Anyone have any experience w/ OR’s Helium bivy?

Hi Mike,

No experience with Pertex Shield Bivys, but have a fair
bit experience in rain gear and its definitley not as breathable
as event.

Stephen- would breathability be less a factor in a bivy vs rain gear (not moving vs moving) or even more? I don't know, just asking

This would be used in both the relatively dry Mountain West, but also in the less dry PNW. Thinking many nights it would be zipped down substantially- basically cowboy camping, but ready to pull it up if it started raining.

Also these would be relatively short duration trips- 2-4 days, if that's a factor- also a down quilt if that factors in as well

Mike

"Would breathability be less a factor in a bivy vs rain gear (not moving vs moving) or even more?"

Interesting question. In a bivy, you are breathing into a closed environment (assuming you have the bivy zipped up); additionally, the bivy encloses your entire body. In rain gear, your breath is at least exhaled directly outside, but you are probably generating more sweat.

I used to own a bivy from Miles Gear. And I currently own an OR Helium II. I would say the fabric used on his bivys is much more breathable, so they could be worth looking into. The material does pack a little bulky, however:

http://www.milesgear.com

John- thanks, it's a nice looking bivy. I'm afraid the weight and volume (I'll be using a very small pack 20-25 liters) wouldn't work for my needs.

I can get into a OR bivy pretty reasonably, might be worth getting one and experimenting w/ it.

Mike- we just had a thread on the helium mostly. I just finished using it and, if you can fit, it's alright. I used it for an impromptu trip to Point Reyes and surroundings next to the Pacific Ocean in various rain/sprinkles, etc. There was less condensation on the fabric going up in altitude (a whopping 1,300 ft – that's the geography though ). but the tape always had a bit on the taped seam nearest where exhalation occurred.

Big thing is the size of the top hoop (unsecured it stays at about 19 in., though the side to side diameter is more like 26 in.) and wiggling into the bivy to sleep if you change clothes #1. Less of a problem if you don't change obviously. I'll probably be returning mine to REI but reconsider if OR made an XL for chest girth (I'm a 45 chest in a suit and found the bivy tough to roll over in #2).

Good thing about mld is that XL option.

Thanks! I'm a little smaller I think- 5'11", 180- 43 chest. I won't be changing clothes (just jumping in w/ my running clothes).

What did use for a pad? I use a Medium length Neoair.

Hi Mike,

Personally I would not use a Pertex shield bivy.

I was using a Neoair (short) with a pack or pine needles for my feet, partially inflated. Think the Neoair compressed enough when I rolled that it was only a minor factor. A thin foam pad from Gossamer gear would obviously give another inch in height but then you might be looking for pine needle beds (a bivy is "cozier" though, so that's another factor to consider).

Also the mosquito netting can be used as a roof totally or I finagled it (from the inside) for partial for sprinkles with mosquitos when the temps were too high to zip up. Either way to maintain structural integrity of the hoop, 5 stakes need to be used (there's a 6th hoop lash point for even more support).

^ thanks :)

^^ Stephen you may be right, as good as a deal as I can on the OR though- it's seems worth giving it a go; if it doesn't work, I know Ron will glad to build me one of his eVENT ones :)

Mike,

If you like you can borrow my all Integral Designs Event Overbag to try out.

Cheers,

Stephen

Best value in bivies right now might be Borah gear. You can get one custom-made to your dimensions to save weight, I imagine.

Silnylon bottom with eVent top would likely come in sub-20oz if you shrunk the dimensions from the long-wide standard.

For some reason I figured bivy fans on BPL would be all over this bivy! I've been searching reviews online for this bivy and am pretty close to pulling the trigger on buying it. It's been available since 2014 but I don't see very much discussion about it yet.

It looks perfect to me for a number of reasons:
+ It's about half the weight and height of many comparable bivys on the market.
The OR Alpine well reviewed and is almost identical — except it's made with goretex, weighs almost 2x as much and costs $100 more than the Helium. So can anyone say if the goretex Alpine is worth the added weight and cost over the Helium in pertex shield +?

+ The 'pewter' grey is a good color when wanting to go unnoticed when camping. Many bivys on the market are bright yellow, orange etc.
+ It's more spacious and has a large bug screen opening compared to other bivys that are the same weight and price.
+ It provides an all in one protection from bugs and weather. I considered the OR bug bivy for a few minutes but now think the Helium is a better option. While the bug mesh is half the price you only save 50g but requires always carrying a larger tarp for weather protection. Users of the bug bivy say that you can be bitten through the spots where your body is in direct contact with the bug bivy netting. I belive the pertex would give *better* bug protection against your body compared to the mesh.
Someone with actual experience using it would know if when the bug mesh is up and the hood is open if it's ventilated enough to be pretty much the same as using a bug bivy.
So I figure it makes sense to buy the Helium bivy instead of the OR bug bivy.
I fear it could be uncomfortable on a hot buggy hot summer night even with the hood fully open. I'm hopeful that it will be very functional for all seasons.

Yes a tarp with a large bug tent would be more spacious & ventilated etc. But there's plenty of discussion about the pros and cons of using a bivy vs tarp tents elsewhere, so I'm skipping all that debate, but rather comparing the Helium to other bivys.

As with any bivy you can also carry a small lightweight tarp to create a vestibule over the opening using a stick or your hiking pole. Good for when you want to do something outside the bivy in bad weather like making some food. A poncho tarp may be a suitable piece of kit to carry for this.

Some of the reviewer's complaints are:
– the hoop hight may not be enough for someone with broad shoulders laying on their side or rolling over when using a thick pad since there's 19 inches of hoop height with no pad (26 inches of horizontal space). For most bivy's of this weight the space is rather tight. For larger bodies, it may be necessary to look at larger more expensive and heavier bivy options.
– Reviewers said they found a fair amount of condensation inside when the hood was fully closed. This seems to be an issue with bivy's which are not properly vented, but may be the difference between the Helium pertex compared to event or goretex? Can anyone comment on this?

If I end up getting it I'll be sure to share my experience.

I ended pony up for a MLD eVENT bivy, it's been great- light (13-ish oz) and breathes very well. I've used it on a couple of fall trips and several winter trips where I was using a snow cave or trench for shelter. It's a LOT of $, but thus far it's proven out very well. I'm taking it for the Bob Marshall Open here in a couple of weeks. The guy I'm doing the event with purchased a OR Alpine, he was going back and forth between the Helium and the Alpine- the Alpine had so many good reviews he opted for it.

I can't say for certain, but suspect that if humidity isn't too high (generally not a problem in the Rockies) it should perform decently. Goretex and eVENT are going to breathe better than Pertex, but how much so or if it's even an issue I can't say.

I found the OR Helium bivy for half price when I started the thread, part of me wishes I would have taken a chance on it; it may have been all the bivy I needed for a third of the price???????

If you end up getting one, I'm sure folks would be anxious to get a thorough review- thumbs up or down.