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Bikepack Adventures
Chris Panasky
Looking for a way to shed some weight while bikepacking? Chris picked up the Outdoor Research Helium Bivy to see if bivy camping is a suitable alternative for shorter bikepacking adventures.
The Outdoor Research Helium Bivy is an ultra-lightweight sleeping solution for those that want to pack lighter, ride faster and go longer. While less convenient than a tent on longer expeditions, the Helium Bivy does exactly what it was designed for, keeping you dry and moderately comfortable. With its clam-shell opening, it provides you a decent opening to get in and out of the bivy, but it can still be a bit of a challenge for bigger bodied people. The single-arch design helps keep the bivy off your face, although when using the mosquito net and tying up the excess material, it still tends to sag a bit. The 40d nylon floor is durable and hasn't show any noticeable wear from use. Moisture management can be a challenge in the winter, and this should be considered carefully if you will be using it for multiple days in a row. The Helium Bivy packs down extremely small and takes next to no time to pack up in the morning, letting me spend time doing other, more important tasks. Costing $279 CAD ($225 USD), it's certainly not the least expensive option.
Having bike toured and bikepacked for over 10 years, I have tried just about every sleep solution possible, having used hammocks, tents, lean-tos, bivy bags and even cots. During my army days it was often the case that we paired bivy bags with tarps to create a waterproof sleeping solutions, with overhead protection from the elements. When trying to decide on what I should purchase and having read loads of online reviews on various bivy styles and brands, I continuously came back to the Helium Bivy by Outdoor Research as not just a reliable bivy, but also as a bivy that has set the standard of what is to be expected of a high-end sleep sac.
Previously, when ultra-racing, I used the SOLÂ Escape Lite Bivvy, which is amazingly lightweight and inexpensive, but only really suitable for a race environment where long-term use isn't expected. Wanting to get a bivy bag that would last longer than an emergency bivy, being able to take some abuse, I ultimately ended up having a friend pick up the Helium Bivy for me while on sale. With a regular price of $279 CAD, the Helium Bivy is more expensive than some of the other options out there. However, it has established itself as the benchmark upon which other bivies seem to be compared.
Outdoor Research is a gear and clothing company based in Seattle, Washington. Having built a reputation for creating functional, quality outdoor gear that pushes the limits of innovative possibilities, many of Outdoor Research's products are designed and manufactured in Washington and California. This allows them to make, test, improve and distribute their products with both speed and efficiency. Outdoor Research has long been focused on responsible manufacturing, intent on making the production process as safe as possible, while also minimizing their environmental impact. Not just a founding member of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Climate Action Corps, Outdoor Research aims to make the outdoor industry climate positive by 2030. ORs commitment to sustainability is not just the right thing to do, but also makes good business sense.
The Helium Bivy comes packaged in its own black storage bag emblazoned with a reflective Outdoor Research logo. Weighing a mere 448g (15.8oz) the Helium Bivy is both compact and lightweight. Setup is a breeze. Simply take it out of the storage bag, unroll it and insert the optional collapsible pole for an extremely quick setup.
When unrolled and lying flat, the bivy is long enough to fit in comfortably and wide enough to allow the user to roll over relatively easily throughout the night. In order to make the Helium Bivy feel more spacious, OR has designed the footbox of the bivy with added height, allowing up to 36.5cm of space, while the single arch at the head of the bag creates a canopy with 50cm of space, alleviating the constricting feeling that is often associated with bivy bags.
The clam-shell opening allows a little more space for getting into and out of the bag, while the single-pole setup, helps keep the material off your face while sleeping. The bivy bag I used, came in blue cenote, with options for pewter and coyote brown.
The Outdoor Research Helium Bivy is built using an innovative Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse 2.5L technology. You might be wondering what this means. After doing a bit of reading, I've learned that Pertex has been trying to find the create both a lightweight and durable fabric, so that outdoor uses don't have to settle for just one of the two when purchasing outdoor gear. This new material led to Diamond Fuse technology, a unique way of improving the durability and abrasion resistance of fabric without adding unnecessary weight. Outdoor Research tests claim that the Diamond Fuse material is 5x stronger than the previous Helium fabric. The 2.5-layer Pertex Shield combines Diamond Fuse face fabric and the Pertex Shield membrane with a print to help protect the inner surface of the membrane. More specifically, the top of the bivy bag is built with the Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse 2.5 layer material in a 30-denier, 100% ripstop nylon, while the floor of the bivy bag is made of 40-denier 100% nylon with a TPU lamination. Now that we are done with the technical information, let's get to the real meat and potatoes.
The head of the Helium Bivy has integrated polyester No-See-Um mesh screen, allowing for greater air movement and moisture reduction. The single-arch design allows for an ultralight pole to be inserted across the bag, creating space for the head. In much the same way that tent poles work, this flexible plastic pole is made up of 5 sections linked together with shock-cord. The trim and logo of the bag are reflective, enabling the bag to be seen in the dark and there are also two stake-out points to keep the bag from moving at night, as well as a loop on the arch to which you can attach a guy-line to help keep the hoop from moving throughout the night if you happen to open up or close the opening.
While not taking very long to figure out, the first time I used the Helium Bivy, it did take me a moment to figure out where the pole went. After rolling out the bivy and extending the pole, I was looking at the bivy and not quite sure what to do. In actuality it wasn't very complicated. On the right side of the bivy (if looking down at it from the top) there is a Velcro strap, which, when opened, allows for the pole to be slid into a sleeve. There is also an arrow with the word pole that points to place the pole must go. Once inserted, the canopy pops up, ready to provide you the needed space. Getting the pole to slide all the way through can take a bit of work, as the sleeve for the pole is longer than the actual width of the bag but can be accomplished with relative ease.
As mentioned previously, while the clamshell opening of the bag does allow for a good amount of space to get into and out of the bag, during inclement weather and winter, it can be quite challenging to crawl into the bag without stepping off the bag onto the wet or snowy ground. Obviously, this is directly related to the flexibility of the user. While IÂ was able to avoid getting wet feet, it was a bit of a challenge.
Having used this bivy in all four of Canada's seasons, I've been impressed by the minimalist design that still incorporates many important factors, such as durability, waterproof and simplicity of use. When thinking back to my time serving in the Canadian Army, I find that a bivy bag works best when paired with a tarp, as the tarp can keep inclement weather at bay, keep the area around the bivy dry and also provide a dry place to keep your other gear. Bear in mind that a lightweight tarp will add at least another 200 grams to your overall weight.
At the end of the day, when looking for a way to shed some weight and minimize my sleep set-up, I find the Outdoor Research Helium Bivy to an excellent solution. As a sub 1 lbs. solution, the Helium bivy is not just significantly lighter than just about any tent out there on the market, but also only takes up a fraction of the space. While not the biggest bivy out on the market, I was still able to fit my air mattress and winter sleeping quilt inside the bivy with space to move around. The Helium Bivy has kept me dry through both rainy and snowy nights on the trail, although moisture management can be a little bit trickier than when using a tent. It's important to effectively use the opening at the head of the bag to maximize airflow. This is most difficult in winter when you want to keep heat-loss to a minimum. If you are looking for a sleep solution that is more compact than a tent or hammock, this bivy just might do the trick for you.
