No matter how cool or comfy a camp chair is, it’s not a backpacking chair unless you can carry it. We’ve tested the spread for years now, and found the best options to kick back in on your next overnight trip into the hills.

Our lead tester, Miya Tsudome, took these models on camping trips in California, climbing trips into the High Sierra, and tested them at home at backyard grill sessions and hangouts by the local swimming hole. If you’re after a quick go-to, consider our top pick, the REI Co-op Flexlite Air, or our spend-wise choice, the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0.

To choose the best backpacking chairs, we researched and ranked 14 different chairs after carefully researching dozens on the market today to handpick the best ones. We evaluated each chair based on features such as comfort, stability, size and weight, ease of setup, and build quality, to help you make the most informed purchasing decision, and find the best backpacking chair for your next outdoor adventure.

Editor’s Note: We updated our Backpacking Chairs guide on November 27, 2024, to add the inflatable Crazy Creek Aircliner and an informative Price & Value section.

The Best Backpacking Chairs of 2024

Other Seats to Park It In

The seven backpacking chairs above are our go-to choices for bringing along on shorter overnight trips into the hills and week-long treks abroad. But they’re not the only seat in the house, and the eight chairs below are also worthy of consideration.

Backpacking Chairs Comparison Chart

How We Tested the Best Backpacking Chairs

Our Expert Testers

Our expert gear testers have been reviewing backpacking chairs for this guide since August 2020, meticulously researching dozens of the best chairs on the market to keep this review up to date several times a year. 

Miya Tsudome is one of the primary gear testers for this review. Combining over a decade of backpacking experience with years of authoring gear reviews, she’s well-suited to help you make the most informed purchasing decision for your backpacking chair needs.

Living in Bishop, Calif., on the flanks of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Miya spends most of her summers backpacking out to alpine climbing objectives, and knows how nice it is to have a comfortable seat to lounge in at the end of a long hiking day, but knows that finding a chair that won’t be cumbersome to pack is also crucial. 

Our Testing Process and Testing Grounds

She and the other testers on this review spent several weeks in the spring, summer, and fall months with each of these chairs. Some chairs traveled all the way out to basecamp beneath the Incredible Hulk, a popular alpine climbing objective in the Sierra Nevada mountains, or to camping trips in Sequoia Kings National Park, and even came along on road trips to southeast Utah. 

We assessed the comfort, stability, ease of setup, packability, and more for all 14 chairs in this lineup. Making notes about these metrics on every outing allowed us to build an objective and informative review, with data collected from first-hand experiences. 

We hope this information will help you wade through the plethora of chairs on the market to find the best backpacking chair for you.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Backpacking Chair

Kicking back after a long day of hiking is one of our favorite things (up there with finally hitting the sack for some shuteye), and while any old stump will suffice, a true backpacking chair adds a certain civility to relaxing at camp — and at minimal pack weight. But finding the best backpacking chair isn’t as easy as snagging one in your favorite color. There are a few factors to consider.

Below we’ve broken down the decision process, from the big deals (comfort and support) to the less-so (patterns, etc) to help you narrow in on your next camp throne.

Comfort and Back Support

Although you might want a chair that is light and small enough to pack on your backpacking trips, it’s nice to find one that doesn’t skimp on comfort or back support if you’re looking to lounge at the end of a long hiking day.

The REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair provides the perfect amount of comfort and back support along with its light weight, which is why it’s our top pick. With an 11-inch seat height, your back is well supported when you settle into the chair, allowing you to lean back without feeling unstable.

The Helinox Ground Chair, Chair One, and Chair Zero all have similar seat heights and durable, supportive fabrics in their large bucket seats — making them all comfortable models.

Although the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 chair doesn’t have the rigid legs or structure of a typical camping chair, this model is remarkably comfortable. Because you have the ability to adjust the straps, you’re able to configure the angle of the back support just how you like it, and we loved being able to lean back with the full support of the chair cradling our bodies.

Taking the concept of the Crazy Creek even further is the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair, which allows you to insert your sleeping pad into the chair design to create the plushest seat out of all the ones we reviewed. The only downside is you must have a compatible sleeping pad in addition to the chair.

A chair in our lineup that scores among the highest in comfort and back support is the NEMO Moonlite. With adjustable straps, this chair can be cinched up when you want to sit up straight, and reclined when you want to kick back and relax. Its all-mesh seat construction also conforms well to your body for ultimate comfort.

Lower on the general comfort list are the chairs without any back support at all. This includes the Therm-a-Rest Z Seat and the Grand Trunk Compass 360° Swivel Stool. These chairs are made for more practical use instead of long-term lounging, and are also lighter than traditional camp chairs as a result, which may be desirable for some folks.

Stability

Because these backpacking chairs will likely be used on varying terrain, stability is an important feature to consider when making your purchasing decision. Our runner-up chair, the Helinox Ground Chair, is a great choice in this regard, with its low-to-the-ground, square-shaped base.

This unique design feature distributes weight more evenly across the ground, making it less likely you’ll tip over on uneven terrain. It is also lower to the ground than other backpacking chairs in our lineup, making it even more stable.

Other chairs that rank high in the stability category are the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0, the Therm-a-Rest Z Seat, and the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair. Since none of these chairs have legs and all are seats that are placed directly on the ground, there’s little to no chance they will tip over, and they easily can be used in sand, on rocks, on slopes, or snow.

Size and Weight

Backpacking chairs are not really an “essential” backpacking item, but they sure can make your camping experience much more comfortable. Still, size and weight are important things to consider when choosing a chair to purchase. You want to be sure the chair won’t be too bulky to fit in your backpacking backpack and that it’s light enough to justify bringing along.

The Therm-a-Rest Z Seat is without a doubt the lightest and most compact “chair” in our lineup. Weighing in at a mere 2 ounces and folding up accordion-style into a size barely wider than a Nalgene bottle, this seat can easily fit in your pack without adding bulk or weight. It’s definitely the best choice for ultralight backpackers who aren’t looking for a chair but a nice seating pad to keep your bum warm at camp.

The Grand Trunk Compass 360° Swivel Stool comes in at a close second, weighing in at 16 ounces and also folding up into a compact cylinder that can be stowed easily in one of the outside pockets of your pack.

Both of these chairs are the lightest but also lack back support. If you want a lightweight, packable chair that is actually a proper “chair,” the lightest one is our category winner, the REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair. Weighing in at only a pound and folding up into a small 5×16-inch package, this chair is a great choice for those who are conscious about weight but don’t want to sacrifice back support.

The Helinox Ground Chair and Chair Zero are also good bets, weighing in at 1 pound, 4.8 ounces and 1 pound, 2 ounces, respectively, and both pack up into a small size.

Lastly, the Crazy Creek is also a great compromise between being lightweight and packable (but without sacrificing back support). It comes in at a lightweight 1 pound, 5 ounces and is a more comfortable folding chair overall, making it our preferred choice of chairs in this design category.

Ease of Setup

Every backpacking chair we reviewed has relatively simple setups, allowing you to get from pounding the trail to lounging at camp as quickly and painlessly as possible. Some chairs are noticeably easier to set up than others, however, which we will discuss in this section.

Indisputably the simplest chair in the lineup is the Therm-a-Rest Z Seat. Since it’s just a small, insulated pad, it folds up accordion-style and can be dispatched as quickly as removing the attached rubber band holding it together, opening it up, and sitting down.

The second easiest to set up is the Grand Trunk Compass 360° Swivel Stool. Simply extend and twist the legs open, and the stool is ready to use.

The Crazy Creek is also a breeze to set up but takes a second to adjust. You’ll want to open up these folding seats and sit inside of them while adjusting their side straps for the most comfortable fit and to find your preferred angle.

The rest of the chairs in our review follow the standard camping chair setup: unfold the chair legs and connect them into all their joints to make the frame, then simply stretch the seat fabric and install their corners into the designated chair legs. This takes a minute or two, tops.

Backpacking Chair vs. Camping Chair

This comprehensive review specifically covers the best backpacking chairs, which might make some of you wonder what the difference is from camping chairs. This is an important distinction to make.

To qualify as a backpacking chair, these seats must be lightweight, pack down to a relatively small and portable size, and simple to set up. When going on a backpacking trip, whether it’s overnight or a multiday trek, space in your pack and weight matter. All of the chairs in our review (besides the Coleman Quad) pack down to a size that will fit into or on the outside of a backpacking pack.

If you do a lot of car camping, however, which means you’re driving up to a campsite and carrying all of your gear in your car, you might want to consider buying a camp chair instead. These types of chairs will typically be bigger and more comfortable, with taller backs for support, and sometimes accessories like cup holders or extra cushioning in the seat or backrest.

The REI Co-op Skyward Chair is a great example. It simply folds open and closed, making it a breeze to grab out of the tailgate and pop open by the fire.

Different Types of Backpacking Chairs

While they may seem like a relatively simple purchase, backpacking chairs actually come in many different shapes and sizes. The most common type is the two-piece, legs plus fabric bucket seat chair. The REI Co-op Flexlite Air, Helinox Ground, Chair One, and Chair Zero, ALPS Mountaineering Dash Chair, and Big Agnes Skyline UL Chair are all of this design, with collapsible legs and a fabric seat that can be rolled up and packed into your backpack.

Other types of chairs you can find for backpacking are stools, like the Grand Trunk Compass 360° Swivel Stool, or foldable chairs like the Crazy Creek. Stools can be great to have on a fishing or river trip, and foldable chairs are a great ultralight option for lounging at camp after a long day of hiking without carrying too much weight or bulk.

The most unique style of backpacking chair we’ve come across is the Therm-a-Rest Trekker Chair, which uses your sleeping pad to make a plush, comfortable camp seat. While it requires you to have a compatible sleeping pad, it utilizes something that’s already in your pack to create a chair, which we really like. Plus you can use it without the pad as a foldable seat, making it a versatile option.

Lastly is the ground pad style seat, like the Therm-a-Rest Z Seat. While it may not look like much, this insulated pad is also versatile and so light it’s hard not to pack. The difference between sitting on the cold ground and having an insulated piece of foam underneath you is night and day, and you can also use it as extra cushioning underneath your sleeping pad or to extend it if you have a three-quarter-length pad.

It’s worth taking a moment to think about how you will most likely utilize your chair before deciding which will be the best backpacking chair for your needs.

Build Quality

Backpacking chairs come in all shapes and sizes and are made with different materials that affect their overall build quality. Helinox is high on the list in terms of the quality of materials in its chairs, with its lightweight, aluminum leg poles and ripstop polyester seats. The REI Co-op Flexlite Air and Flexlite Camp Boss are made with the same materials, ensuring their light weight is met with a high-quality design.

Big Agnes is a company that doesn’t skimp on quality either and is known for top-shelf tents and sleeping bags. The company’s chair game is no different. The Mica Basin and Skyline UL are made with what Big Agnes calls “aircraft aluminum pole systems,” and the proprietary high-tenacity Robic nylon with polyester ripstop ensures durability.

While the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 may look like a simple chair, it’s made with 8mm high-density cored EVA closed-cell foam which provides insulation and has a durable outer shell made with 210D coated ripstop nylon for abrasion-resistance and weatherproofing. The carbon fiber stays within the folded seat are remarkably strong and ensure you’ll have a chair that lasts trip after trip.

Price & Value

A good backpacking chair is certainly a ‘luxury item’ when it comes to packing your overnight pack, but you don’t need to spend luxury amounts to get into a good one. Consider how often and where you’ll be using your backpacking chair before you hand over your hand earned bills, they’re the primary considerations we make when choosing a seat.

Budget

Budget backpacking chairs will typically run you between $30 and $60 for a foam seat, to around $100 for a basic framed chair. Simple slings like the classic Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 Chair ($65) won’t be super comfortable, but they’re good enough for most sitting, and simple-as to use and pack away. The $33 Therm-a-Rest Z Seat is even cheaper, but really only recommended for those of the trimmed-toothbrush persuation.

Even our top pick, the $100 REI Co-op Flexlite Air Chair, is at the upper end of the budget scale, showing that you don’t need to over spend on a backpacking chair. This seat is wicked light at 16 ounces, and while it’s not the most comfortable, it’s tough to argue with.

Mid-Tier

Between $100 and $150 are some excellent options that are certainly upgrades from budget chairs, but still not wildly pricey for a seat. Here you’ll be able to get into more specialized chairs, like the Crazy Creek AirCliner Portable Chair ($125), which uses air chambers and carbon fiber struts to inflatable and support your body, or the Helinox Ground Chair ($130), which hosts a strout square base to support on less-firm terrain.

The mid-tier price range is where we feel that most folks would be best served by. These chairs tend to have the best balance of comfort and weight, and all without spending too much on them.

Premium

There are a few premium backpacking chairs out there, and Helinox and NEMO certainly challenge one another for the title. The Helinox Chair Zero ($150) is a superlight sling that trades weight savings for dollars — but it’s impressively light at just 16 ounces.

While we don’t recommend it here (as $180 is just too rich for our blood), the NEMO Moonlite Elite is certainly a premium backpacking chair, and is almost a pound lighter than the regular Moonlite, and decked out in custom hardware that makes it a feat of ergonomics. Both of these chairs are more expensive than even most full-size camping chairs, but if you want the best, these are it.

Frequently Asked Questions