Outdoor Research Helium II Jacket Discussions | Drop

Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions

Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

Showing 1 of 82 conversations about:

Outdoor Research Helium II Jacket

FULL DISCUSSION

Fuzzymuzzle

171

Feb 24, 2018

Quick 2 cents: For me the Helium is only for a quick shower and definitely not any sustained precipitation, rain or snow. Mine wets out after an hour which for the PNW is mostly useless. Goretex performs way better for me. It also runs large and boxy. I'm 5'10", 170ish and almost always a Med. This jacket in Med allows room for winter layers including a midweight puffy and is still roomy.

Feb 24, 2018

OutdoorDude

Feb 24, 2018

FuzzymuzzleIt's weird, I see so many conflicting reviews on this jacket. I picked one up a few weeks ago after reading glowing reviews that said it was solid, and a good windbreaker, but now that I have it, I'm seeing people say it soaks fast. Kinda wishing I'd taken the weight penalty and gone with something GoreTex.
That said, I have a small in Lemongrass if anyone's interested, lol.

Feb 24, 2018

Fuzzymuzzle

171

Feb 24, 2018

OutdoorDudeI'd say it's probably overkill for a windbreaker but underkill for sustained precip. The sweet spot is short showers. It's probably overkill for that then really. If it's living in your pack as a just in case jacket does it need pit zips, a wired brim and fully adjustable hood? If it were water repellant for a few hours then these features make sense to me. One plus is that even though it wets out it does still shed a moisture...so better than nothing. I'm leaning toward UL umbrella more these days. I have a sea to summit (not really UL) and I used the shit out of it on a bit of the AT as well as here in the North Cascades this past summer. Less overheating, no hat needed, multiuse...better for me.

Feb 24, 2018

OutdoorDude

Feb 24, 2018

FuzzymuzzleGood to know, thanks! I think I'll return mine and buy the Foray, after all. I'm about to start the PCT next month and even though I have the OR Floodlight to layer underneath, I will take the extra weight for true GoreTex

Feb 24, 2018

Vote

Paddy66

Feb 27, 2018

FuzzymuzzleI'm 5'6" and weigh about 170 and I tried on the medium at the local REI. It was too small especially in the shoulder armpit area. I'm not fat; I lift a lot of dumbbells.

Feb 27, 2018

Vote

Fuzzymuzzle

171

Feb 27, 2018

Paddy66Sounds really unlike my Med experience. I've got a 41.5" chest and 32" waist. Maybe mine is a mislabelled Large.

Feb 27, 2018

Vote

Paddy66

Feb 27, 2018

FuzzymuzzleNow I'm worried. I went another time to REI a few months ago to try on the same coat and I forgot what size I wanted but my daughter seemed to think it was a medium. That's why I went again. Oh well, if the large is a bit too large, I suppose I can layer more underneath. Thanks Fuzzymuzzle.

Feb 27, 2018