There are many reasons people set off on adventures, whether that be to explore new continents, get away from all the hustle and bustle of daily life, or to do something as poignant as find themselves. We have previously discussed why you need to try wild camping on your next motorcycle trip, so with that, portable furniture does sure come in handy when gallivanting about on your motorcycle. One of the leading developers of portable furniture is Helinox, a brand that believes its furniture is ideal for bikers on the move. We put the company’s Chair One to the test to find out whether its worth your investment.
Size-wise, whilst bundled up, the pannier bag is around the size of a loaf of bread. This makes transporting the chair seamless, as any sized motorcycle compartment will be suitable. The same can be said for the weight, which is light enough (890g) that it will unlikely cause any bother whilst mid-ride. Considering this, the two most important factors (size and weight) for any biker are ticked off here. Helinox is confident that its products are the “lightest and strongest” on the market when it comes to portable furniture. After my time spent with the Chair One, it’s hard to disagree.
Arriving in a compact bag, the chair comes in two pieces that are harder to lose than find: the chair fabric and metal apparatus that connects it all together. You can locate the instructions on the inside of the bag. Thankfully, they are easy to follow, even for someone like myself who can’t put up a shelf without the help of a YouTube video. Simple, easy and not time constraining in the least. The whole assemble takes an impressive three minutes at maximum. Then after you have ran through the instructions once, assembling takes a mere matter 0f seconds.
Moving onto the chair’s weight-bearing, and again there are no qualms from our end. I weigh around 11 stone (yes, I know I need to get some pies down me) and the chair takes my weight extremely well. An ABR colleague of mine tested the chair as well, finding no issues and they’re around the 18 stone mark. Having said that, it does wobble a fair bit anytime you partially move, which isn’t the most confidence inspiring. The reality is far from it, however, as the chair can take the capacity of more than double my weight (145kg to be precise) – according to the guidelines anyway.
The biggest issue I found with the Chair One is how low down it is. Many of us are hardly spring chickens, so manoeuvering in and out of the chair could be difficult. Stability is another thing that comes into question. On a grassy surface, the balance of the chair was a little temperamental, with the legs digging into the ground. Though, when positioned right, the chair is supremely comfortable.
Another thing you’ll need to note is the price. On average the Chair One is available for £85.00, making it one of the most expensive camping chairs on the market. There are an abundance of chairs available for half the price, but this comes at the cost of the light weight and packability, whilst also normally seeing a dip in quality. Otherwise, it’s worth mentioning that there are no cup holders, which is clearly disappointing for the cost.
Size comparison of Helinox range of chairs
Conclusion
For motorcyclists needing a simple and quick to build chair, alongside not having to worry about forgetting/losing any tiny contraptions, you cannot go wrong with Helinox’s Chair One. Though the price may be a drawback for some, this is very much a ‘pay for what you get’ scenario and because of that, we cannot dispute the quality.
Helinox Chair One Specs
Weight: 890g/2.0 lb
Packed Weight: 960g/320 l
Capacity: 145kg/320lb/22.8 stone
Chair size : 52 x 50 x 66cm (w x d x h)
Packed size: 35 x 10 x 12cm (w x d x h)