For nearly the past 10 years, I’ve packed a backpacking chair of some type along on most of my backpacking trips. It’s one of those items that is never immediately packed – ending up somewhere off to the side while packing in what I describe as some type of “maybe” pile. Although rocks and logs in the field are free of charge and don’t add weight to your pack (provided you don’t carry them), the chair always ends up coming along.

New to the lightweight backpacking chair market, the NEMO Moonlite Elite has an intriguing reclining design.

These days I’ve settled on chairs like the REI Flexlite Air Chair and the Helinox Chair Zero that weigh around a pound and offer a reasonable amount of comfort for their weight. What I’ve found however, is that there is a compromise with just about every option. The lightest chairs may only be comfortable in one sitting position, while (as you might expect) the more comfortable chairs like the Helinox Ground Chair are heavier and in the case of the Ground Chair, are a bit more difficult to get in and out of with a low seating height (although this is the most comfortable backpacking chair I’ve tested).

The NEMO Moonlite Elite chair sets up and breaks down in about a minute.

The NEMO Moonlite Elite Reclining Backpacking Chair

When I noticed the NEMO Moonlite Elite chair however, it seemed like it could offer promise of an interesting all-around solution. Listed at 18 ounces, this listed weight was very competitive with the other chairs I use. Additionally, a fabric platform / footprint is included with the chair that the feet of the chair hook into (to prevent sinking in soft ground) and that doubles as a way to pack the seat and shock-corded aluminum poles when broken down in lieu of a stuff sack. While 18 ounces isn’t the lightest backpacking chair out there, there was hope on my part that this weight included the footprint, and that I could potentially leave the footprint at home to save a couple ounces off the listed weight. The chair is rated for up to 250lbs of weight, is available in 2 colors, and has a 10 inch seating height.

The most unique feature of the Elite however is that it’s marketed as a reclining backpacking chair. The sides of the chair are supported by a thin cord on each side (very similar in feel to Kelty Triptease) with an inline “climbing inspired” adjustment slider. By sliding the adjusters forward you’ll be setup in a more upright seating position; slide them backwards to recline. This feature I hoped, would offer seating comfort no matter if your knees were bent, straight out, crossed, etc.

Impressions & Performance

Unfortunately after receiving the chair, my hopes of having just obtained one of the lightest backpacking chairs on the market were quickly dashed once I weighed the NEMO Moonlite Elite. Although the chair is listed at 18 ounces on the spec sheet, I had assumed that included the footprint, and as I previously mentioned, there seemed to be a possibility that I could leave the footprint at home, save a couple ounces, and end up with a chair rivaling the weight of the class leading (weight-wise) REI Flexlite Air Chair.

As I found out however, the 18 ounce listed weight of the Elite apparently does not include the footprint of the chair; in fact the chair weighs 22.15 ounces with everything included. Even leaving the footprint out, the chair still weighs more than the listed weight at 18.6 ounces. In the lightweight backpacking chair market, this 20+ ounce weight category is just about average, and it’s not too hard to beat 19 ounces with other options. That said, if you’ll be using the chair in sand or even snow as I found out in testing, the footprint, despite adding weight to the package, works quite well.

But perhaps comfort would win out? As I previously mentioned, one thing that always bugs me about many lightweight backpacking chairs is that they are typically not comfortable in all positions. Frequently, the edge of the seat may bite into the backs of your thighs if you stretch your legs out, forcing you to sit with knees bent and in a more upright posture. And, these days after a day of hiking my knees aren’t agreeable with this bent-knee position for long periods of time. Still better than no chair at all, but I like to alternate positions and stretch my legs after a day of hiking with a multiday pack.

The Moonlite Elite, with its reclining feature, held some promise of solving this issue. Perhaps with the side tensioners in the upright position the chair would be perfect for knees-bent sitting, and with the tensioners loosened I hoped the chair would adjust well for legs-extended reclining. In practice the reclining feature helps, but the edge of the chair is still uncomfortable with your legs extended. Despite the reclining feature, the Moonlite Elite is best for a more upright seating position with knees bent.

Additionally, the side tensioners are not easy to adjust (they do not slide easily), they are rough on those dry backpacking hands with the rough textured cord, and do not always hold where they are set – for example with the tensioners set to the full upright position when you lean back they will slip, and you’ll be in a slow “auto recline” type of mode. Lastly, the chair is small width-wise, and this chair is best for smaller people up to average at most. I would imagine that a ladder lock slider type design would work better, as can be found in the standard and heavier NEMO Moonlite chair.

If you are of an average size or higher, you just won’t have enough room in the chair and the side cordage will cut into your sides making the chair uncomfortable. This is also the natural place to rest your arms and the small cordage is not all that comfortable. One other note regarding the side cords (after deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyph-like instruction tag) is that NEMO does not want you putting downward pressure on these cords with your hands to help when you’re entering and exiting the chair.

Assembly and disassembly is easy, labeled and color-coded. Unique to the chair is the ball and socket design of the seat to pole structure attachment system. The chair is very quiet, no creaking of poles with the NEMO Moonlite Elite as you adjust your seating position. And although it takes a bit of experimentation to figure out how NEMO wants you to pack the chair, once you get it down the way the poles and seat pack into the groundsheet / provided platform is pretty nifty. The mesh fabric of the chair will also be appreciated on rainy nights – some other chairs will collect water if you forget to turn them upside down at night, leaving you with a wet chair for morning coffee.

The footprint of the Moonlite Elite serves as a means to secure the chair for packing and helps mitigate sinking on soft surfaces, but adds weight.

Conclusion & Final Thoughts

Overall the NEMO Moonlite Elite holds a lot of promise and feels like a high quality chair, but the chair is heavier than the listed weight all around and is best for smaller people. The mesh fabric of the chair will be nice when it rains overnight and for ventilation in summer, and best of the all the chair is very stable and quiet, a very nice feature.

NEMO has really done a great job with the seat attachment system, the forged aluminum hubs of the chair, and the basic design overall, but I didn’t find the reclining feature to offer much advantage. However, for smaller sized people the chair should be quite comfortable especially in the upright seating position. There are lighter options out there and the highlights of this chair are juxtaposed by drawbacks that make something of a chair conundrum.

Additionally, it is quite expensive and priced at the top of the backpacking chair market. That said, I think the design holds a lot of promise if a few changes were to ever be implemented. In its current design the Moonlite Elite offers buyers a chair that is made from high quality materials at a reasonable weight, is packable, and offers a comfortable place to sit at the end of the day…if you’re the right size and a good fit for this smaller sized backpacking chair.

The NEMO Moonlite Elite reclining backpacking chair retails for $180. You can find it here at REI Co-op as well as here at Amazon.com.

Editor's Note: This review originally appeared in TrailGroove Magazine Issue 56. You can read the original article here featuring adiditional photos, pros and cons, and our rating of the NEMO Moonlite Elite backpacking chair.