Tested: Helinox camp furniture

Like most people, I struggle to pack everything I need (or should I say want!) to take when going camping or caravanning. Part of the problem is the modern phenomenon of ‘glamping’, or the desire to be as comfortable as possible while ‘roughing’ it in the great outdoors.

Take the latest fad of king-sized camp chairs. Fully padded with lumbar support, head rests and storage pockets, they’re as comfy as your leather lounge chair back at home but almost as heavy and bulky, even when folded up.

So it’s good to see there are some innovative companies out there like Helinox that cater to those who appreciate light weight and practicality as much as comfort.

Helinox has been selling its “lightweight outdoor adventure equipment” in Australia for a few years now and while initially aimed at hikers and minimalist campers, their growing range of chairs, camp beds and tables are just as appealing to RV travellers looking to shed some weight and bulk.

What makes the Helinox products special is extensive use of high strength, lightweight anodised alloy tubing, developed by Korean parent company DAC Featherlite. Used by premium micro-light tent manufacturers in Europe and the USA, the TH72M alloy offers similar benefits to carbon fibre but without that material’s ‘brittle’ qualities.

It doesn’t hurt that the range is also incredibly stylish and user-friendly, resulting in a couple of design awards.

Of the five camp chair models available, we tested the mid-spec Chair One and range-topping Sunset Chair.

Both chairs take little more than a minute each to pull from the pack and piece together, thanks to an easy-assemble frame with plastic hubs and “self locating shock cord technology”, while a separate mesh seat cover slots snugly over the top. 

There are some handy instructions printed on the bag in the unlikely case you get stuck.

Aimed more at hikers and 'minimalist' adventurers, the Chair One weighs just 960kg in the bag, and is barely bigger than my size 13 shoe when packed. However, with the seat base just 27cm off the ground, it's a bit low for my lanky 95kg/192cm body.

The compact, four leg base also felt a bit unstable when leaning back on anything other than flat, solid ground. However, for children and smaller adults, it should be fine.

A much better option for me (and most RV travellers) is the Sunset Chair, which has similar comfort and back support to your average camp chair but weighs just under 1.5kg (or a quarter of an OzTent Kokoda chair). It also packs down tightly, in a bag slightly larger than the Chair One’s.

Cleverly, the bag it comes in also doubles as a ‘pillow attachment’. Just fill it with a spare jumper or other ‘padding’ and you have a snooze-inducing head rest that attaches via velcro.

The Sunset Chair also felt more stable with its wider base.

We also tried the Helinox Ultralight Table, which at 38cm high sits around the same level as the Camp One chair. The 41cm x 60cm mesh table top (with two in-built cup holders) is small but sturdy and even easier to put together than the chairs. It weighs just 661g packed.

Lastly, we tested the Cot One, one of three stretcher bed options. It weighs 2.22kg and measures 190cm x 68cm (a similar sized OzTent bed weighs 10kg).

Comprised of two poles, three leg supports and a mesh mattress, it requires a bit more muscle than the chairs to lock securely into place, but nothing a teenager couldn’t handle.

Like the others the Cot One has an impressive 145kg maximum carrying capacity, but its zippered bag is much bigger than the others at 54 x 14cm packed.

Despite the thin mesh ‘mattress’, it proved reasonably comfortable for an overnight camping trip although it's not particularly high off the ground at 16cm. A better option for lanky types like myself is the more expensive Cot Max, which measures 210cm x 75cm and has an extra supporting leg.

Of course, top-notch, award-winning design and lightweight construction doesn’t come cheap, and at $124 (for the Camp One chair), $174 (Sunset Chair), $128 (Ultralight Table) and $338 (Cot One stretcher), you pay significantly more than most of the heavier, bulkier alternatives.

While only available online, Helinox does include Australia-wide delivery costs and a three-year warranty in the price, and a full refund is available if you don’t like the product and return it within seven days.

If you're looking for some lightweight portable furniture that you can easily carry to the beach or camping spot, or just want to free up some space in the caravan or camper, the Helinox range should definitely be on your radar…