The Expedition Journals

Last year, I wrote a piece on lifeinthesaddle.cc titled ' The Importance of Comfort (and Tea) '— the post was intended to highlight my ethos of making smart decisions to avoid discomfort—as the saying goes "any fool can be uncomfortable". With my sea kayaking expeditions becoming increasingly adventurous and challenging, I started to consider what I could do to enhance my comfort levels on long-distance paddles. Thinking 'outside the boat', I looked at my stop-over setup, and decided that to rest my back muscles and legs at a mid-paddle stopover, a lightweight camping chair would be a worthwhile investment. The model I set upon was the industry leading Helinox Chair Zero. This is my review... The Helinox Chair Zero is the ultimate lightweight camping chair. Weighing in at just 510 grams, it is a small burden for the amount of comfort that it can deliver; letting you relax, recover, and enjoy your mid-expedition stopovers on kayaking, hiking, and campin...

My Helinox Chair Zero folding chair comes with me on all kinds of adventures; from hiking to kayaking, sailing, and beach trips. At the start of 2020, I made a pledge to myself to share more of my adventures with others, and that means doubling up on kit; with Helinox releasing a new Chair One in collaboration with Finisterre—one of my favourite casual clothing brands—it seemed like a great opportunity to invest in another super comfortable and super portable chair. The Helinox x Finisterre Chair One is the first Helinox Chair to feature a 100 percent recycled fabric seat. Sourced by Finisterre and tested by Helinox, this 200 denier recycled nylon yarn is both lightweight, strong and water repellent. The Helinox x Finisterre Chair One uses the same superb quality DAC aluminium poles as the other chairs within the Helinox range, but this model uses a unique green anodisation technique developed by DAC that is an environmentally friendly way to anodise the aluminium poles...

A few months back I reviewed the fantastic Helinox Chair Zero . The super lightweight camping chair has fast become a vital accessory for all my adventures by land or sea; supplying comfort and relaxation after strenuous challenges. This product is near perfect for its intended use, but I recently discovered two additions that can improve its functionality and comfort even further: the Helinox Vibram Ball Feet—to stop the chair sinking into soft ground; and the Helinox Seat Warmer—for extra comfort in colder temperatures. Vibram® Ball Feet (45 mm) I have been using the Helinox Chair Zero for kayaking and hiking adventures; it is perfect for beach stopovers and resting your legs with a flask of coffee at the top of a big hill. The problem I discovered a few times on such rest stops though, was that I had a bit of a sinking feeling… I am not a heavyweight, but on soft sand and mud there is a tendency for the feet of your Helinox chair to sink into the ground; something that make...