Sunyear Camping Chair Review – a Cheap Knockoff of a Heliox Chair, but is it Good?
We may earn commissions if you shop through the links below.
On an 8-day canoe trip through the lower canyons of the Rio Grande River along the Texas border, we brought along Heliox chairs for lounging around on in camp. They were light and comfy, but at $100 I didn’t feel like they were worth it. While researching the chairs on Amazon I found a knockoff by Sunyear. I’ve been using these chairs since February and this is my Sunyear Camping Chair Review.
Description of the Sunyear Camping Chair
The Sunyear Camping Chair is basically a knockoff of a Heliox chair. It is even the same blue. The legs are made from aircraft-grade 7075 aluminium alloy and fold up into a pouch that is 14.6 inches by 3.9 inches by 3.9 inches. It’s made from a nylon fabric with a mesh back and has rubber feet. The pieces that connect the poles are made from a hard plastic resin. The pole pockets are made with a vinyl fabric material that Sunyear claims holds up longer than competitors who use fabric pole pockets. It weighs 1 pound 15 ounces and can hold 250 pounds. You could save a few ounces by leaving the bag at home and using the included Velcro strap to wrap the fabric to the poles when packing it up. It runs $32.98 on Amazon, which is about $70 less than the Heliox chair.
Sunyear Camping Chair Review
I bought three of these back in February and have been using them for the past six months. We kept one setup in our living room the entire time to see if it would hold up. While it didn’t get extensive use, it still looks new. We’ve used them on several camping trips and I’ve had one in the back of my car that I’ve pulled out often just to sit around a read or work on the beach. I can’t tell the difference between this chair and the Heliox. It’s comfy and so far has held up perfectly. Ultimately, even if I were to go through three of these chairs, I’d still save a bit of money over a Heliox. But, I can’t see much of a difference between the two and expect that these will hold up for a long time — only time will tell.
Conclusion
There are a ton of Heliox knockoffs on the market and most run about $30. If you want the original and don’t mind paying $100, then get the Heliox. But, for me, this Sunyear is plenty good. I’m happy with the purchase and would purchase it again.
Bryan Hansel
Bryan Hansel is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer and a former American Canoe Association L4 Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor. His home port is on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota. He also teaches photography workshops.
You May Also Like
Sans Meal Bar Review – Can it replace a meal?
Learning the Greenland-style Storm Roll Part 2: The Kayak Roll
