Seven light chairs with a backrest or a solid base, from a $38 budget seat to an 18-ounce chair for the backpack.
By Alex HartDay trails mostly, a few nights out a year, mountains when the time allows.
Updated Oct 2026·30 compared
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Get the Helinox Chair One unless your chair has to ride in a backpack. It weighs under two pounds, holds 320, and costs about $110. Car camping, a base camp, a riverbank an hour's walk in: it's a real seat with a real back.
If the chair is going in your backpack, the Chair Zero is the lightest here at about 1 lb 2 oz. It saves 13 ounces for about $30 more, but it sits lower and holds 55 pounds less. If getting up off a low seat is hard on your knees, the Skyline UL has the tallest seat here. And for about $38, the Moon Lence is a comfortable chair for anyone under 180 pounds.
1 lb 15 oz, as listedRated to 320 lbPacks to 14 x 4.5 x 4.5 in5-year warranty
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Why I picked it
It's the most chair you can get for under two pounds. The shock-corded aluminum frame snaps together, the fabric seat cradles you instead of perching you, and Helinox rates it to 320 pounds, more than any light chair here except the budget pick. When you're done, it rolls into a 14-inch sack. Clip a pair of Helinox runners onto its feet and it becomes a rocker, the lightest one in my guide to rocking camping chairs.
Helinox lists the seat at 9 inches off the ground, low but not ground-level, and backs the chair for five years against manufacturing defects. At about $110, it's also $30 less than the lighter Chair Zero.
Who it is for
Car campers, base campers, beach and backyard sitters, and backpackers who don't mind an extra 13 ounces for a sturdier seat. If you have trouble standing up from a low chair, go straight to the Skyline UL.
What owners report
The most common complaint is the first setup. The seat fabric is tight, and pulling it over the last leg takes real force; a few buyers sent the chair back because they couldn't manage it alone, and one compared it to an intelligence test. Height is the other one: a buyer with arthritic knees returned hers, and an older couple struggled to get out of theirs. Breakage is rare. One owner had a leg bend and then snap by the campfire after nearly three years, and another broke a metal part after two years of weekly use and had it repaired by Helinox.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The seat fabric is hard to stretch over the frame the first few times.
A 9-inch seat is low for stiff knees.
The backrest leans back far enough that some owners find it awkward for talking around the fire.
2
Backpacking
Helinox Chair Zero
About 1 lb 2 oz, the chair to carry when it rides in your pack all day. It sits lower and holds less than the Chair One.
1 lb 2 oz, as listedPacks to 14 x 4 x 4 inRated to 265 lb5-year warranty
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Why I picked it
This is the chair to carry. At about 1 lb 2 oz, it's the lightest chair with legs in this guide, and it packs into a sack about the size of a water bottle. I learned what a backrest is worth one evening camped near Sam Knob, perched on a wet log after a long day with nothing to lean on. Eighteen ounces, the whole weight of this chair, would have been an easy trade.
What you give up, compared with the Chair One, is height and strength. Helinox lists the seat at 6.5 inches, one of the lowest here, and the rating at 265 pounds, 55 less.
Who it is for
Backpackers and anyone who carries their chair more than a few hundred yards. If you're over about 200 pounds or camp mostly on sand, look at the Chair One or the Ground Chair.
What owners report
Owners like the weight and the size, and their complaints are about stability. Thin legs sink into sand, mud and damp ground, and several owners say you need a groundsheet or wide feet, sold separately; one refused to pay extra for them and now leaves the chair at home. A hiker of about 220 pounds never felt steady in it, and another, seven days and 100 miles into a trip, watched a gust knock his over. A tall owner at 6'2" found the top of the backrest dug into his ribs.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The legs sink into soft ground without the extra feet or groundsheet, which cost more.
It can feel tippy, especially for heavier people.
Low seat and a 265 lb rating.
3
Stiff knees and long evenings
Big Agnes Skyline UL
The highest seat here, so it's the easiest to get in and out of, and still lighter than the Chair One.
1 lb 11 oz trail weight, as listedSelf-equalizing center polePacks to 17 x 3.5 x 3.5 inRated to 275 lb
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Why I picked it
The Skyline UL is the light chair for people who dread getting up from a low seat. Its seat sits about 15 inches off the ground on an independent measurement, the tallest here, and Big Agnes says the seat is deeper and wider than any other ultralight chair. A center pole adjusts itself to uneven ground, which helps it stay steady.
Big Agnes lists it at 1 lb 11 oz, so it's actually four ounces lighter than the Chair One. You pay for all that: about $200, the most in this guide.
Who it is for
Campers with stiff knees or hips, anyone who sits for hours around the fire, and backpackers who want comfort more than the lightest pack.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
About $90 more than the Chair One.
Setup takes a little longer than the Helinox chairs.
4
Leaning back at camp
NEMO Moonlite Elite
A backpacking chair that tips back a few inches, at about 1 lb 3 oz. Best for small to average builds.
1 lb 3 oz, as listedReclines7001 aluminum polesRated to 250 lb
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Why I picked it
Every other chair with legs here holds you in one position. The Moonlite Elite lets you tip back a few inches, which is the difference between sitting at camp and lounging at camp. NEMO lists it at 1 lb 3 oz, only an ounce more than the Chair Zero, and the poles click into molded corner pieces.
Who it is for
Backpackers who want to lean back at the end of the day and are of small to average build. Tall and broad campers should look at the Skyline UL.
What reviewers found
Reviewers who have spent time in it agree on who it fits. Bigger, taller testers feel the upper corners of the frame press into their shoulder blades, and another sees it as a chair for small to average builds. The recline is real but modest, a few inches rather than a deck-chair tilt. It's stable and quiet, and it comes with a groundsheet so the legs don't dig in.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Taller and broader people feel the frame corners in their shoulders.
The recline is modest.
5
Tight budgets
Moon Lence Portable Camping Chair
A comfortable, tall-ish seat for about $38, as long as you're under the 180 lb its maker calls comfortable.
2.7 lb, as listed330 lb max, 180 lb comfortablePacks to 13 x 5.9 x 5.1 inSide pockets
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Why I picked it
For about $38, the Moon Lence gives you a seat about 12 inches up, side pockets, and a fabric seat that one reviewer found the most comfortable of all the chairs they sat in. It weighs 2 lb 11 oz, twelve ounces more than the Chair One, for about $72 less.
Read its listing closely, though. Moon Lence gives a maximum of 330 pounds but calls it comfortable below 180, and that second number is the one to believe. In one review, a 200-pound tester bent two of its legs in under a minute.
Who it is for
Campers under 180 pounds who want a comfortable chair on a tight budget and mostly sit on flat ground near the car.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Bends under heavier people, well short of its 330 lb maximum.
The stiff fabric makes it slow to set up and hard to pack away.
After a season of use, one reviewer found worn seams and hinge pins.
6
Sand and soft ground
Helinox Ground Chair
A square base that stays level on sand, mud and pine needles, with your seat just off the ground.
1 lb 6.5 oz, as listedSquare basePacks to 12 x 4.5 x 4.5 inRated to 265 lb
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Why I picked it
Most light chairs stand on four thin legs, and on a beach or a soft campsite they slowly sink and tilt. The Ground Chair sits on a square base that spreads your weight, so it stays level on sand, mud, and pine needles. Your seat is about 4.5 inches off the ground, low enough to stretch your legs out in front of you, and the chair fits under a tent vestibule. It weighs 1 lb 6.5 oz and packs into a 12-inch sack.
Who it is for
Beach camping, river sandbars, soft forest floors, and anyone who wants to sit low with their legs out.
What owners report
Owners comparing it with a Chair Zero say this is the one that doesn't sink, and one calls it rock solid next to the others. The problems are getting up from that low seat, which an older owner found hard, and sand: two beachgoers say it gets into the pole joints, scratches the tubes, and makes the chair hard to take apart. Two owners had a plastic fitting crack, and a third waited two months for a replacement part.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
At 4.5 inches, getting up takes effort.
Sand gets into the joints at the beach.
A few owners report cracked plastic fittings.
7
Sitting anywhere, tent included
Crazy Creek Hex 2.0
A padded seat and backrest with no legs to sink, about 20 oz, that also lies flat as a mat.
20 oz, as listedNo legs, no poles to assembleRolls to 4 in acrossLifetime warranty
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Why I picked it
The Hex 2.0 has no legs and no poles to assemble. It's a padded seat and backrest held at an angle by adjustable straps, so it can't sink, and reviewers call it about as stable as a seat gets. Loosen the straps and it lies flat as a mat under the vestibule. It weighs about 20 ounces and rolls up to about 4 inches across. Crazy Creek backs it for life against manufacturing defects.
Who it is for
Backpackers who want a backrest without a frame, and anyone who'd rather sit on the ground than on top of it.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
You're sitting on the ground, so you get wet on damp ground.
Getting up from the ground takes some flexibility.
Who this is for
This guide covers portable chairs under three pounds that pack into a small sack, from about $38 to about $200. If weight doesn't matter and you want cup holders and arms, a classic folding camp chair weighs eight to nine and a half pounds, and that's a different list: our guide to the best camping chairs for car camping. If you're also setting up a camp bed, our guide to camping cots covers the other half of a comfortable campsite. And if the chair rides in your pack to a backcountry site, loading the backpack with the heavy things in the middle keeps a two-pound chair from pulling you backward. Once you're sitting, you'll want somewhere to put the plate: our guide to folding camping tables has a 15-inch table made for low chairs like these. A chair also makes a fine present, and my camping gifts guide has more ideas for the camper on your list.
How to choose
Ultralight backpacking chair or lightweight camp chair
The first question is whether the chair will ride in your pack. The Chair One and the Chair Zero look almost the same, but the Zero saves 13 ounces for about $30 more and gives up 2.5 inches of seat height and 55 pounds of capacity. If the chair never goes farther than the car, take the sturdier Chair One.
How high is the seat?
Light chairs sit low, from 4.5 inches on the Ground Chair to about 15 on the Skyline UL. A low seat is relaxing until you have to stand up. If your knees or hips complain, seat height matters more than weight.
What's under you?
Four thin legs sink into sand, mud and soft forest floor. On that kind of ground, choose a square base like the Ground Chair, no legs at all like the Hex 2.0, or plan on buying wide feet or a groundsheet.
How much weight will it hold?
Check the rating against your weight with room to spare. Light chairs are rated between 250 and 330 pounds, but a cheap chair can fail well below its maximum, and reviewers advise staying around 200 pounds or under on the lightest ones.
The competition
These show up in most chair roundups. Here's why they're not in this one.
Sold as a lighter Chair Zero, for about $20 more. Independent weigh-ins put it within a couple of ounces of the original, and one review team broke one with a 265-pound tester. The original is the safer buy.
REI Co-op Flexlite Air
A popular 16-ounce chair, but it's sold only at REI, not on Amazon.
NEMO Satellite
A camp chair at 3 lb 9 oz, over the weight limit for this guide.
The same weight, the same 330-pound rating and the same price as the Moon Lence, with less written about it.
Kijaro Dual Lock
A classic folding camp chair at 9.4 pounds, which doesn't belong in a lightweight guide.
How we picked
Under 3 lbPacks under 18 inRated for 250 lb or moreSeat height knownOne job per chairSold on Amazon
My shortlist mixed ultralight backpacking chairs, cheap look-alikes and a couple of heavy folding chairs for scale, 30 in all. Weight, capacity and packed size came from each maker, then seat height, which makers rarely publish: Helinox lists it for the Chair One and Chair Zero, the other figures are CleverHiker measurements, and the Hex sits on the ground.
Helinox publishes its buyers' reviews, and I read all of them for the Chair One, Chair Zero and Ground Chair, more than 500, complaints first. For the chairs without readable buyer reviews, I went to reviews from CleverHiker, OutdoorGearLab, Bikepacking.com and Trailgroove.
Common questions
What is the lightest camping chair?+−
Of the chairs with legs here, the Chair Zero at about 1 lb 2 oz. If you can do without a backrest, a folding foam pad like the Therm-a-Rest Z Seat is another option, but it's a cushion, not a chair.
What is the best lightweight folding chair for seniors?+−
The one with the highest seat. The Skyline UL sits about 15 inches up, and the Moon Lence about 12 inches for anyone under 180 pounds. Low chairs like the Chair Zero and the Ground Chair are the hardest to get out of.
How much should a lightweight backpacking chair weigh?+−
The backpacking guides I read aim for about a pound, two at most. Every chair here except the Moon Lence is under two pounds.
How much weight can a lightweight chair hold?+−
The chairs here are rated from 250 to 330 pounds, but the rating isn't the whole story. Moon Lence calls its chair comfortable only below 180 pounds, and reviewers suggest staying at about 200 or under on the lightest Helinox chairs.
Should I get a chair with legs or a ground chair?+−
Legs if you camp on firm ground and want a chair that feels like a chair. A ground chair like the Ground Chair or the Hex 2.0 if you camp on sand or soft ground, or want to sit low with your legs out.
The verdict
Buy the Helinox Chair One
It's the light chair you won't outgrow: strong enough for most adults, low enough to pack, and about $110. The Chair Zero is the one to choose instead when every ounce is on your back, and the Skyline UL when your knees decide.
