Folding chairs - any recommendations?

[GillianC]

Quite a few tall lightweight chairs, some appear to be cloned Helinox,
Vango example on Amazon where you can find others.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078KFBHNW/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

Yes, some of them look very similar and a lot cheaper. I might try one as a guest chair. I am happy with my Helinox - love the colour and you can get all sorts of accessories (at a price!). I really really want some of those rocking feet

 

[Crell]

We have the Helinox sunset chairs. Super comfy, packable and ultra lightweight. Not cheap by any means but they're hard to fault.

 

[GillianC]

We have the Helinox sunset chairs. Super comfy, packable and ultra lightweight. Not cheap by any means but they're hard to fault.

That’s good to hear. I have been a little devil today and have also ordered the rocking feet
Just couldn’t resist! Life is too short ...

 

[GillianC]

just do not leave them on your pitch when you go out for the day.

NO WAY

 

[rpevans99]

Ordered a Helinox - I like the way it fits in the tailgate with standard chairs and seems comfortable for big blokes like me.

 

[Crell]

Ordered a Helinox - I like the way it fits in the tailgate with standard chairs and seems comfortable for big blokes like me.

We tried the chairs in the tailgate. They do just fit but the zip looked like it was under pressure so moved them out. I doubt it would be a problem for the smaller chairs but the sunset is a bit bigger than the "one" etc. Packing them a little better in the Helinox bag or putting the bits (legs, seat, bag) in individually might work a bit better but they'll be harder to control when you unzip the tailgate and drop on your head / dog / child.

 

[rpevans99]

We tried the chairs in the tailgate. They do just fit but the zip looked like it was under pressure so moved them out. I doubt it would be a problem for the smaller chairs but the sunset is a bit bigger than the "one" etc. Packing them a little better in the Helinox bag or putting the bits (legs, seat, bag) in individually might work a bit better but they'll be harder to control when you unzip the tailgate and drop on your head / dog / child.

Thanks for the tip. I'l give it a try and if the tailgate falls on my wife's head I'll just store them somewhere else.

 

[GillianC]

We tried the chairs in the tailgate. They do just fit but the zip looked like it was under pressure so moved them out. I doubt it would be a problem for the smaller chairs but the sunset is a bit bigger than the "one" etc. Packing them a little better in the Helinox bag or putting the bits (legs, seat, bag) in individually might work a bit better but they'll be harder to control when you unzip the tailgate and drop on your head / dog / child.

I wonder if one might fit in the overhead locker? Will try it later. it weighs 1.4kg and the weight limit is 2.5kg but not sure about the size. It would fit if you took the bits out of the bag. TBH it is so compact that there are loads of places you could store it.

 

[Broch Hunter]

For anyone considering buying a Helinox chair they have several models. The "Sunset" has a taller back and is higher off the ground than their original model the "one"

This photo shows my Sunset and One alongside each other.

 

[GillianC]

View attachment 36848 For anyone considering buying a Helinox chair they have several models. The "Sunset" has a taller back and is higher off the ground than their original model the "one"

This photo shows my Sunset and One alongside each other.

I don't think that I would ever be able to get out of the "one"! Apparently the rocking feet add another few cm to the seat height of the Sunset seat so even easier then (another reason for justifying buying them ).

 

[motacyclist]

View attachment 36848 For anyone considering buying a Helinox chair they have several models. The "Sunset" has a taller back and is higher off the ground than their original model the "one"

This photo shows my Sunset and One alongside each other.

Are they more comfortable than the Cali chairs?

 

[GillianC]

Oh yes!!
What a beauty

 

[B J G]

After reading this post and previously finding the Cali chairs unsuitable for lounging in plus my excellent folding Dukdalf lightweight reclining chairs being too bulky for the Cali I decided to purchase a pair of Vango Unisex Highback chairs (on Amazon (Blacks) for under £100 delivered)
I don't know why Amazon has them as Unisex as just the normal Highback/tall version.
Oddly Blacks were out of stock but 6 were shown on Amazon.

Arrived today Thurs with notified delivery of next Tuesday.

easy assembly and quick test proved to give positive results. Quality also looks good.
I'm 6ft and back height is adequate for comfortable head support.

Stowage test -- If in the rear cupboard you remove the top shelf the chairs in their bags will fit if stood on end and still leave room for other items, makes for easy access.

 

[GillianC]

After reading this post and previously finding the Cali chairs unsuitable for lounging in plus my excellent folding Dukdalf lightweight reclining chairs being too bulky for the Cali I decided to purchase a pair of Vango Unisex Highback chairs (on Amazon (Blacks) for under £100 delivered)
I don't know why Amazon has them as Unisex as just the normal Highback/tall version.
Oddly Blacks were out of stock but 6 were shown on Amazon.

Arrived today Thurs with notified delivery of next Tuesday.

easy assembly and quick test proved to give positive results. Quality also looks good.
I'm 6ft and back height is adequate for comfortable head support.

Sounds good and a very reasonable price.

 

[Meerkat1234]

This is seeming it might be a holy grail search, but I'll ask the forum (all your tips are really invaluable to us newbies).

We like the Cali chairs for eating, but they're not lounging about chairs for us. We've read the threads on recliners (Lafuma Zero Gravity seems to get good reviews), we really like comfortable moon chairs we've investigated (Nash, Vango etc), but they all seem to still pack up quite big.

We haven't gone away yet overnight in the Cali (first trip was going to be this last weekend but Deirdre and amber warnings put pay to that) and hence haven't worked out how we'd pack, but still these chairs would seem to take up too much room. What is a super comfy - in colder weather especially we'd like something with closed sides, spacious enough to huddle up with a blanket all around us and not feel tight - but super packable? We'll be adding to the family with dog/dogs too soon by the way so storing them in the lounge area is probably not an option.

 

[ArunAlec]

Unless you are travelling very light, I doubt you'll find anything compact and strong enough. The only storage space, other than in the living area will be the boot and that's normally full of gear already.

 

[Ken M]

Try Hellinox: https://helinox.com/

We have a couple of the ‘chair one’ type which fold up small and we store them inside the VW chairs in the tail gate (along with two small Helinox tables). I find these chairs more comfortable than the VW ones for lounging but the high back options may be better. Not cheap but good quality.

 

[ash]

We had the same space issue and ended up with the Robens Observer. Best to find one to try first. Comfortable but quite a tight fit. They do an insulator for it too.

 

[Meerkat1234]

Thanks, the Helinox looks interesting. With their padded seat cover that might work, but that's all the 'Home' range, not really suitable for outdoors. Really want cosy padding for Winter...!

 

[GillianC]

I started this thread earlier this year and you might find it useful.
Very hard to get something comfortable, big enough to snuggle into and sturdy as well as being small and lightweight!
I went for the Helinox and am really pleased with it - looks good too. You might find some ideas on this anyway.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/folding-chairs-any-recommendations.26254/

 

[Meerkat1234]

Thank you @GillianC, I'll take a look. A lot of sling chairs seem to feel quite hard, does anyone else find that? We'd like to sink into a seat a bit with padding, feel cocooned round the sides (especially in Winter). And have it pack up. The removable padding of the Helinox padded seat cover would be a good solution, I like that we could pack that up separately and stuff it in spaces, not use it for hot days etc - but like I say above, that's more a "Home" solution, not outdoors. Maybe that doesn't matter..?

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Helinox are all weather and UV resistant. Just means “home” style comfort.

 

[larrylamb]

If you have a VW type bike rack you could always fit a large waterproof bag to hold the chairs in.
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/product/thule-easybag
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/shop/p...riginal-volkswagen-t6t5-tailgate-bicycle-back

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you @GillianC, I'll take a look. A lot of sling chairs seem to feel quite hard, does anyone else find that? We'd like to sink into a seat a bit with padding, feel cocooned round the sides (especially in Winter). And have it pack up. The removable padding of the Helinox padded seat cover would be a good solution, I like that we could pack that up separately and stuff it in spaces, not use it for hot days etc - but like I say above, that's more a "Home" solution, not outdoors. Maybe that doesn't matter..?

Cheaper Alternative - certainly something to try.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DB1L2PK/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

 

[No_heroes]

I just recieved my Nash Indulgence Moon Chair in a fishing camo colour. Not to everyone’s taste- but the quality is amazing. It’s a game changer compared to all other chairs I have tried when it comes to relaxing comfort.

It does pack quite large- but better than a folding chair when it comes to fitting it in the van and seems easier to handle. No danger of trapped fingers etc. Very easy to put up and pack down.

I’m really happy with it.