REI Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair Review

Bottom Line

The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair combines practicality and comfort in a camping chair that offers versatility of use and great value. We spent months testing this chair in the varied weather conditions of California’s Eastern Sierra, in environments ranging from high desert to alpine forests, putting the Camp Dreamer through its paces in a host of terrains, temperatures, and moisture levels. With its high-back design and use of durable materials, the Flexlite proved to be a sturdy yet comfortable set, while maintaining a lightweight build that made it easy to bring on all our adventures. 

The Flexlite isn’t designed for all body types, and it’s a bit heavier than we’d prefer for longer backpacking trips. But despite these drawbacks, it’s a sturdy camping chair that straddles the car camping and backpacking worlds and can withstand tougher outdoor use without diminishing its comfort or portability.

Comfort

The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair proves that you don’t have to sacrifice comfort to keep things lightweight. Its scoop-back design allows for relaxation in any destination, while remaining one of the lightest chairs we tested. The highlight of the Flexlite is its high back. Our 5’ 7” tester had her whole upper body swaddled by the chair and could even rest her head on the seat back. The longer back makes for a relaxed seated position, allowing you to stretch out while still being supported by the chair. 

The chair also comes with a detachable neck cushion that connects to the seat back via two small toggles. We found it a bit stiff, though with more use, we’d expect the cushion to become more flexible, cushier, and give more. However, it does provide extra support at the top of the seat back, adding sturdiness to the chair’s thinner fabric body, and is perfectly positioned to pad the neck and head. 

The seat itself has a comfortably snug fit that was easy to sit in for hours at a time, and we liked the feeling of being supported by the chair. However, someone with a larger stature might find it too constrictive. Holes on the sides of the chair’s bottom allow for generous airflow, which proved necessary when using the Flexlite on hot sunny days. 

The Camp Dreamer doesn’t have armrests, and we found it a bit awkward to either tuck our arms beside our body or have them loosely rest on the chair’s sides. However, overall, the Flexlite’s high-backed build is relaxing and supportive, ensuring comfort isn’t lost in the name of minimalism.

Durability

When it comes to durability, the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair doesn’t offer anything special, but its sturdy, well-designed build proves reliable across a range of uses and conditions. The chair relies on an aluminum frame to support up to 300 pounds, and in our tests of dropping weight into the chair and applying torque to the frame, it withstood the stresses and pressure without sustaining any damage. 

Plastic hubs that give the frame its shape are burly enough to resist breakage, helping extend the chair’s lifespan. The seat cover also shows longevity with an abrasion-resistant, water-repellent polyester, making it easier for the Camp Dreamer to handle a variety of weather conditions and rougher use.

We put the chair to use amidst spiny brush in less-hospitable desert locales and even left it set up outside through the dramatic shifts of Eastern Sierra winter, in weather ranging from snowfall to 90-degree afternoons. The Flexlite suffered no deterioration or impact to its structure, highlighting how suited it is for outdoor use. 

One potential weak spot is the pockets where the frame posts connect to the fabric seat cover. These sleeves are shallower than other chairs’ designs and, though strong, could be susceptible to wear and tear over time. Ultimately, though, the use of quality materials allow the Flexlite to be a hardy and lasting companion on outdoor adventures.

Portability

In addition to its comfortable high back, the REI Co-op Camp Dreamer Chair shines in how easily it can be brought to almost any destination. Fully collapsible, the chair packs into a stuff sack, leaving you with a bundle we found easy to stash in the corners of a car trunk or backpack. The only negative of the stuff sack is its drawstring pouch design. We would love to see a strap added for convenient over-the-shoulder carrying. The chair disassembles quickly and requires little negotiation to get it into the sack, making it one of the most packable chairs we’ve encountered. 

For ultralight purists, the 3-pound, 7-ounce weight of the Flexlite might be too heavy for backpacking, but it’s still one of the lightest-weight chairs we tested by several pounds. When you have extra pack space or fewer miles to travel, it’s on the threshold of being just light enough to take along. For less intensive outdoor forays, we appreciated having a comfortable spot to sit that didn’t add too much of an extra burden on our back.

Ease of Use

Similar to other collapsible scoop-back chairs, the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair is made up of two parts: frame and fabric seat cover. With the aid of shock cord stringing them together, the frame pieces essentially guide themselves into the hubs that give the chair its shape, making it possible to set up the Flexlite without ever referring to the instruction manual.

Frame posts slide into the pockets at each corner of the seat cover, which we found required some strength to overcome the posts’ tension against the fabric. However, once assembled, the chair holds firmly together, with no risk of the pieces coming apart. Overall, we appreciate the relative simplicity of the two-step setup process. 

At 12.5 inches, the Camp Dreamer sits slightly higher off the ground than other lightweight chairs, which makes for a more comfortable seated position, with knees slightly less scrunched. It does sit lower than options, though, and the scoop design makes it harder to get up from the seat. Without armrests to help you push yourself out of the chair, standing up can be a bit of an effort, particularly for those with limited mobility. 

The Flexlite has a minimalist design to keep weight low, but doesn’t let this prevent it from including a few useful features. One unique aspect is the four loops of webbing on each corner of the chair. Designed as pull tabs for inserting the frame poles into the seat cover pockets, we also envision using them to stake the chair down in windy conditions. We did experience some gusty weather during testing and wouldn’t recommend leaving the chair unattended in the wind, but these tie-down points provide a solution to this problem that we only found on the Flexlite. 

Unlike most lightweight chairs, the Camp Dreamer also has two cupholders — one on each side of the chair — rectangular slits that pull open to fit a drink or small object. We could fit our 32-ounce Hydroflask water bottle in the holder, but once it was empty, it tipped over because there was no structure to hold it in place. The cupholder design is somewhat awkward to use, but we like that the chair incorporates a place to stow accessories, particularly when other similar options do not.

Should You Buy The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair?

For those looking to get deeper into the backcountry but don’t want to sacrifice creature comforts, the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair is a low-weight option that’s a portable, relaxing place to sit. Its simple, collapsible build enables the chair to remain light and easy to transport, while its scoop seat and high-back design make it comfortable to use. 

People with larger frames or mobility issues may struggle to find maximum comfort in this chair. Its tighter-fitting seat and low seat height aren’t suited for every body type. Additionally, the Flexlite is lightweight, but on the threshold of being too heavy to be a backpacking no-brainer. Though much lighter than many of the other chairs we tested, it weighs just enough to require a little extra effort and pack space in use beyond a car camping trip. Despite these aspects, though, the Camp Dreamer is an excellent balance of minimalism, comfort, and packability.

What Other Camping Chairs Should You Consider?

Head over to our guide to the Best Camping Chairs to find out how the REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Dreamer Chair compares to the other chairs on our list. And consider these other options:

Helinox Chair One High Back (re) Review: Featuring a very similar design to the Flexlite, the Chair One is another high-backed, scoop-seat that blends comfort and portability. Though its back is slightly lower than the Camp Dreamer, it’s even lighter weight and comes in a compact pouch that offers maximum packability in the tightest spaces. 

Helinox Chair Zero Review: Another option from Helinox, the Chair Zero is the best choice among the chairs we tested for backpacking. Weighing just over a pound, this collapsible scoop-seat packs down to the size of a water bottle, making it our top choice for deep backcountry comfort. 

ENO Lounger DL Review: The hammock-style design of the ENO Lounger takes comfort to the next level. Equipped with a headrest cushion and extended seat back like the Flexlite, it’s a chair that prioritizes relaxation. It is a couple of pounds heavier than the Flexlite and not as small when disassembled, but features like cupholders and side pockets make it even easier to enjoy the chair for hours on end.