REI Co-op  Flexlite Air Chair

I debated whether to take this luxury item on an intensive backpacking trip in N Pakistan this summer. Everyone sits on the ground there anyway but I’d recently tweaked my knee. I took another one for my guide/friend Aslam (not wanting him to sit at my feet). He and his friends fell about laughing when I popped those babies up! However they proved to become an essential part of our kit. They provided instant comfort in rocky, wet terrain and served (unexpectedly) to be an ice breaker with the shepherds we met, who also had to try them out. The trick is so ensure all four feet are on flat ground before sitting and to slide into them gently, not throw yourself onto them like a sack of spuds. Aslam is now the proud owner and only Pakistani guide to have one of these chairs! he was completely won over by how easy it was to do the cooking seated on his throne and to sit anywhere in comfort during our long trekking days.

Don't bother - it's a POOR design! There is nothing to keep the cords from rubbing on the sharp aluminum edges of the frame, so they start to fray with very little use. We bought this chair for our Boy Scout to use on future backpacking trips, but after maybe 3-4 campouts, the cords are about to break. And because we've had it a year, it's no longer under warranty. REI denies that it is a manufacturer's defect, which we understand.... but the simple fact remains that it's a poor design and there's no longevity to how it is made. Don't buy unless you enjoy throwing money out the window.

This chair is the freaking best. For just an extra 1lb on your back (let's be real - you won't even notice it), you'll be so glad you got this chair. It's extremely lightweight and easy to assemble. Once you go backpacking with this, you'll ask yourself why you didn't get this chair sooner. There's nothing better than having hiked a long way and then be able to lounge with your meal/coffee. No more sitting on a hard and bumpy log or rock with no backrest. The only 2 things you need to watch out for are 1. the chance of it flying away when it's unattended in windy conditions due to how lightweight it is and 2. the chance of you falling over since you do have to be attentive to how you distribute your own weight in the chair.

I never knew how much I could enjoy my PB&J on a grueling day hike until I ate it ensconced on my new throne—the Flexlite Air Chair. Easily assembled and cradled by comfort, I was the envy of every other hiker (except the one who also had this chair). We nodded to each other knowingly. Go ahead—sit on the cold ground if you want. We have seen luxury. And it is the Flexlite Air Chair. The opportunities to use this chair are endless—don’t be constrained by convention. It’s earned a permanent place in the trunk of my car, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice for long checkout lines, swapping out those awful plastic chairs at outdoor concerts at wineries and staging impromptu sit-ins. Thank you, REI.

I enjoyed this chair for almost two years on backpacking and car camping trips. It is lightweight and packable. However, one of the long arms split open on my last camping trip when I sat down in the chair. No funny business, it just cracked. I barely weigh 100 lbs, so I was shocked. For the price of the chair, I expected it to last more than two years.

Even though I am returning this product due to the seat height (11" is too low for me to get in and out of comfortably, I'm 6-1) the overall comfort is impressive. It does wobble a bit from side to side so I don't know how it would hold up using it day in day out on a backpacking trip. I sort of have to flop down in it and with my weight of 225, this will probably break it or bend the poles over extended use. It is easy to assemble and take down. For a smaller and younger person, this would be a great add for those backcountry trips. Only weighs a 1 lb. If it was about 2-3" taller it would work for me. I need a Flexlite Air XL!

I was preparing for a High Sierra adventure and thought it would be worth the extra pound or so of weight to have some camp comfort. Well, once in a while I make GREAT decisions. What a difference that chair made in my campsite sitting after a climb or hiking day. Will never be without it in my future expeditions. And I get a kick sorta, out of some of these reviews. For instance, trouble if it is sandy. For heavens sake, find a more stable spot or place something under the legs. Improvise!!! What do you want with a one pound chair? A Lazyboy recliner!? And in closing, I weigh 194, and the seating was just fine! Good stuff REI!

It’s comfy. 15.9 oz, it’s hard to beat. Way more comfortable than the helinox zero chair (which is over 1 lb 2 oz) and about the same level of comfort as the heavy Amazon “Yizi lite 750” (1 lb 9 oz) chair (same general shape as the yizi). After some big miles, you’ll be thankful for this piece of equipment.

I've owned the chair for years, but only used it a handful of times (<10). The seat doesnt quite fit the legs, so you have really bend the legs to fit it in the pockets, which cause a massive amount of tension on the material. so much so, it rips the material of the bottom pockets. DO NOT BUY

I used it for a year and a half before it broke. One of the legs bent and then folded. I looked to see if they sell replacement parts, but they don't; they only sell replacement seat fabric. There also doesn't appear to be a repair option for the chair. I don't think I got $100 worth of use out of the chair.