Product review: Helinox Chair One – A wonderful camping chair

On Saturday morning I closed the front door at 6:40 a.m. and steered my steps towards Kuusamontie (main road 20). After the lousy months of June and July, it seemed that summer had finally arrived in August. The sun was shining and the sky was almost clear. Hardly anyone was out this early in the day. In my backpack I had a brand new Helinox Chair One camping chair. A couple of weeks earlier I had spent a considerable amount of time in the outdoor gear store Partioaitta in Oulu sitting in one camping chair after another. In the end I chose the Helinox. It was the most expensive of the bunch (99.90€), but also the most comfortable one to sit in.

Chair One in carry bag

I swigged down my morning coffee at the supermarket in Rusko before continuing my way along Kuusamontie towards Kiiminki. I had no need for the camping chair yet, since after every couple of kilometres there were bus shelters with benches to sit on. After Jäälinjärvi (Jääli Lake) my stomach started to rumble. On the right side of the road there was a dry pine forest. I dug out the chair pouch from my backpack. Although I had somewhat familiarized myself with the Chair One already at home, I couldn’t help but be amazed at how light it was. The whole package weighs a little less than 900 grams. With the chair packed in its pouch, the whole pack has the outside dimensions of 35x10x12 cm.

Chair One parts

I opened the zipper on the pouch and dug out the two parts that make up the chair. Assembling the support frame i.e. attaching the chair legs and the seat supports in place was quick. The elastic cords inside the aluminium tubes were very helpful and the parts just snapped together as of their own accord. All that was left to do was to tighten the seating part at all four corners and – Voilà! I sat in the chair a bit hesitantly. The structure is so light that is was difficult to believe in its strength. The material used in the support frame of Chair One is TH72M alloy, which makes the chair both wonderfully light and strong at the same time. These are exactly the attributes that a hiker would appreciate. The same metal is also used in the arches of the best hiking tents. The maximum capacity for Chair One is given as 145 kilos.

Chair One frame

After finishing my outdoor meal I grabbed a coffee at the ABC petrol station in Kiiminki. I also took the opportunity to replenish my drink and chocolate supplies since there would be no ‘refueling points’ between Kiiminki and Haukipudas. The only shop on the way would close its doors before I made it that far. I went past the church in Kiiminki and arrived at Kiiminkijoki (Kiiminki River). The walkway running alongside main road 248 had recently been repaired and resurfaced. I was also able to see the lake better now than a couple of years ago. I met a sturdy man on his bike who stopped to talk with me. He told me he’d seen me with my backpack already before Kiiminki. He asked me if I was training for some kind of competition or had some other strange reason that motivated this long trek. I told him that I’d tried to trudge the triangle trek between Oulu, Kiiminki and Haukipudas twice already, but had had to cut my journey short each time due to various ailments.

After more than an hour and a half my legs were getting tired again. This time I put the Chair One up in a bus shelter. During the day I had gathered experience ‘by the seat of my pants’ of both the hard benches in the bus shelters as well as of the camping chair’s fabric that moulds to body shape. When it comes to sitting comfort the choice between the two is an easy one. Chair One is so comfortable to sit in that it beats even most living room furniture. In Chair One you are seated lower than in regular chairs. Even the bench in the bus shelter was about ten centimetres higher than my backside in the travel chair. According to the manufacturer, the seating height of Chair One is 34 centimetres. At first, getting up from the chair was a bit clumsy. However, it got easier when I started to trust the strength of the chair structure and simply leaned forward enough.

I continued my trek following the Kiiminkijoki (Kiiminki River). Eleven kilometres after Kiiminki the road and the river went their separate ways. I got hungry again, as the day’s journey reached the length of a marathon. I skilfully assembled the chair and placed it in an area covered by lichen. I sat down and finally found a weakness in the chair. The chair legs sank into the lichen and the whole contraption tilted ominously. The Chair One is not suitable for use on soft ground. I moved the chair on harder ground and dug out a sandwich from the backpack. I stretched out my legs and listened to the sounds of the forest. Light summer clouds drifted in the sky.

My legs didn’t feel too fatigued yet. I calculated that I would be home at around midnight. I continued to trek along Haukiväylä leading to Haukipudas. I crossed the Nelostie (main road 4) as well as the railroad and after a few kilometres I turned onto Haukiputaantie towards Oulu. In Kello I gave into my craving and stopped for a pizza and a beer at the Restaurant/Pizzeria Ala Turk. The evening was getting darker. During the last kilometres the soles of my feet were getting sore. I swigged down my evening coffee at Shell Pateniemi. I wasn’t home until at around half past midnight. According to the GPS, the journey to test the new camping chair came to a little less than 67 kilometres. According to the, in this case, more reliable device i.e. the pedometer, the distance was 64 kilometres. I’d finally conquered the challenge that twice before (in 2011 and in 2013) proved too much for me. Thanks to the light and compact camping chair, I was able to have comfortable and strength restoring breaks often enough.

Translated by Anna-Kaisa Tolonen from the original text.

Product reviews

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Review: Helinox Chair One – A wonderful camping chair

On Saturday morning I closed the front door at 6:40 a.m. and steered my steps towards Kuusamontie (main road 20). After the lousy months of June and July, it seemed that summer had finally arrived in August. The sun was shining and the sky was almost clear. Hardly anyone was out this early in the day. In my backpack I had a brand new Helinox Chair One camping chair... read more.

Barefoot Shoes Review: Feelmax "Panka"

Within the last year, I had many times come across barefoot walking and barefoot shoes. One of the reasons for paying more attention on barefoot walking was the faint feeling of plantar fasciosis on my left sole. Typically, plantar fasciosis is related to poor footwear, obesity, excessive training, continuous standing on hard surfaces, and tightness of the rear leg, especially on calf muscle and achilles tendon but also rear thigh muscles... read more.

Barefoot Shoes Review: Feelmax "Panka"

Within the last year, I had many times come across barefoot walking and barefoot shoes. One of the reasons for paying more attention on barefoot walking was the faint feeling of plantar fasciosis on my left sole. Typically, plantar fasciosis is related to poor footwear, obesity, excessive training, continuous standing on hard surfaces, and tightness of the rear leg, especially on calf muscle and achilles tendon but also rear thigh muscles.

Feelmax Panka 

Last winter I reduced walking and increased stretching. Plantar fasciosis didn’t go away entirely, although the symptoms were reduced. Since I’m not a fat guy and don’t much practice standing on hard surfaces, the only thing that was left to help my plantar fascias to recover was to increase barefoot walking. The idea of barefoot walking is to let your feet function as naturally as possible. Normal shoes disturb walking by hindering natural joint movement, by deteriorating certain small muscles and by preventing shock absorbing system of the feet.

Barefoot walking has been associated with e.g. reduced back pain, improved blood circulation and good night sleep. The main purpose of barefoot shoes is to provide feet with protection against cuts, abrasions, frostbite and parasites. In the following lines you’ll find my experiences of using Feelmax® “Panka” barefoot shoes for the first ten days during which snow melted and grass became green.

Day 1

There is quite a lot of sharp edged ice on the ground. It is actually fun to feel the crushing ice underneath the shoe! The outsole of Panka is only 1.3 mm thick so you really feel even the smallest bulge very well. Occasionally heel hits the ice too hard. I realize that I have to adjust my gait so that I use the whole sole of my foot. Although some of the articles warned that starting to use barefoot shoes might cause pain to the foot that has been deteriorated in “normal” shoe I did not feel any pain after my first 2 kilometer walk.

Day 2

After few days, it’s time to wear Pankas again. Ice has started to melt and streets are wet and quite slippery. During my walk to the office it drizzles but to my surprise socks remain dry. However, legs got wet because Pankas do not have heels like in my normal shoes. From now on, I will fold my legs of my trousers when I use Pankas. My way of walking has already changed. Heel strike is weaker, gait has become more flexible. Small stones did not cause painful stings in my heels. Couple of kilometers walk today.

Day 3

Heel strike has continued to weaken. During my less-than-a-kilometre walk to the office my feet did not get cold although the streets are still icy. I’m eagerly waiting for a chance to try Pankas on grass and forest trails. At the office I noticed that Panka-walking is virtually silent, almost as if one was walking with socks. I managed to sneak into my wife’s office and got rewarded with an excellent shriek.

Day 4

In the morning ground was frozen once again. Snow has melted on the edges of bikeways and exposed grey grass...and shitload of dog excrement. Really not that tempting to walk on that... At this point I think that Pankas are best for walking on soft ground. Now I still have to walk on asphalt and other hard surfaces. During my walk home from the office I walked on gravel bed that has been created from material used for sanding during winter. It felt nice in the soles of my feet.

Day 5

Panka-walking in the city centre of Oulu. Walking feels quite natural already. In the city centre thin soles feel a bit unsafe. I keep looking for broken glass and other dangers of urban environment. Although Continental rubber composite sole is thin manufacturer promises that it is very durable. I asked about the protection the shoes provides to my feet from the manufacturer and they replied very quickly to my email. Sharp objects like nails and broken glass can penetrate the sole. On the other hand people running with Pankas have ran over broken glass with no problems. Customer service told that they haven’t got any reclamations concerning problems caused by sharp objects.

Only today I realized that Pankas have pads. They bring a bit more thickness to the mentioned 1.3 mm. In the store I also tried Feelmax® “Osma 2” barefoot shoes that have slightly thicker (2.5 mm) rubber sole. I eventually chose Panka’s because I wanted as authentic barefoot experience as possible.

Day 6

My heel strike has almost disappeared on flat surfaces. On the up and downhills - the few that we have in Oulu area - I hit the ground always with the ball of my foot first. Today, I found myself walking on asphalted bikeway instead of nearby sweep of lawn, newly uncovered by vernal sunshine. I took a couple of trial steps on brown-gray grass - felt like walking on cotton wool.

Day 7

Pankas have superseded my old sandals as office shoes. In the afternoon, I noticed that I had used Pankas all day. This may not be a desirable development, since my feet feel a bit sweaty now, and I share my office with another researcher who may not appreciate the odour. On the other hand, this tendency of wearing Pankas all day long tells a lot about the excellent user experience. The customer service of Feelmax explained that at the first phase feet may sweat more than usually, as may small decayed muscles of the feet start to recover and produce excess heat. Anyhow, sweating should return to normal level after some time of barefoot shoe usage.

Day 8

Today, I’m taking my first longer Panka-walk. When I’m on a forest trail, I notice myself trying to spot all possible small stones, twigs and pine cones to step on them to get more lovely massage for my soles, which now feel vivid and strong. I notice that stride length has decreased along with the change in gate style. Consequently, pedometer needs to be calibrated. I was pretty sure, that 11 km walk with Pankas would cause some pain, but afterwards my feet feel rested and ...revived! Not a slightest sign of stress.

Day 9

Again, Panka-walking to the office in the morning and back home in the evening. I assume, that I’ve started barefoot walking in just about the right way. There has always been one or two days break between the Panka-walks. There are certain exercises (video) that can be used to strengthen the feet for barefoot experience, but I’ve never felt that I needed any.

Panka's construction is extremely light

Although Panka-like barefoot shoes can be readily used in office work environment, they are not suitable for construction or industrial sites where feet must be protected from e.g. falling hammers and wrenches, and dangers of getting squashed between moving things. On the other hand, due to their lightness, Pankas are a nice option as evening shoes for camino and other hikes.

Day 10

11 km walk to play badminton and afterwards back home. It seems clear that Panka-walking is slightly slowlier than than walking with normal shoes. Today, the walking distance that usually takes one hour took one hour and ten minutes. Due to the thinness of the sole of Pankas, the positioning of the foot on the ground needs to be paid more attention to.

Along with the use of barefoot shoes, I’ve been increasingly going barefoot at home and in the garden. My feet have grown stronger and more ...aware, so to speak. Today, for some reason, I wore regular jogging shoes for a while. It felt like my feet were treated by some medieval device, like some horrible torture gadget from the time of Spanish Inquisition.