Outdoor Research

Helium Bivy

I keep beating my head against the wall with this bag

Several bikepacking adventures. Most recent was the Arizona trail 800. The bag is super light weight and compact. It just seems to have zero ability to keep me dry when it rains - it holds the rain inside really well though! I like to use it for condensation from the outside elements - that is about the limit of it's waterproof ability. I have tried to love this thing because I coveted one for so long. The honest truth is this though- this is not a shelter - it is simply a bag cover for a little warmth and morning dew protection and maybe some bug protection - if you can deal with the poorly designed droopy mesh section - it will lay on your face.

Didn't get beyond the living room test

I was unable to try this out in the wild, as I had to return it due to the small guy line attachment point breaking while trying it out in my living room, but for what it's worth here's my review nonetheless. Overall, it appeared to be well constructed and packed down to a small and light size. However the small guy line loop was just not designed well or mine was defective. I also found the rain hood too fussy to tie up with the two retaining straps so that the rain hood would stay open nicely. It worked, but it was not ideal and could use a better system to keep it open. You may want to bring a binder clip or clothespin. I'm 6' 3" and fit well inside. I can't comment on the ventilation outdoors, but just zipping it mostly up, leaving about 8" open while in a house did get a little muggy. It's a waterproof bivy, so it comes with the territory. I may wait for an Ascentshell to go on sale and see if that works better.

Mosquito Netting Poorly Designed

Familiarity:

I returned this product before using it

Size Bought:

reg

Height:

6' 2"

Weight:

175

This is my first time disappointed with a product from OR. To crawl into the Bivy you have to climb over the mosquito netting. There is no mechanism to tie the netting back or protect it from your body as you crawl into the Bivy. I expected the netting to attach towards the top of the bivy so that your body did not brush on top of it crawling into it. I expect the netting to rip very quickly.

Great Bivvy

I've used the Helium Bivvy a few times, most recently on a backpacking trip. It is not only lightweight and compressible but also has the creature comfort of a lightweight hoop. The fabric breathes exceptionally well. I camped next to a river and it still breathed well enough to keep me dry! I got sprinkled on in a previous trip and it kept the rain out as well. I'll be curious how the material holds up, but time will tell and I know OR's got my back.

Can't believe this gets positive reviews at all

This thing neither protects from the rain nor allows a person to shut it entirely without suffocating. People who give this positive ratings must not actually need it to work. At best it provides a bit of protection against the wind and a few degrees of warmth that is immediately countered by the condensation built up on everything. Sleeping without it and a good Gortex bag is way better, or with a minimal tent that will actually protect from the rain and allow you to change out of your wet clothes without soaking the dry ones. I now understand the guy who scratched his first week of Tour Divide with one of these and came back the next year with an ultralight tent and owned it.

The Helium Bivy replaced my tent

The Helium Bivy is a great product. Extremely packable and light and replaces my tent in most 3 season conditions. Smooth zippers. If you're looking for a sign to buy this, this is it. When it's raining/humid it can get a bit hot inside but it's well worth it for the waterproofing and warmth retention.

Beware: NOT waterproof!

Familiarity:

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

We went on a trip to climb in the High Sierra in September. Bivy was brand new for my boyfriend. Rain started our first evening at 12k feet. Within a few hours, water had penetrated the fabric and was soaking his sleeping bag and all clothing inside. We bailed the next morning when we got a short break in the weather to pack up. This could have been a life or death experience, as temps were down in the teens. I have the OR Interstellar bivy (yellow bivy in photo) and I stayed dry during the entire ordeal. We noticed the fabric is much thicker on mine. Spend the extra money on a 4-season for rain protection.

Alpine luxury. Would recommend

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Worked great for me on Mt Baker. Winds were howling but inside I was snug as a bug. Only thing that bothered me was the fabric hit my face sometimes in heavy gusts.

Solid Bivy

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Simple, lightweight, easy to set up. For a solo trip it's nice knowing you have good protection from the rain without having to carry a full tent. My only qualm with it so far is that the system for "rolling up" the rain fly when you want to only use the mosquito net is not very good. It has a tendency to flop in your face. I found ways to work around it, but a little better design would have been nice here. But overall, it has served me well, so far!

Design error

This bivvy has a design error that arises from the pole that has been added. When using the flyscreen, the cover cannot be tucked away properly. It has 2 clips that are very ineffective. If the fly was zipped to the base of the cover, instead of to the end of the cover, the problem would have been avoided ... the cover would have been able to have been folded back over the bag. When needed, it could be folded forward, over the flyscreen, and zipped to the top of the floor. I owned the earlier version of the bag, which was fine ... til the waterproofing failed.