Helinox Sunset Chair (re), Black (10003700)

Helinox Sunset Chair (re) Review: A Packable Chair With a High Back

The two chairs already on this site sit at opposite ends of a trade-off. The Helinox Chair One packs to the size of a water bottle and weighs about 2 lb, but it has a low, bucket-style seat with no head support, and some people find it hard to get out of. The ALPS King Kong has a 19-inch seat and armrests, but it weighs 13 lb and packs to 40 x 8 x 9 inches. The Helinox Sunset Chair (re) sits between them. It uses the same shock-corded aluminium pole design as the Chair One, adds a 27-inch backrest with a headrest flap and longer legs, and still packs into an 18.5-inch case at under 4 lb.

What the Amazon link sells: "Helinox Sunset Chair (re)" in Black, model 10003700 (ASIN B0GG9LHVHT). The "(re)" is Helinox's current redesign, with recycled fabric and a second tension line around the frame. Other colours are separate listings. When we checked, Amazon showed the listing in stock.

This review is research-based. VanLifeKitchens doesn't test products hands-on. Specs come from Helinox's product page and the Amazon listing this page links to. Comfort and fit notes are reasoned from those published dimensions.

Choose this if:

• You like the Chair One's packed size but want head and shoulder support for long evenings outside.
• You find a very low seat hard to stand up from. The Sunset's front edge sits 18.5 inches up, per the Amazon listing.
• You want a chair that's still light enough to carry a long way from the van.

Skip this if:

• You want the smallest possible packed chair. The Chair One packs shorter (14 inches against 18.5) and weighs about half as much.
• You want a firm, upright seat at a dining table. The Sunset is a reclined lounge chair.
• You don't want to assemble a chair each time. A quad-fold chair like the King Kong opens in one motion.

What it is

Like the Chair One, the Sunset Chair is a frame of aluminium poles joined by internal shock cords and plugged into resin hubs, with a fabric seat stretched over the upper pole ends. The difference is in the proportions. Its longer leg poles raise the front of the seat, and its taller back poles carry a backrest the Amazon listing gives as 27 inches high, with a flap that works as a headrest. The (re) version adds a second tension line around the frame, which the listing says spreads your weight more evenly for a more supportive seat. It also adds moulded corner pockets that make the poles easier to seat during assembly.

Helinox lists the frame as its own DAC TH72M aluminium alloy with shock cord and resin hubs, and the seat and case as bluesign-certified, recycled 300D ripstop, with recycled polyester mesh in the seat.

Specifications and sources

Seat height, again. As with the Chair One, Helinox's spec list labels the overall height (38 inches) as "seat height." The Amazon listing gives the useful figures: 11 inches from the ground to the seat base, and 18.5 inches to the front edge of the seat. The front-edge figure is what matters when you sit down and stand up. It's close to the King Kong's 19-inch seat height, although you sit lower and more reclined in the Sunset's sling once you're in it.

How it fits a van or camp kitchen

It's an evening chair. The Sunset is built for sitting back: the high back and headrest flap support your head and shoulders when you lean back to watch a fire or the sky. It isn't a cooking chair. If you cook seated, you want to be at or above the stove, not reclined below it. Cook standing, then sit.

It suits a dining-height table better than the Chair One. With a seat front at 18.5 inches, the Sunset is a better match for a 28-inch table such as the Mountain Summit Gear Roll-Top Table than the Chair One, which leaves the table at chest height. You still sit reclined, so for long meals at a table, an upright chair is more comfortable.

Storage stays easy. At 18.5 x 6 x 4.5 inches packed, two Sunset chairs fit in a drawer, under a seat or in a garage bay. That's longer than the Chair One's 14-inch case, but much smaller than any quad-fold chair. If you're short on space, measure the drawer or bin length before you buy. The storage guide covers where camp-only gear can live.

It's light enough to carry. At under 4 lb packed, it's easy to take to a viewpoint or beach, with a pack or alongside a YETI Hopper M20 Backpack.

Stability and ground

The Sunset stands on pole-end feet, like the Chair One. On hard ground or a campsite pad that's stable for its weight. On sand, soft soil or wet grass, small feet can sink, and a reclined chair is more likely to tip backwards as the rear feet sink. Pick firm ground, or set the chair on a flat board or mat. Helinox sells accessory feet for some of its chairs, but the Sunset page we opened doesn't list compatible feet, so check before buying any.

Seat each pole fully into its hub before sitting. A half-seated pole loads the hub's edge. Don't stand on the chair or use it as a step into a high-roof van.

Durability and care

Helinox backs the Sunset Chair with a 5-year warranty and rates it at 320 lb. Keep sand and grit out of the pole joints by shaking out the poles before packing them. Let the seat dry fully before you pack it in its case, so it doesn't mildew in a damp van.

Limitations

• Assembly every time. Shock-corded poles make it quick, but it isn't a one-motion chair.
• Low seat base. The front edge is 18.5 inches, but the seat base is 11 inches. You sit low and reclined.
• Packs longer than the Chair One. 18.5 inches against 14 inches.
• Small feet can sink in soft ground.
• Spec labels. Helinox's "seat height" figure is the overall height. Use the Amazon listing's seat figures.

Choosing between the site's three chairs

Figures are the published ones in each chair's review. Three questions usually decide it:

1. How much room do you have? If chairs must fit in a door pocket or small drawer, the Chair One is the only one of the three that does. If you have a garage bay or roof box, any of them fits.
2. How easily do you get up from a low seat? If a low sling seat is hard on your knees or hips, the Chair One is the one to avoid. The Sunset's higher front edge helps, and the King Kong's upright seat and armrests help most.
3. What do you do in the chair? For eating at a table, an upright seat suits best. For long evenings outside, the Sunset's high back and headrest are the point of buying it.

Mixing chairs is common. A couple might carry one Sunset for the person who wants head support and one Chair One to save space.

How it compares

• Helinox Chair One: the same build and the same 320 lb rating, with a 25.5-inch overall height, about 2 lb, and a 14 x 4.5 x 4.5 inch packed size. It's the smallest packed seat on the site, but it has no head support and a low front edge.
• ALPS King Kong: a steel quad-fold chair with a 19-inch seat, armrests, cup holders, an 800 lb rating and one-motion setup, at 13 lb and 40 x 8 x 9 inches packed. See Helinox Chair One vs ALPS King Kong.
• Mountain Summit Gear Roll-Top Table: a 28-inch-high dining table that suits the Sunset's seat better than the Chair One's.

Verdict

The Helinox Sunset Chair (re) is the packable chair to choose if the Chair One feels too low and unsupported but a quad-fold chair takes too much room. The published figures support that: a 27-inch backrest with a headrest flap, an 18.5-inch seat front edge, a 320 lb rating and a 5-year warranty, at 3 lb 6 oz and 18.5 inches packed. Its limits are familiar from the Chair One: assembly each time, small feet on soft ground, and a reclined sling seat that suits lounging more than dining.

FAQ

How much weight does the Helinox Sunset Chair hold? Helinox rates it at 320 lb (145 kg).

How small does it pack? Helinox lists 18.5 x 6 x 4.5 inches packed, at 3 lb 10.5 oz with the case.

What's the seat height? The Amazon listing gives 11 inches to the seat base and 18.5 inches to the front edge. Helinox's spec list labels 38 inches as seat height, but that's the overall height.

What's the difference between the Sunset Chair and the Chair One? The Sunset has a taller back (27 inches, per the Amazon listing) with a headrest flap and longer legs that raise the front of the seat. It packs longer (18.5 inches against 14) and weighs about 3.4 lb against about 2 lb. Both are rated for 320 lb.

What does "(re)" mean? It's Helinox's redesigned version, with recycled seat fabric and a second tension line around the frame for more even support, according to Helinox and the Amazon listing.

Does it work on sand? Its pole-end feet can sink in sand and soft ground, as with the Chair One. Use firm ground or a flat board or mat.

Sources and verification

• Helinox, Sunset Chair (re) product page: 320 lb capacity, chair and packed weights, packed and set-up dimensions, frame, hub and fabric materials, 5-year warranty, colours. https://helinox.com/products/sunset-chair-re (checked 2026-10-11)
• Amazon product listing for ASIN B0GG9LHVHT, the listing this review links to: title, model 10003700 (Black), 11-inch and 18.5-inch seat heights, 27-inch backrest, second tension line, corner pockets, packed size, availability (checked 2026-10-11)
• Chair One and King Kong figures are from this site's Helinox Chair One and ALPS King Kong reviews, which list the pages they checked.