OR Helium II? Have you tested it?

DAVE CHENAULT’S TEST AND RATING
JOHN ROWAN’S EXPERIENCE ON HIS JMT THRU

its kept me dry in some good rain. Though the lack of front hand pockets can sometimes drive me crazy! There is a chest pocket which has kept my phone dry..but I do miss hand pockets.

My Experience was not good with it – the HH is too low for a decent rain storm. This was disappointing as I generally love OR stuff.

Every rain jacket is going to wet out eventually… but like David above, I found that the OR Helium II just did not perform up to other rain jackets out there.

That said, for its price-range (a key thing to keep in mind – it is not a $650 Arcteryx Alpha SV after all) the Helium II is a good enough rain jacket. Probably number 3 or 4 on the list of ones that I tried in that price range.

But, just remember, at the $100 – $200 price range, pretty much every rain jacket is going to be about the same. If that is your price range for a rain jacket, find one on sale and buy it, and just call it good.

I've had mine for almost two years now. It hasn't failed me yet, even during a Pineapple Express along the Rogue River in Oregon last year or getting dumped on while hiking along the Oregon coast. It doesn't make a good windshirt, but I feel that way about every rain jacket

Edit: the hood on it is terrible though

I got one in November and used it for 40 days on the South Island of NZ, Te Araroa. It rains a lot in NZ, and I used this a lot. It was VERY waterproof, no question. Kept me dry and warm. Not very breathable, which is fine by me – I'd rather have waterproof than breathable if that's the trade-off. But, I WOULD NOT get this jacket! The hood is absolutely the worst design I've ever seen and does not work at all in wind. I cursed the designer every time the wind blew. Did they even test this thing? Instead of anchoring near your chin, as they do on every other hood ever designed, the tensioners for the hood wrap around your occiput. This can't possibly work unless you have an extremely oval head! In summary, I found I could not secure the hood so it would blow off whenever there was any head wind, and even light wind. Other than his rather serious flaw, I liked everything else about the jacket.

i still have and use my helium 1 … it hasnt leaked in PNW constant rain … but then its one of the least used pieces in my pack being a "just in case" thing … its seen probably less than 60 days of actual use

the thing to remember is that with these UL rain jackets you have serious tradeoffs in durability, utility and brethability

for ~6 oz a helium works well IME for those times when your uncertain about the rain …

for serious rain, a heavier more $$$$ jacket might be in order

;)

I've just used my eVent parka as a wind shirt if it was needed for warmth.

It breathes well and saves the weight of a wind shirt. And, of course, it keeps me totally dry in driving rains.

Haven't had any issues with mine. PNW user of it for 2-3 years now.

I bought it b/c it was what was available locally when I needed it for a hike and I had lost my EVENT Jacket. 1st hike, it was rainproof even with a 4-6 hour rain, but not breatheable at all. This was very irritating to me after using an EVENT jacket 2 days earlier. After about 6 months, now I get very wet in sustained rains (not "wetting out")…….it seems to actually soak through. I know that I could return it to OR, but it's so small I don't mind just stuffing it in my backpack for daily commutes, but don't use it hiking where it really "counts". My EMS helix anorak does great for backpacking…….waterproof, breathable, and great price!

Ha, that's funny. My current coat is the EMS helix, and I love it.

Just exploring the helium as a summer UL shell when being wet isn't life-threatening.

the advice i always give is to buy these UL rain jackets from a retailer or manufacturer with a no questions asked unlimited warranty

rain jacket delamination/leakage/failure is one of the more common failures associated with outdoor gear IMO

its also one thats pretty hard to fix yourself … and a rain jacket either "works" or it doesnt with regards to waterproofness, there aint much in between

anything OR is a riskless purchase … you can return it anytime, for any reason at all

;)