Bushwalk Australia

I recently bought one of these, after my #3 daughter noted that her sea-kayaking instructor on school camp had one...

http://www.helinox.com.au/pages/helinox-chair-one.asp

Took it up Bogong last weekend for some luxury. Very very comfy addition to a trip. At 850g, not for the light weight ones out there, but certainly something I d take on selected trips in the future. Folds to about the size of a sleeping mat.

Is it any better than a folding camp stool......functionally, probably not. Comfort wise, definitely better. Do you need it. No. Haven't seen anything on the forums about them to date..

They also make good trekking poles.

Andrew A

andrewa wrote:They also make good trekking poles. Andrew A

They make EXCELLENT trekking poles, the best.

They seem to be popular with bicycle tourists but then cycling tourers don't seem as concerned about weight. Personally I have stuck to a piece of blue foam but a chair is tempting at times

Andrew

I have one. It is wonderful. For a crook back it's vastly superior to a stool or lump of wood.
I have taken it on hut based trips - little walking required. I've carried it on a weeks wander from Little Fisher River to Dixons and out to WoJ carpark. And I'd prefer to take on all walks of more than a day. I'll leave other gear behind to reduce weight.

Great chairs, well worth the extra 850g l have to carry.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7307/8730 ... dee0_c.jpg

I have two of these and they are great. I bought them mainly for car camping but I may take them on a luxury weekend walk. They are very strong and have a load rating of 140kg. They do generate a bit of discussion due to their size and their look.

We bought a couple this week and used them yesterday for the first time on a hike up Mt. Stirling.
They were great and well worth the extra weight.

I've been prepared to make all sort of sacrifices when out scrub regards gear to take, but at the end of a long day to lean back and put your feet up
is well worth the effort to carry it. Bliss.

Davidf61 wrote:I've been prepared to make all sort of sacrifices when out scrub regards gear to take, but at the end of a long day to lean back and put your feet up is well worth the effort to carry it. Bliss.

I did an eight day land-supported kayak trip with some friends along mainly ocean coastline a few years ago and couldn't agree with you more about the word 'Bliss' when it comes to sitting back with a port waiting for dinner. (We were very spoiled and yes, I know you sit in a kayak but it's not the same thing.)

Comfortable though it may be however, half a dozen bushwalkers sitting around a campfire on chairs is not an image that much appeals to me at present. Are we getting to Americanized? Ditto with hammocks stretched between trees and hammock chairs. I've yet to go on a bushwalk where I've had even the remotest need for such a thing. Despite this however, I definitely plan to take a light chair of some kind with me next year on a 500 km bike ride on Lake Giardner and surrounding dirt roads.

byrnesy8 wrote:I have two of these and they are great. I bought them mainly for car camping but I may take them on a luxury weekend walk. They are very strong and have a load rating of 140kg.

cooee wrote:Great chairs, well worth the extra 850g l have to carry.

If I ever get to take one bushwlaking and looking at the figures for load bearing capacity and weight just quoted, I think that I'll only be in the market for one if they can get that rating down to 80 kg (I'm 72kg in my boots) with a equivalent reduction in the chair's weight. In fact, if they managed to do that, I might even buy one a lot earlier!

New version released recently
~300g drop in weight

Assembled: 52 cm wide x 50 cm deep x 46 cm high.

Packed: 30 cm long x 9 cm wide x 10 cm high.

Weight: 554 gm or 580 gm in the tote bag.

Capacity: 120 kg.

Color: Black fabric with cyan blue frame, black tote bag.


I am trying hard to convince myself I don't need another!

Looks like it wouldn't struggle.so much in soft surfaces too!

I'd rather spend the money saving 300g on another piece of gear.

I have recently equipped myself with a new much lighter camera/lens/ballhead set up and already have a choice of minimalist or more spacious tent as well as a selection of sleeping arrangements so a choice of chair can't go astray. The earlier model can always be the car camping chair.

gayet wrote:New version released recently
~300g drop in weight

How does this compare with Alite's Monarch Butterfly Chair?

The butterfly is far less stable - it is 2 legged so requires at least one human foot on the ground to keep it stable. The Mantis chair would be closer to the original Helinox. The butterfly is lighter by about 8g
521.631g vs 530g

Is that worth tha lack of stability ? I think not.

The new version Helinox was available when I bought mine.

I decided that it was more important for me to be able to get out of it than to save the weight

gayet wrote:The butterfly is far less stable - it is 2 legged so requires at least one human foot on the ground to keep it stable. The Mantis chair would be closer to the original Helinox. The butterfly is lighter by about 8g
521.631g vs 530g

Is that worth tha lack of stability ? I think not.

Yeah - that would be a barrel of laughs after the port had been around a time or two.

gayet wrote:The butterfly is far less stable - it is 2 legged so requires at least one human foot on the ground to keep it stable. The Mantis chair would be closer to the original Helinox. The butterfly is lighter by about 8g
521.631g vs 530g
Is that worth tha lack of stability ? I think not.

What's the comparison in volume when stored? Not sure if stability is a real issue but obviously it'll depend on the particular user. These camp chairs are not home sofa, It's not realistic to expect one to lift one's feet off the ground. Can certainly see the rocking motion of the butterfly to be a natural motion. So I think the decision isn't so simple.

Nice product, but I noticed that the Ground Chair is not available until early July
Maybe the person that makes them is on leave!

GPSGuided wrote:

gayet wrote:The butterfly is far less stable - it is 2 legged so requires at least one human foot on the ground to keep it stable. The Mantis chair would be closer to the original Helinox. The butterfly is lighter by about 8g
521.631g vs 530g
Is that worth tha lack of stability ? I think not.

What's the comparison in volume when stored? Not sure if stability is a real issue but obviously it'll depend on the particular user. These camp chairs are not home sofa, It's not realistic to expect one to lift one's feet off the ground. Can certainly see the rocking motion of the butterfly to be a natural motion. So I think the decision isn't so simple.

According to the Helinox site, the Volume of the Chair one is 4.2 litres (35 x 10 x 12) and the Volume of the Ground Chair is 2.7 litres (30 x 10 x 9).

I've tried the new Helinox and I reckon I'd break the thing after some use but my chair of choice is the Alite Mantis. When you're out for a serious walk then leave the chair at home but for those social overnighters and day walks, they're great.

What do see as the weakness of the Helinox, dancier? It is rated to 145kg..

Received my Helinox chair today and of all the gazillions of dollars I have spent on this recent return to walking it is my favourite item so far.

I' m no featherweight but I reckon it will keep me off the ground no probs. great chair.

Love, love, love my Helinox, it provided comfort plus every night for the 10 weeks I spent paddling the Murray in 2012. Would I carry one bushwalking? I've thought about it, but the benefits of a lighter and smaller pack outweigh the comfort offered for me, even if the new model is lighter.

Strider wrote:What do see as the weakness of the Helinox, dancier? It is rated to 145kg..

It's connected with all plastic fittings, when I moved around in the chair I could see the joints flexing/elongating, maybe it's designed to do that but time will tell. The friend who had it is lightweight so it's suits her but I'm 85kg. My Alite has aluminium fittings throughout and it's sturdy plus I'm a bit further off the ground whereas the Helinox sits very close to the ground.

dancier wrote:It's connected with all plastic fittings... My Alite has aluminium fittings throughout and it's sturdy plus I'm a bit further off the ground whereas the Helinox sits very close to the ground.

I think this is an important consideration for outdoors application. Plastic is cheaper and easier to manufacture but will age more rapidly than alu. An important consideration for me. I note that the Alite Butterfly is very similarly priced with $2 difference locally. Ummm...

Plastics are not all the same, some are virtually unbrakeable and very stable over a very long period of time (Polycarbonate comes close) the feet on the Alite are also plastic by the looks of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q5Nznohyck and the guy almost goes A over T when he sits on it. The Helinox does flex and I'm 90kg have no feeling of risk when sitting on it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lATQTNRpA6Y

I think it most important to engage the tubes fully to avoid undue stress on the hubs, just like it is with
the joins on tent poles.

I have had the helinox ground chair sitting in my office for months. I cant wait to use it on the trail as I am sick of trying to relax after a hike by sitting on the ground or a log. I recently purchased a six moons design Lunar solo LE which dropped1.5 kilos off my original tent weight, so by replacing it with 600grams of comfort was a no brainer for me. Plus, I will put the chair at the top of my pack, assemble it first as we make camp, and if it's wet, I can putt all my loose things in it as I set up my tent... You gotta get this chair...I'm 90kg 187cm and I really really like it.

bobbydee wrote:I have had the helinox ground chair sitting in my office for months. I cant wait to use it on the trail as I am sick of trying to relax after a hike by sitting on the ground or a log. I recently purchased a six moons design Lunar solo LE which dropped1.5 kilos off my original tent weight, so by replacing it with 600grams of comfort was a no brainer for me. Plus, I will put the chair at the top of my pack, assemble it first as we make camp, and if it's wet, I can putt all my loose things in it as I set up my tent... You gotta get this chair...I'm 90kg 187cm and I really really like it.

I used mine for the first time on the weekend during an overnighter in the Pyrenees. They are actually 836grams but I did not begrudge the weight at all. It was bliss to sit in. Being a heavier item I carry it low down and close to my back but to each his own bobbydee.

For anyone considering buying one you need to get off the fence and into one of these chairs. You'll never look back.

Are people still happy with the Ground Chair?
Are they comfortable after an hour?
Considering one for short trips, kayak, bike etc.
Flying to King Island for Easter for some base camping so keen to decide.
Cheers,
Andrew