Wales wild bivvy camp | Outdoor Research Helium Bivy first use | Bivi review | Gower coast

[@stevegoody3744]

I really like your peg idea, thanks for the clip.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Cheers Steve, and thanks for that belter of a pun! 😂

[@mesmogruvinski]

Great video. I was in Pembrokeshire last Summer and the night sky was phenomenal.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks. It's a lovely area isn't it? I'd like to go back this year.

[@mesmogruvinski]

That shot of you stepping on the rocks with the water in the foreground was beautiful. Thankyou for all your hard work putting the vlog together.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

That's very kind of you to say. Thank you for this comment 😊 James.

[@theophilus9138]

Very artistic, nice change from other camping channels. Some really beautiful shots. I came here for the bivvy review, I stayed for the tranquil timelapses set to beautiful music

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks a lot for this 😊 I'm really glad you enjoyed it, and I hope some of the bivvy info proved to be useful! 🙏🏻 James.

[@jacobhesselschwardt2086]

Thank you for the video. Very informative and professional in quality. I have one concern though. Please assure me that you didn’t sleep where you set up your bivy. It appears like you’re on the edge and I can visualize you rolling over in your sleep only to find yourself falling a few hundred feet into the ocean below. I doubt that any bivy is designed for that type of situation.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hello Jacob. Firstly, thank you for the kind comment. Secondly, my bivvy bag was not right next to a cliff edge, so I was nice and safe. Also the bivvy was pegged down, so I wasn't able to roll over and move along the ground 😊 James.

[@gabscar1]

I'm holding out for one of these at a lower price. Thanks for the nice video. I hope you enjoyed a cold beer when you got home!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I hope you find a deal that makes you take the plunge 🤞 I'm looking forward to getting back out in mine, plus it would be good to try a different kind of bivvy to see how they compare. Love how light the Helium Bivy is though 👌 Yeah that was the kind of weather that has you thinking about cold beer all the way home! 😂🍺 Thanks for tuning in! James.

[@sda141]

Spectacular walk!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Phenomenal weather!! 😍😎

[@sda141]

@@joinmeoutdoors love that!

[@williammcknight4274]

I don't think you could have chosen a better place to pitch your camp! What a view!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

It was on a fair old slope, plus I later learned that this area is a hot bed for adders, but neither of those things really mattered with such beautiful views from my bivvy bag! It was a special one for sure ❤️

[@oscarrox]

I like the way you used the cleats and guy line to support the bivvy hoop, and the pegs. I'll copy that for my unused Helium bivvy. I would have to zip the bug net up to sleep, the problem with that is it flops down over my face. Have to find a way to support/lift the netting. There's a few niggly issues with the Helium bivvy, just needs a bit of ingenuity to fix, but overall a really good lightweight shelter.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I fully agree. I think it just needs a few tweaks to the doors and it would be vastly improved. As you say though, it is a good shelter still!

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

Beautiful hike and camp. Thank you for sharing. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Take care

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thank you Arnstein. All the best to you 😊

[@londontravellerlass7460]

wow! Those shots looks so amazing,,Thanks for this review

[@joinmeoutdoors]

The perfect bedroom views! Thanks for watching 😊 James.

[@andycjohnston]

Another great video, and review integrated with an amazing spot. Inspired to look at some coastal walking where I live now, as well as firmly putting the Helium on my list of kit to purchase! Thanks again!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Good, I'm glad you enjoyed that! I ended up using the Helium Bivy three times this summer, I think. I'd be interested to try a more spacious one like the Rab Ridge Raider as well, but these things cost money, as you know! Thanks for watching 👍 James.

[@slowrydelong4770]

F

[@whenigotothemountains1203]

Enjoyed that. Beautiful place. You took the advantage of the bivy to see the stars 👍 atb gordon

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks a lot. I really enjoyed that uninterrupted view of the skies. ATB James.

[@chaffnz]

Great vid. I have an old Macpac Bush Cocoons, one of the original hooped Bivvy bags. I can't completely close it as I find myself rapidly breathing uncontrollably as soon as it is closed. Bizarre as I am not claustrophobic. Fortunately the opening opens so that the flap is under you, and am now looking for a model like that. Thought readers may find my experience with a completely closed bivvy bag interesting.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks Al, and thanks for sharing your experience. The internal volume of a bivvy bag is so small that it must only represent maybe 20 times our lung capacity? So before long, you'll be re-breathing all your own exhaled air I imagine, if you're fully sealed in. I hope you find something that works better for you 👍 James.

[@IrelandRider]

Afternoon, great video and yes, we do like to know what food you're cooking/eating haha, as it gives us an idea of what's good and what isn't, I do like the bivvy but I guess they are for summer use camping and for a one nighter only, as nowhere to put your pack if it's raining and obviously impossible to change your clothes. Lovely views and I'm glad the weather was on your side, I'll look forward to your next adventure 👍

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha hello Richard. That part of the video was especially for you! 🤣 With a bivvy, you can store it under a tarp or inside its rain cover to keep everything dry. Changing clothes would certainly be a bit of a circus act! Thanks for watching 😊 James

[@IrelandRider]

@@joinmeoutdoors I didn't wanna sound presumptuous and think it was me, but I really appreciate you sharing your food on your channel, when walking, food is a gift from the gods for your belly and everyone likes to see what others eat n cook, or is that just me? Haha 😄. Yeah definitely, getting changed in such a confined space would prove anyone's patience, thanks again for sharing your evening meal and your huge bowl of breakfast 😋

[@Adam_Adam_Adam_Adam]

A quick release to clip the guy lines onto the bivi would allow you to have the opening wide to get in then just grab the guys and clip it up 👌

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Oh I like that idea, thanks! 🤔👍

[@TheWalkingKev]

Another beautiful spot. Great timelapses as well. Interesting bivvy bag. Looked very cosy, will be looking forward to seeing whether you end up combining it with a tarp at some point....

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks Kev. It did feel extremely cosy, tucked away in there! I think bivvy camping in bad weather would be pretty miserable to be honest, changing clothes etc in the rain! If there's only meant to be a smattering of rain in the middle of the night though, I could still be tempted to bivvy it with a tarp 🤔

[@CampingwithSamBananas]

Awesome video, thanks for sharing. Subscribed.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi Sam, I'm glad you enjoyed that. Thanks for subscribing and welcome to my channel! Subbed back so I can see what you're about when I'm back home 👍 James.

[@mattharte7334]

Really enjoyed your video and the review of the Outdoor Research Helium Bivy. I am thinking about getting one and see that you use the Thermarest Neoair XTherm with it, and wonder if it’s the regular or the regular wide you use?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks Matt. Glad it was useful! My mat is the Max Regular Wide. I think a slightly narrower mat would work well with this bivvy bag, but as you can see, it does swallow my mat. James.

[@WilhelmChristiansen]

Hi great review mate Do you think a Thermarest Neoair Xtherm Large would fit into the bivy bag? Best regards from Wilhelm

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi Wilhelm. The NeoAir XTherm Large is listed as being 196 cm long, and the Helium Bivy is listed as being 203 cm, so that should work out. I have the XTherm Max Regular Wide, which is 13 cm shorter than the Large, and it has much more than 13 cm of room between the head end of the mat and the head end of the bivy. My "Max Wide" fits this bivy, but I think the standard tapered shape XTherm would be a better fit down at the bottom where the bivy tapers. Hope that helps! James.

[@moopuna]

Thanks for this video! Was a big contributing factor to me springing for one of these! Quick question regarding your clipping method... Can you close/zip the bug netting when doing this or does it only work with it staying open?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi Scott. I'm glad the video was a help 🙌 From memory, the mesh door and outer door open and close independently of one another, so I think you should be able to clip the outer door up and out of the way if you want the mesh door shut. The only thing you won't be able to do is use the elastic loops as part of the clipping method, because the mesh door will be in the way.

[@TheCanadianXplorer]

Great video ! A 25' wide pad can fit inside ?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks! I use the Thermarest NeoAir XTherm MAX Wide sleep mat, which is 64 cm (25.2") wide. It is a rectangular mat, rather than a tapered shape mat, and I actually think a tapered mat would work a bit better because the bivy bag is slightly tapered at the foot end. A tapered sleep mat would therefore spread the bivy bag out less, and give a bit more free bivy bag material for your feet. I hope that makes sense 😊 James.

[@TheCanadianXplorer]

@@joinmeoutdoors Thank you. I also have the wide version of the NeoAir Xtherm MAX.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Oh great, well I can confirm that the width fits!

[@zarrzarr9989]

nice place to bi vi good view

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I'd love to go back there one day for that view!

[@Quote_Center]

What do you do with your gear when it rains?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I put everything back in my rucksack and cover the rucksack with my Osprey rain cover 👍

[@oling2812]

Just stumbled across your channel and the production quality, clarity and walkthroughs are outstanding so kudos! Quick question - can I ask how tall you are? I've just purchased an OR Alpine Ascentshell Bivy (it's waiting in the US for me to pick it up when I go there) but I'm just eager to know how much space I will have or whether I will need to sell it on as the dimensions are the same as this Helium bivy.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Well thank you very much for those kind words! I'm just under 5 ft 9, or 175 cm. I can choose to move up or down in the Helium (i.e. towards the foot or head end) a few inches, so I think it would be fine for someone around 6 ft tall, possibly more. How tall are you? I like the look of the opening on the Alpine Ascentshell.

[@oling2812]

​@@joinmeoutdoors Ah perfect - I'm basically exactly the same at 176cm. I was a little worried purchasing it as I understand they're relatively compact and I've tried some other bivies in the past which look spacious but didn't quite have enough room to comfortably have my sleeping pad inside e.g. Alpkit Kloke and sleep on my side. Yes - it was a toss-up between the Alpine and this one though I think there are pros and cons to both. As you mention, the Alpine has the longer zip for the side entrance which I really like along with the supposedly very breathable AscentShell fabric which I was sold on. However, it (annoyingly) doesn't have the central loop for guying out like the Helium has and also only comes with the two pegging points. While I share your frustrations with the two pegging points, my suspicion is that they did it in order to avoid tearing the lightweight fabric because with all four pegs in the fabric could be very taut and some movement in the bivy could rip it, whereas with just the two peg out points you shouldn't run the same risk. At any rate, I managed to pick it up in the US for £200 delivered despite the exchange rate so figure I can just sell it on and at least break even if I don't get on with it!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

@@oling2812 Yeah you should be a similar fit to me then, and I think you're being realistic with your expectations that you might like it, and you might not. You just don't know until you've tried it, and I think it can go either way. My Thermarest mat is 6.4 cm thick. I generally sleep on my back when camping, though I think I've ended up on my side a couple of times in the bivvy in the night. You'll have to let me know how you get on with yours, on here or on Instagram 👍

[@mathasanbouchawang]

Amazing place...

[@joinmeoutdoors]

I was very happy with that find!

[@adventureawaits5003]

Awesome video bro

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks! 🙏

[@zarrzarr9989]

How tall are you for bi vi size

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi. I'm 5 ft 9 in, or 1.75 m.

[@tomjsmith000]

But how heavy are the clothes pegs?? Do they come in carbon fibre?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha they weigh at least 300 grams each, but are 100% necessary 😉 I will look into a carbon fibre option...

[@simonward4520]

Always a dilemma, bivvy with tarp equals same weight as a tent with head room?? I have just had my first bivvy camp in a ferrino sling 1. Due to bad weather had to get in at 7.30pm until morning, it was a little mind numbing.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

That's exactly it - the two almost cancel out. If you NEED to add the weight and bulk of the tarp, I think I'd be questioning the decision to take a bivvy and tarp rather than a tent. For me, id only opt for that setup (rather than a tent) if I needed to be particularly covert and/or the terrain wouldn't accommodate a tent. Sorry to hear about your first outing with the bivvy. That doesn't sound the best baptism! Better luck next time though 👍

[@granthw4993]

How do you like the OR bivy? I'm debating picking one up for myself as my main shelter. I usually just go on my phone after I eat when I get to camp so not needing a whole lot of room.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi Grant. The OR Helium is the first bivvy bag I've tried, but I did look around at quite a few before opting to try it. I've really enjoyed it, and it's proven to be surprisingly tough, given how insanely light it is! My main/only issue with it is the door arrangement, but I think they're a bit of a bugbear in general with bivvy bags. The issue of the "outer" door not fastening fully out of the way is fixed with two small clothes pegs, but I haven't resolved the matter of the inner door sagging and resting on my face yet. It's not a huge issue tbh. The Rab Ridge Raider door looks nice and taut, so I might end up trying one of those at some point. I'm still really looking forward to my next camp with the OR Helium though 👍 James.

[@granthw4993]

@@joinmeoutdoors great thanks for your thoughts. I think it's got me convinced to pick one up

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Awesome. It takes up hardly any room and weighs next to nothing! And you probably saw that I chose to add some guy lines, but see what you think and go from there 👍

[@azzonfire5088]

Can u use daily? Or do you have to dry out the condensation after every night?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

That's a good question. I have only used it one night at a time, so I can't answer that I'm afraid. My own opinion is that I'd want to turn it inside out and make sure it was dry before using it again.

[@markoruotsalainen5480]

Nice coffin ; ) Price ?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hah! Under £160 on some UK websites at the moment 💀😉 James.

[@산타는예롱이]

amazing🤩

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks! 🙏

[@granthw4993]

Also how are you at so few subs? You're quality is so good!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha that's kind of you to say! The channel is gradually growing, and I'd love to hit the magical 1,000 mark by Christmas 🤞 Thanks for the support 🙏🏻

[@Trailhiker1]

Will it stand without the guy lines ?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Looking at other videos on KZbin, it does seem to stand up okay without guy lines, but you can probably imagine that the weight of the material between the hoop and the foot end of the bivvy will cause the material to droop onto you. I therefore wanted to add the guy lines to keep a bit of tension there and help with space and breathability. I hope that makes sense.

[@Trailhiker1]

@@joinmeoutdoors Might get one next week. Looking to upgrade my snugpak stratosphere. It's waterproof but just doesn't breath.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

@@Trailhiker1 You might even be able to look up the breathability of the fabrics used on both bags, to see if one performs better than the other. It is stated for some products 👍

[@joinmeoutdoors]

@@Trailhiker1 It looks like the Snugpak Stratosphere isn't listed as being breathable. The Outdoor Research Helium Bivy is made from Pertex Diamond Fuse. Pertex itself is highly breathable, but I can't find any numerical breathability ratings for Diamond Fuse specifically. Bear in mind that all "breathable" materials are considerably less breathable once they're wet (e.g in rainy conditions).

[@Trailhiker1]

@@joinmeoutdoors I'll decide next week. Really wanted a Rab ridge raider. Started looking today and the prices went back up in front of my eyes. So I might go for the outdoor research Helium 👍Thanks for the reply

[@xjessukx]

Great review I've been tempted in getting that bivi. what size mat are you managing to fit inside ?

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks a lot Shawn. Mine is the Thermarest NeoAir XTherm Max, so it's quite wide. What I have thought (since filming the video) is that a narrower (or tapered) mat would give a bit more height at the foot end, as the mat wouldn't be stretching the bivvy out sideways as much.

[@Camp-N-Wilddragon]

That was awesome mate, you had some perfect weather and that nightlapse 👌. What settings did you use, came out epic. Never really fancied bivvy camping in all honesty but it was great watching you do it. It's hard finding flat camping spots but definitely seems much easier finding somewhere without a tent. Glad you made it over my side eventually, gower is a beautiful place, I love it there. Adders roam the place though lol. Cracking video mate and catch you soon. Come on a camp with me and the Badger one day 👍

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks Dai. Weather was phenomenal! The timelapse was shot on the GoPro in its night mode - it's really impressed me with the detail it can capture at night. I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy bivvying either, but I'm fully sold on it (in the summer at least 🤣) after two outings. My next bivvy vid will be out next Friday - it might tempt you to try one! Funny you mention adders - I did think I should go back and zoom in on that snake and double check whether it was an adder!! And yeah we'll have to see about that Anglo-Welsh collab! 👍 Thanks for watching. James ✌️

[@channele8995]

Pretty sure those aren’t peg loops. Think they’re to hang the bivy for drying. Ergo why it doesn’t come with pegs.

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi. I daresay they would work well for hanging the bag up to dry, but they also allow you to peg it down the ground during use. Without the ability to peg a bivvy down, you'd risk it blowing away in the wind, which wouldn't be too good! Outdoor Research refer to them as "stake loops", and I believe there used to be four of them on the earlier revision of this particular model. What I would say is that they are intended more to prevent the bag from blowing away/sliding away, rather than to anchor it to a hillside!

[@nicknickerson4674]

Hello....Florida

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Hi Nick. Thanks for checking in and telling me where you're from - Florida must be very different to Wales, although we both need to keep an eye out for snakes! 🤣 ATB, James.

[@justinwright2045]

Improvisation… Love it!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Thanks for the comment 👍 James.

[@Twin_Peaks_Outdoors]

Enjoyed that James, cracking place for a wild camp with lovely views, the bivvy bag looks decent never tried it ourselves but you never know we may do in the future 😁 we also make sure our beer is in our packs before we set off 😁(sorry mate 😂😂) keep the videos coming ATB Mark & Simon

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha yeah thanks for that. Double beer checks will be carried out in future! The bivvy option was a good one to try, but I'll probably save it for these warm and sunny nights only. Hope you're well. James 👍

[@BulldogBadger]

2nd 🤘🦡🦡🦡

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha you the man! 👊

[@BulldogBadger]

@@joinmeoutdoors one tries!

[@joinmeoutdoors]

😘

[@joinmeoutdoors]

😘

[@thevalleywalker]

Nice to see someone bivvying.. not for me though. Great coastline James. atb Al

[@joinmeoutdoors]

Haha I fully understand why not everyone loves it, and I suspect I'll only enjoy it on perfect warm, dry nights like that one. Thanks for watching, Al. I hope you're well 👍