Why We Chose The Helinox Chair Zero High Back: Lightweight, portable, comfortable

Helinox has built a reputation for producing some of the lightest yet strongest camp furniture out there. And the Chair Zero is the lightest model in their range – a small but perfectly formed featherweight camping chair that makes a great adventure companion.

Now, if the standard Chair Zero has a drawback, it’s that the relatively low seat height offers limited back support. Which we’re guessing is why Helinox have now released this high-back variant. Admittedly, it is fractionally heavier than the standard Chair Zero, but for us the extra grams are well worth it.

The extended back and added headrest gives a way more comfortable ‘armchair’ feel – the perfect perch to sink into at the end of a long day. Of course, this being Helinox, it’s still light enough to be a viable and practical companion for camping, canoeing and even backpacking trips.

Who Is The Helinox Chair Zero High Back For?

This chair tips the scales at just 690g and has a packed length of just 40cm, which means it should slide easily into a rucksack, drybag or pannier. The weight penalty is also minimal, which means this is a good chair for all sorts of weight-conscious adventures – think backpacking, kayak touring, motorbike touring or bikepacking.

In addition, the high back design is particularly well suited to taller people who might need a bit more back and neck support. The chair can hold a maximum weight capacity of 120kg too (that’s over 18 stones in old money), so it will easily support larger frames.

Materials

All Helinox frames are made from an advanced high-tech, high-strength aluminium alloy developed by DAC, the same company that makes tent poles for some of the world’s leading tentmakers. It’s actually a higher specification than the 7075-grade aluminium used in most camp furniture, which is often referred to as ‘aircraft-grade aluminium’. In contrast, Helinox’s custom alloy goes through over 70 production processes from raw billet to finished pole section. DAC’s aluminium anodising process is also significantly cleaner than many others. Their ‘Green Anodising’ system, which is used to treat all Helinox products, features a water recycling programme in the anodising facility to reduce the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process.