Hex 2.0 earns Outdoor Gear Lab “Editor’s Choice”

OutdoorGearLab gave the Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 Original an Editors' Choice award, naming it "best reclining seat for ground dwellers" in its review of the best backpacking chairs of 2026.

OutdoorGearLab buys every product it reviews and has tested more than 40 backpacking chairs since 2011. For this year's update, the team put 13 top models to the test everywhere from rocky cliff bases to desert sand to city parks, scoring each on comfort, size and weight, stability, and ease of use.

The testers said the Hex 2.0 takes “kicking back at camp to a whole new level.” A common gripe with backpacking chairs is weak support for the upper and lower back, and they found that's not the case here. The Hex 2.0's design counterbalances your body weight, allowing your back and shoulders to fully relax while you lounge with your legs stretched out.

Other pros included the Hex 2.0’s stability and easy setup, with testers having it unrolled and ready in under five seconds, plus a quick adjustment  of the side straps once seated.

And it's built to last. Some of the testing crew have used their Crazy Creeks for close to a decade, and one staffer keeps hers in the trunk of her car for impromptu sits just about anywhere. OutdoorGearLab also called out the value at around $70, adding that sitting close to the ground is actually handy in the backcountry, where you're usually cooking on the ground or a low rock anyway.

Nearly 40 years after Crazy Creek first got people comfortable at ground level, the Hex 2.0 is still proving that sitting low is a feature, not a compromise. Shop the Hex 2.0 Original or browse the full Hex 2.0 series, including the LongBack and PowerLounger.