I'd been running Helinox chairs for years. One always lived in the car — packed and ready, never pulled out without going straight back in afterwards. It's a good chair. Then a subscriber mentioned the Kilos Grand Peak in the comments, and I decided to test both side by side properly before drawing any conclusions.
That test happened at Native Dog Campground in Victoria's High Country. I had both chairs in the field at the same time, along with two mates who sat in each without any briefing from me first. By the end of the trip the Helinox was in the bag and the Kilos was in the car. It's been there ever since.
Price and Weight
The Kilos Grand Peak comes in at AU$217. The Helinox Savanna is AU$299. That's an AU$82 difference for what I'd argue is a more capable chair.
On weight, the Helinox has the edge: 1.93kg vs the Kilos at 2.28kg. If you're backpacking and every gram matters, that's a relevant gap. For 4WD touring where the chair lives in the back of the car, 350g is not a meaningful distinction.
What the Kilos Does Better
The defining feature is the adjustable leg height. The rear legs on the Kilos have multiple settings, which means you can drop the back lower than the front and sit in a genuine reclining position — more like a lounge chair than a camp chair. The Helinox sits you upright. That upright position is fine for work or a short sit, but around a fire at the end of a long day, the Kilos recline wins every time. Once I had the rear legs on the lowest setting I didn't want to get out.
The armrests are wider and more substantial than the Helinox's padded but narrow versions. The headrest is adjustable, which makes a real difference for neck support. With the Helinox you're improvising — folding a towel over the back or using the carry bag.
On storage, the Kilos has a front pocket that fits a Kindle or phone, an elastic side pocket, and a velcro strap that lets you attach the carry bag to the frame of the chair so it doesn't get lost underfoot. The Helinox has two cup holders but the Kilos storage is more practical overall. Weight capacity: Kilos handles 150kg versus 145kg for the Helinox.
I've since added the matching Kilos footstool. It pairs well with the chair and makes the reclining setup properly comfortable for extended sitting.
What the Helinox Does Better
Setup and pack-down. The Helinox is faster — I've packed it in and out probably a thousand times and can do it without thinking. The Kilos takes a bit longer, particularly when you're new to it. After consistent use the gap closes, but the Helinox remains quicker.
The carry bag on the Helinox is round, which packs more easily into tight spots in the back of the car than the Kilos's rectangular bag. The Helinox also uses Bluesign certified recycled polyester — a detail that won't affect most people's buying decision but is worth noting. The aluminium frame on the Helinox also appears to be a higher grade, though after five years of use I never damaged the Helinox frame, so I'm not sure it makes a real-world difference.
Three Testers, Same Result
I asked both mates to sit in each chair independently, without any steer from me. Wayne and Panna both preferred the Kilos — immediately and clearly. The reclined position was the deciding factor for both. Chop, who is a bit heavier and prefers a more upright sitting position, initially preferred the Helinox. When I adjusted the Kilos to match the Helinox angle, Chop also preferred the Kilos because of the wider seat wrap and arm support.
Three people tested it, three preferred the Kilos for comfort. That's a reasonable sample for a camp chair.
After More Than a Year in the Car
The Kilos Grand Peak has been my daily-use camp chair across multiple trips since the comparison — Victorian High Country, Pilliga, and others. The quality has held up. I can't claim a five-year track record the way I could with the Helinox, but nothing has failed or shown signs of failing.
If you're in the market for a lightweight camp chair and you're going to be using it more than occasionally, the Kilos Grand Peak is where I'd put the money. The price advantage over the Helinox is real, the comfort advantage in the reclined position is significant, and the storage is more practical. The Helinox is still a good chair — I wouldn't say otherwise after years of carrying one — but the Kilos replaced it for a reason.
My affiliate link for the Kilos Grand Peak: kilosgear.com/alloffroadau. More gear reviews on the AllOffRoad YouTube channel.
