Bargain Helinox chair one

[rannoch raider]

Hi Folks, just a wee 'heads up'. Blacks Outdoors are offering these ultra lightweight , super strong chairs for £65. This the cheapest I've ever seen them offered.

http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/112078-helinox-chair-one-mid-green.html

[Bobfly]

These wee chairs have a good name. Saw a touring cyclist using one on a campsite this summer and he looked very comfortable    - - - - and so he should have cos' its not a cheap chair !

[rannoch raider]

I agree, it is not cheap, that's for sure! :shock: There are some excellent Chinese copies on the go and I have read that they are reasonably well made but not quite of the standard of the Helinox. It's very popular with touring cyclists who are trying to cut down on weight and pack size. What would you pay to get a comfortable seat after a long hard day in the saddle or even back at base camp after a long trek in the hills?
There are one or two potential rivals out there but they are all around the same price.  My own opinion is that the Helinox chair one is  hard to beat if weight and size matter. It is very small and weighs very little but does provide big seat comfort.

[SoldierPmr]

Is the extra weight of a seat worth it? I've always been happy enough on logs rocks or even the ground? What's your opinions?

[Bobfly]

These are good chairs for sure.
An alternative, if you are using a Thermarest mat, is the light sling frame strapping from them that makes the Thermarest into a chair that you can sit back into. That gives a comfy setup as well.

[SoldierPmr]

I've always used a sniper matt for sitting and sleeping on and never suffered from stiffness though I could be speaking too soon. I'm sure these things will catch up with me one day.

[Fishtales]

Where do you find the time to sit down? :-)

I sit just inside the door of the tent, or lay flat, when cooking if it is raining. Dry and I sit on my rucksack or just the ground. While fishing and stop for a break I find a suitable rock and backrest or just sit on a small closed cell foam mat on the shore of the loch and use the rucksack for a backrest. There is also no room in the tent to sit on a chair and most of the time I am in the tent I'm asleep

[rannoch raider]

I've probably sat or lay on all the things you can imagine would be around a wild campsite and I've also been on and under a multitude of things that you would never guess ranging from a 'Milanda' bread board on the shore of the Holy Loch to a pile of polystyrene fish boxes arranged like an igloo in the south west! I've had the pleasure of a comfy night in a motorhome over the last few years but I'm now back to the camping until the wife retires. Maybe it was the joy of a warm bed and sprung seats of the motorhome that made me soft but I reckon a good seat is essential if you are out for any length of time camping from a bike or canoe. You've got to have a decent perch to enjoy a good fire and a quality sunset.
With the size (no bigger than a size 11 shoe) , weight (@900gms ), quality build and sale price of the Helinox I can't think of a good reason not to take it along.
I had considered the sleeping mat seat conversions. I have an Exped down mat as does the Mrs. They aren't cheap either and I must confess I am reluctant to use them as seats by the fire in case they are damaged. The conversion kit costs about £40 so for a little bit more why not have a good chair?

[SoldierPmr]

I looked at getting one of those, when i saw the price i decided to just employ Russian dancing girls to fly in and stand interlocked in the shape of a chair :lol:
Seriously though, i can make a back with my rucksack that does much the same thing,

I once made a heated seat for some girls that were freezing, by taking a bit of a burnt sleeper out of their fire and dipping it in the loch, it stayed warm most of the night as i recounted my stories of living in Alaska with May Rears :

Oh Alan you old rouge  :lol:

[rannoch raider]

I've got a lovely big recliner for out the back of the car  :

As they say, anyone can be uncomfortable camping! :roll:  I've done rocks , tussocks, foam sheets, lifejackets, logs, airbags, you name it! I've never found any of these to be anywhere as nice as a purpose built chair with a back rest.  :
Like I said, it's on sale right now if you're interested. I agree wholeheartedly that you could spend the money on a years supply of pile ointment and Tick removal tools and still have a couple of pounds change  :lol: