REI Flexlite Air Chair Review

Bottom Line

The REI Flexlite Air Chair gets our vote as the best value in backpacking chairs. It only weighs one pound while providing the comfort, back support, and packability we want out of a backpacking chair. Gear analyst Jory Brass has been using his Flexlite since 2015, so he was stoked to compare REI’s newest model to 10 other seats for our latest guide to the best backpacking chairs.

Based on our first-hand testing, the Flexlite Air is a standout. It ranks at the top of our list while costing much less than other premium backpacking chairs. We’re especially impressed with the way REI balanced this chair’s weight and packability with its comfort and support. We have no qualms about carrying this ultralight chair into the woods because we know it will make a big difference in camp when it’s time to unwind after a big day of hiking.

Minimalists may balk at carrying an extra pound on their back, and some backpackers will want a more stable backpacking chair. That being said, the REI Flexlite Air is one of the best overall scoop seats we tested – and one of the more affordable ones, too.

How We Tested

For ten years, CleverHiker Editor and Gear analyst Jory Brass has carried some version of the REI Flexlite from the Grand Canyon to Tasmania as he backpacked iconic trails in the United States and Australia. For this review, he tested the newest Flexlite Air for two months in New Mexico. He compared its comfort to that of 10 other backpacking chairs through extended sitting sessions, weighed it, hauled it to backcountry campsites, and subjected it to some abuse. He also timed how long it took to assemble, disassemble, and repack it.

Comfort

The REI Flexlite Air Chair is comfortable, especially for an ultralight backpacking chair. The scoop-style seat has plenty of space for our sturdy gear analyst, who’s been using this chair for a long time without any serious comfort complaints. As its name suggests, the Flexlite’s aluminum poles have some flex to them. This improves comfort since the chair flexes with our body movements as we shift in the seat, lean back, or reach over for our coffee, camp stove, or map. 

We also like this chair’s back support. Backpacking chairs are more of a necessity than a luxury for gear analyst Jory Brass, who has a bad back. Although the REI Flexlite Chair doesn’t offer the best back support, it has provided him with plenty of support over the past ten years of backpacking. Its backrest hits high enough to lean back and take a load off his back and shoulders. For more support, you’d need to buy a significantly heavier backpacking chair. 

For the most part, we like this chair’s height, shape, and seating angle. With a seat height of 11 inches, the Flexlite sits relatively high off the ground, making it easier to sit down and stand up than several chairs we tested. The chair’s design allows us to sit somewhat upright while also leaning back and extending our legs in front of us. 

However, not all body shapes and sizes fit optimally in the Flexlite. Longer sits will cause the front edge of the seat to dig into Jory’s hamstrings when he stretches out his legs in front of him. This can restrict circulation, but occasional readjustments keep the blood flowing well enough in this position. Other than this occasional issue, the REI Flexlite Air proved to be a comfortable chair to carry into the backcountry.

Weight & Packability

The ultralight backpacking chair is also easy to carry into the backcountry, given its comparatively low weight and small packed size. 

Weighing only one pound, the REI Flexlite Air Chair is one of the lightest traditional backpacking chairs in our gear guide. If you want a comfortable backpacking chair with a backrest, this is the lightest one we tested. Minimalists may refuse to carry an extra pound for some campsite comfort, but this chair adds a lot to our camp experience without weighing us down on the way there.

Its packed size is also smaller than average. We typically strap backpacking chairs beneath our backpack, but this one fits inside the expandable side bottle pockets of our mid-sized backpack. We appreciated that versatility in the field. Some backpacking chairs hog pack space. Not this one.

Weight and packability are where the REI Flexlite Air Chair provides serious value. It’s the lightest scoop seat-style backpacking chair we tested, yet it costs significantly less than the closest competition in this category. If you’re looking for an affordable ultralight backpacking chair, the REI Flexlite Air is in a class of its own.

Stability

We love the REI Flexlite Air Chair, but stability is its lowest metric. Compared with other backpacking chairs we tested, it’s somewhat tippy, especially on sand and soft ground.

Over years of use, Editor and Gear Analyst Jory Brass doesn’t remember troubles with this chair’s stability – other than tipping over once on the Allegheny Front Trail when one chair leg dug into soft soil next to a creek and sent him sprawling (which was more funny than painful). However, that was in an older version of the Flexlite where the center pole ran side to side. Now, the chair’s center pole runs front to back – which limits its lateral stability.

This limitation played out in our field tests. While conducting stability tests at a backcountry campsite in New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains, Jory accidentally toppled the REI Flexlite chair when the camera was rolling (see below).

With its legs spreading less than 10 inches wide, the REI chair also has the narrowest base out of the backpacking chairs we tested. We noticed those legs lifting off the ground as we leaned back to relax, leaned forward to tend to our camp stove, or leaned to the side to grab our coffee mug. Plus, the Flexlite’s aluminum poles do indeed have some flex to them. These features add up to stability that’s only adequate.

If you’ve picked a nice, level campsite, you should feel fairly confident about the Flexlite’s stability. The chair’s limitations are more noticeable on sand, soft soil, and uneven terrain. For us, the chair’s average stability is a reasonable tradeoff for its ultralight weight. But it’s not the best buy for klutzes, backpackers with poor balances, or those who regularly set up camp in sand, pine needles, and soft ground.

Ease of Use

In our experience, the REI Flexlite Aire Chair is the typical, tent-style backpacking chair. Its aluminum leg segments are connected with shock cord for relatively quick assembly and disassembly. The flex in the aluminum legs makes it easier to stretch the seat fabric over the frame and stick the poles into the seat’s corner pockets. In the field, it took us about 30 seconds to unpack and set up the Flexlite Air Chair – and a similar time to break it down and repack it in its convenient stuff sack. The average backpacking chair took us twice as long. 

The only drawbacks we found are stability-related. Since this ultralight backpacking chair isn’t as stable as heavier camp chairs, you may need to watch your balance more or spend a little time finding the sweet spot where the chair legs are weighted evenly.  

Overall, this backpacking chair is pretty easy to use. 

Should You Buy the REI Flexlite Air Chair?

We highly recommend the REI Flexlite Air Chair for backpackers looking for a perfect balance between weight savings and comfort. This is an ultralight chair that packs plenty of comfort and back support into its one-pound package. The chair’s lightweight build sacrifices some stability, but that’s a fair trade-off for more weight savings and better packability. We also recommend the Flexlite Air Chair for value-oriented buyers since the other ultralight backpacking chairs we recommend cost 40-80% more. That’s why the REI chair is one of our CleverHiker Budget Buys.

What Other Backpacking Chairs Should You Consider?

The REI Flexlite ranks high on our list, but we share more top picks on our full guide to the best backpacking chairs.

Helinox Chair Zero Review: The Flexlite finished second to the top-ranked Chair Zero – which is slightly more comfortable and stable while weighing two ounces more and costing quite a bit more. 

NEMO Moonlite Elite Review: The other ultralight backpacking chair on our list, the Moonlite has standout stability and also features a unique, reclining suspension.

Trekology Yizi-Lite Review: If you’re most focused on comfort and price, this affordable low-rider from Trekology is another one of our best budget buys.