Very small folding chair recommendations

Ridgeway

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Getting our regular big chairs out from a well packed garage can be a bit of a hassle so i was thinking about getting some really small folding chairs just for those evening aire stopovers, just enough for a couple of hours sitting outside, or using for a quick lunch stop etc.

Trouble is the market is full of seeming fantastic solutions and all are about a fiver…. and as I’d prefer not to “buy cheap and buy twice“ then i don‘t mind spending at at least £6 😂 actually form and function is more the main criteria, that being that they must fold super small and then equally must not be disposable after 2-3 uses…. need them to last quite some years.
 
How small is small?
I have a Helinox-style chair which is really designed for cycle touring or backpacking.
It packs up very small, but when unpacked it is still very small and low down to the ground.
I would suggest looking for something larger unless you are very small and very flexible.

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I have Helinox chairs and hard table. They weren’t cheap, but are light and are small when packed.

I have the large Helonix chairs and no issue with size.

Apart from the cost the only downside is they are a bit more fiddly to put up than a conventional folding chair.
 
£90 for a folding chair……………..the worlds gone mad 🤣
Yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice!

Back in the early 1990's I paid £25 each for a paid of folding chairs.
Probably at least £50 each in todays money.

They have lived in the shed, been on dozens (hundreds??) of Scout camps, been soaked, burnt, bleached, been carried all over the UK and much of Europe and are still as good as the day there were made, well over 30 years ago.

In the meantime we have also had several far cheaper chairs, mostly in the back of the Motorhomes that have not lasted more than a season, (or one Scout camp).

We now carry a pair of Brunner chairs in the back of the Motorhome, they have lasted 3 seasons so far.
 
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We’re all small but getting less flexible 🤩
 
We also have a couple of these

About 12" high.
They can be stools, side tables, foot stools, or step up to reach high objects.
Also it is the perfect height for a Cadac gas bottle when you have the Cadac Safari Chef 2 or 30 on the table.
We use them both inside and out in the motorhome.


1752945108670.webp
 
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We have two Helinox Sunset chairs which have a higher back than the One chair. Very compfortable and can be packed in a small daysack if needed. Take about 30 seconds to set up and pack away.

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Try Decathlon, they do a cheap version of the Helinox one, around 40 euros.
 
look up festival chairs on Amazon. I have 2 - one is lower to the ground than the other. Pack very small, lightweight and in a neat zipped holder no more than 16” long.

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We use these...the most comfortable small chair we have used....not cheap but very well made.
 
We use these...the most comfortable small chair we have used....not cheap but very well made.

Ordered 4 of these in the end. With a search around for a discount code and a bundle deal they came in at the same price as the Decathlon ones and they look a lot better 👍🏻

Thanks jumar
 
Ordered 4 of these in the end. With a search around for a discount code and a bundle deal they came in at the same price as the Decathlon ones and they look a lot better 👍🏻

Thanks jumar
You are very welcome, they are really quality stuff, pack small and incredibly durable..
 

Robbens Observer Chair
Highly recommended, not cheap but way more support and stability and strength than the Helinox ones - where the target market is extreme lightness - which we don't need. The Robbens chairs are not super light but not heavy either.
Be sure to look for a photo showing the folded size. Again not as small as Helinox, but compact enough to easily stow in a van.
Look around for better prices, of course.

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Robbens Observer Chair
Highly recommended, not cheap but way more support and stability and strength than the Helinox ones - where the target market is extreme lightness - which we don't need. The Robbens chairs are not super light but not heavy either.
Be sure to look for a photo showing the folded size. Again not as small as Helinox, but compact enough to easily stow in a van.
Look around for better prices, of course.
I guess it depends which helinox chair you are comparing it to. The highback Helinox chairs are heavier than the Observer chair and will take more weight, but packed size is about the same. It would be interesting to compare the two in real life.
 
We have a couple of these which, for reasons already mentioned above, work well as a secondary option when required…

 
Ordered 4 of these in the end. With a search around for a discount code and a bundle deal they came in at the same price as the Decathlon ones and they look a lot better 👍🏻

Thanks jumar
I’ve ordered 2 as well so thank you 😃

MOUTAINLOVER10 gives a 10% discount if anyone else is interested…
 
I have a eurohike max weight 90 Kg bought it to use when knitting as it has no arms now fight to get to use it image.webp
Just realised it is not fully out got well used at the music festival wish I had found it years ago
 
We have Isabella chairs which although comfy, do take up garage space (we have 3).
As we have visitors, I bought two chairs from Aldi a while back. They collapse to fit into a tube bag, lightweight and are also comfy for short term (an hour or so) and tend to use on aires as they’re easy to access from the garage. I think I paid about £14 each at the time.



image.webp

image.webp

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I brought two of these and have to say they are super comfortable

 
Frontrunner expander chair, pricey but surprisingly comfy and tough, we've had ours for 5 years and very happy with them, very compact when folded.

https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.c...LORvY35PztM81NX7YDQpNYHrVRcQEbA4aAuXKEALw_wcB
I have Frontrunner and Helinox for different reasons.
Frontrunner - super comfy and pack down really small.
Helinox - even smaller, super lightweight, not as comfy, slower to set up and pack away.
Both are brilliant for the uses we put them to.
 
TREKOLOGY Ultra Lightweight Compact Portable Chair
easily fits in a rucksack, and 2 can go in a carrier bag with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. Have used them on the beach, by the river, and outside the van on stops where we couldn't be bothered to get out the larger ones. Currently £39

 
This site contains affiliate links for which MHF may be compensated.
Helinox and clones are good but they're a faff to put up - it kind goes with the territory.

It's like any engineering problem: small, quick to put up, cheap... pick two.

A better solution might be packing better so your big chairs are more accessible.

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