingly small pouch and their way smaller and lighter than a Kermit.

The orange conduit looks like telephone/ cable conduit and any electrician should be able to give you a couple of scraps.

For those who are keen on my mod, a couple of things...........
Yes, its just 25mm elect conduit
On the feet there are 4 little spigots, you need to relieve two of them on each foot, opposite each other so the foot will slip into the conduit
Make sure you preload the conduit, that is , you should have to flex the legs a couple of mm's to get the feet to slip into the conduit, this ensures that you can just pick the chair up and carry it to another location without the conduit dropping off
That is why I went with the front and back orientation,easier to flex the legs
I've seen a few different solutions to this, but my mod is the only one I've seen where you can pick the chair up without the load spreader falling off
Hey, I might become famous with this to be known forever more as the Sidetrack mod!

I think I will give this mod a try. Thanks for sharing... Have you tried making them just a bit wider? Thinking in sand or soft ground mine could use as much surface area as possible. I may experiment with the longest length that will fit in the stuff sack.

Oh, I don't know if it matters but in your pic your sling is upside down... Is that the Australian mod (Down under)?

I'm 6'2", weigh 260 lbs, also love my Helinox.

I've seen conduit used on camping chairs in sand in Oz for years...works well, and a great variation by Sidetrack One. Yes, he has got the sling upside down hasn't he? - never seen that before down here.

I'm 6'4", 250 lbs and find the Helinox very secure and comfortable, my only problem is getting out of it later in the evening. Had mine two years and lovin it.

Saw something nifty on youtube...
Sand/mud feet for the Helinox or like:
4 tennis balls (the ones that are hollow inside)...
Your choice of pink or lime green :)
Drill a hole in each, cut a cross to make entry/exit easier...
Install.
Should fit in the case with the new feet attached.

Great 1st post - now get me a Beer, n00b !

Seriously, Thanks for the link to a awesome deal on an awesome bike camping chair! I was considering buying REI's copycat chair to save $ but at $72 shipped, the Helinox One with its better construction was a no-brainer! Thanks to you too, Mr Fisherman for the great review!

PS - to get the Helinox for $72, enter coupon code LABOR20 at checkout for 20% off select regular price items until September 2nd at campsaver.com.

Petco sells miniature Tennis Balls for Dogs that should work the same and take up even less pack space. http://www.petco.com/product/6937/Petco-Mini-Tennis-Ball-Dog-Toys.aspx

For longevity though, I think I'm going to look at Chuckit! Ultra Balls in the 2" size. They don't have a fabric cover like Tennis type balls so they wont soak up mud/dirt plus the reviews by Dog owners say they are nearly indestructible despite having a hollow core.
http://www.amazon.com/Chuckit-Small-Ultra-2-Inch-2-Pack/dp/B00280MUVC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Thanks to you & JeffreyD!!! I just ordered one of the chairs. I have a Kermit but have been wanting to try one of these. Sure beats waiting for REI to have a 20% off sale....

The wife and I were snooping around REI yesterday getting ready for a camping trip. They had both the Helinox and REI's version sitting out. Since I'm always on the hunt for cool Motorbike stuff, I tested them.

I'm 6'2", around 200lbs and I found the the Helinox chair much more comfortable. The REI is a little taller and easier to get into and out of but the top of the chair dug into my back just under my shoulder blades.

The Helinox is closer to the ground but felt more stable and the back of the chair didn't dig into anything.

I really like the PVC or tennis ball idea for the feet.

I bought a Kermit chair a few years ago but I find it a pain to set up and not really that comfortable
.
At some point, I will get a Helinox.

Jibby.

Just ordered a black one from CampSaver, $71.96 shipped!! Thanks for the heads up and reviews!!


Sent from my iPhone using the "hunt & peck" typing method...

Ditto - mine will be here Tuesday

I just spent a week camping in WI and MI with one of these. Several of my buddies had them, too, and two of us had Kermit's. Everyone loved the Helinox's, but my buddies pointed out that the Kermit's didn't blow over as easily when the storm was rolling toward us on Lake Superior.

I'll join the rest in highly recommending the Helinox.

LABOR20 coupon appears to be done