In 2018, Nemo launched a camping chair the likes of which we had never seen before. Instead of a fabric seat attached directly to a frame, the Stargaze Recliner featured a cocoon-like seat pod hanging off a tall, spindly frame. It provided a comfy hammock-like experience with natural rocking motion and lean-back reclining like no other chair around.
Nemo now updates the Stargaze line with a new model that benefits from instant setup and a slashed price. The Stargaze Evo-X packs the same comfort without the extra work.
Nemo has always been a brand that supports camping and adventure in all its forms, from light, fast mountaineering and backpacking to extended car camping and overlanding. It offers some of the lightest backpacking tents, camping chairs and gear on the market while simultaneously delivering much heavier, burlier shelters and gear for comfortable, durable performance when camping down the ruggedest of trails.
The Stargaze Recliner has always been an interesting product that fits more in the latter category but features a design borrowed from the former. It has long relied on a frame comprising shock-corded poles that secure into place via two hubs, holding the separately attached seat fabric. It's the kind of setup usually reserved more for ultralight, ultra-portable chairs like Nemo's own Moonlite or the Trekchair.
The main advantage of this design is in smaller, lighter packing, which isn't necessarily important to the average car camper. While it's not super difficult or time-consuming to set up, it's a little more intensive than the instant unfurling of the ubiquitous quad-folding camping chair.
Enter the new Stargaze Evo-X, a more traditional car camping version of the Stargaze chair. It features a fully integrated seat and frame design that sets up in seconds by simply pulling the upper poles outward with both hands. The frame automatically expands out and up into form. There are a couple of points to check to make sure the frame has fully deployed, but then you simply flip the seat back up and take a load off.
The video shows how easily it's done (and reversed for packing up):
The Stargaze Evo-X relies on a simple X-folding mechanism at the base to make it work, much like traditional quad-folding camp chairs. The Evo-X base design also creates more ground contact via six individual feet, plus two front-to-back bars that are raised a little bit but will provide extra support on soft ground. It looks to us like the Evo-X will be more stable on all types of ground but particularly soft dirt, mud and sand, where the added base surface area will help to spread the weight more evenly than the four individual feet on the original Stargaze Recliner.
The Evo-X adds some weight with its rugged steel frame, in place of the aluminum frame on the original Stargaze, and supports the same 300 lb (136 kg). The chair includes a padded headrest and drink holder pockets on each side to keep you comfortable for the entire evening ... perhaps even until sunrise.
The downside of the new Evo-X design is that it doesn't carry as small or lightweight as the original Stargaze. That may not matter to every car camper, but those who are short on space or need to carry gear a distance from their vehicle to their campsite may not want the extra heft.
The current-gen Stargaze Recliner weighs just under 9 lb (4 kg) and measures 27 x 7.5 x 7.5 in (69 x 19 x 19 cm) when packed, while the Evo-X weighs 14.8 lb (6.7 kg) and packs to 40 x 10.5 x 8.5 in (102 x 27 x 22 cm).
The good news for those who prefer something more compact to carry: Current plans call for both the Stargaze and the Stargaze Evo-X models to remain available, so the Evo-X is not outright replacing the original Stargaze Recliner. The bad news for those buyers: The Evo-X is $70 cheaper at an MSRP of US$179.95, so they might still want to reconsider whether the more compact carry size is worth it.
That $180 is still far from cheap for a camping chair, but the Evo-X does promise a particularly high level of comfort and ease of use, backed by Nemo's "Adventure Forever Guarantee," a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship extended to the original owner.
Source: Nemo
