Outdoor Research

Helium Bivy

Great minimalist shelter

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Always been a tent user so this is my first bivy. Four stars because it needed a few mods. I bought it with the following in mind. 99% of my backpacking trips are in great weather and all I really did in my tents was sleep. That and maybe read a bit before falling asleep. We always seem to hike all day or socialize till late. I expect to almost never use it with the waterproof door closed, only the mosquito net. Last, I wanted far more freedom in pitch locations vs. a tent as my friends and I like off trail weird spots. Live in the PNW. We usually have too much dew and bugs to just sleep out. So far after two nights in cool weather it’s worked fine. I got a little condensation at 43F and frost inside and out at 20F overnight. In both cases it wasn’t much actual liquid though and dried quickly in the morning sun. The icy overnight my down bag felt completely dry actually. Made two mods to it as well. I added some shock cord loops to the stake down points that I just stuff large rocks or sticks into rather than carry stakes. I added a length of bike shifter cable housing to the door. (What would be the upper lip if the door were a mouth.) That made a huge difference in how well the mosquito net keeps its shape. Without that it sags a lot and lands on your head. The cable housing fit easily inside the edging material near the door zipper. Overall my mods added about 2oz. Im 6’2” and skinny, 195lbs. I have room for some things inside with me but they will shift around a lot when you roll over, unlike a tent. I use a vintage 1” thick thermarest shorty mattress. Plenty of room for my size 11.5 feet at the foot end.

Great Colorado Survival Shelter

I teach at the Colorado Mountain Club and I recommend this for hikes and snowshoes when going on day trips between September and April and on all above-tree line excursions. It has been a reliable piece of my kit for five years now, with no real issues.

Outdoor Research Helium Bivy

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

I recently purchased for a backpacking trip in southern Utah. Late October temperatures dipped into the low thirties and the heavy dew that should have been insignificant turned out to be almost catastrophic. The fabric not only seemed to lack any waterproofing but also wouldn’t dry quickly after waiting a few hours for the sun to reach us deep in the canyons. My sleeping bag was completely drenched inside the bivy sack which also had to be left out in the sun delaying our start each morning. I’ve used it on a multi day trip now so I can’t return it and I wouldn’t even give it away to someone. It’s most likely going in the garbage. I have used a bivy sack for many years in the past on climbing trips in the mountains in all types of conditions but my old Gore-Tex sack was excellent and never let me down even in the pouring rain. 0 stars!!

Great Bivy for Moderate Temperatures

I bought this for lightweight camping out of my truck for trailheads and to co-use for my unit when we’re in the field. Overall, great bivy, waterproof, wind resistant and minimalist. I slept in this with my -10 degree (f) bag and was plenty warm. My con on this bivy, is the vent is not vertically above your ahead but horizontally. So, when sleeping the condensations sits above you and does not vent the same as its Alpine Bivy counterpart. I would use this for more moderate temperatures where I use less bulky equipment than my Arctic winter gear since I put my sleeping pad inside the Bivy with me. More than likely pair it with my lightweight jungle bag and a R-Value 5 pad which is less bulky. Overall, awesome and consistent part of my kit.

NOT WATERPROOF

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Height:

5' 8"

Weight:

190

Used once, failed miserably, got totally soaked. Had an old Goretex OR Bivy that lasted 15+ year. This thing is garbage. Called OR, and they refused a return b/c product was used. Zero customer service and a horrible product.

What a Bivy Should Be

I use this with my Sea to Summit Ether Light XT pad size regular. I've spent a few nights in it including a night full of thunderstorms and heavy rain, a night in a heavy mosquito area, etc. I stayed dry and didn't get eaten by mosquitos. At just under a pound (448 grams for you gram counters) it's a perfect bivy. It's not a tent replacement. You can't fit a rectangular pad in it, you can't sit up in it, if you are claustrophobic it won't be a super good time. But if you need some lightweight small footprint protection from the elements it delivers on that and nothing more. When what you need is more important than what you want you sleep in a bivy. This is what you want when you are willing to sacrifice some comfort to accomplish your objective.

Reality falls short of description.

It is light and packs is a small space. It is also cramped and tight. I am 6' tall and quit thin, yet I found this bivy was way too small. None of by name brand full size backpacking air mattresses fit inside. Not even my ultralight pad. I guess I am going to have to buy a 3/4 mattress or just tough it out without a mattress if I want to use this thing. My opinion is you would be better off with a lightweight rain tarp than this bivy. The idea of this bivy sounds great, but reality is far short of the promises.

First Time bivy-er

I slept on top of a volcano while it was raining and gusting 70km/h winds, the Helium completely exceeded my comfort expectations in those conditions, and kept me and my gear dry!

Great quick/light option

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Height:

5' 10"

Weight:

170

I’ve used this bivouac on a handful of excursions so far. It’s very versatile, sets up quickly, light weight, and the arch space over the face is a great comfort touch.

Have had several, will buy another

This product is great and works really well for solo camping. The biggest problem I have with the Helium Bivy is that the zippers fail easily.