A few years ago I wrote a piece for We Are Explorers comparing a $30 Aldi camping chair and a $200 Helinox camping chair. I’d been borrowing the Helinox Chair Zero from a mate (who kindly let me keep it ever since, thanks Jono!) and Aldi had just brought out their own version, basically a carbon copy. Since then, many more copies of the chair have appeared from many companies and at varying costs.
Personally, I don’t shop at Aldi very often, mostly because it’s not in a convenient location for grocery shopping, but when it comes to buying outdoor gear I usually lean towards Australian makers and reputable brands. As such, the Aldi camping chair remains the only piece of Aldi outdoor gear that I own.
I wrote the review comparing the two chairs back in 2021 and in most aspects the chairs were inseparable, both in design and material. However, Helinox have certainly used lighter materials in producing their version as it weighs half as much as the Aldi chair, coming in around 500g. Some of this weight difference is noticeable in the fabric of the chair, with the Helinox’s material feeling thinner to the touch. So the chair zero is lighter and more expensive, but which was the most durable?
It’s now three years since I first compared the Aldi Camping chair and the Helinox Chair Zero and they are actually both still going strong. While I favour the lightweight and slightly more refined aesthetics of the Helinox chair zero for solo trips, both chairs regularly get used by the whole family and they certainly aren’t being treated with kid gloves by my four and nine year old children.
As I mentioned in my first review, I’m not really one to go for cheap outdoor gear for various reasons and despite the Aldi chair standing up to testing over three years I’m not likely to change my ways. In fact this year we’ve added a couple more Helinox Chairs into the mix despite Aldi continuing to promote their range of seasonal outdoor products.
You can read my original review for We Are Explorers through my author page on their site.