Outdoor Research

Helium Rain Jacket - Men's

Typical OR quality

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

XL

I own several OR garments and I'm happy with all of them. The Helium Rain Jacket is one of the best light weight rain jackets out there.

Perfect for Backpacking

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Perfect for backpacking and day hiking. Great for backpacking at high elevation where the weather is unpredictable.

Not really a rain jacket

I bought this jacket because it's highly packable and lightweight, for a 3 week trip to Ireland and Scotland. After an hour of walking around Dublin it's completely soaked through. This is not really a rain jacket, and marketing it as such is misleading. I bought a treated nylon jacket for 40€ and it is working much better. I do not recommend this jacket.

Why aren't there 2 pockets by waist? Would buy 2 if it them

Missing 2 crucial pockets

Storm-tested and proven.

I carried a Helium jacket and rain pants up a 12,441 ft. peak in New Mexico. We summited just as a hailstorm hit. Both functioned flawlessly and kept me dry in some truly awful conditions. Lesser gear used by others in our expedition failed and two of the crew went hypothermic. This gear is worth every penny.

OR Follow Up Review

I wanted to take a moment to thank the OR team for their response to my previous (not so favourable) review of this jacket. My critique of the jacket still remains but the effort made by Outdoor Research and their representative Mickey are greatly appreciated. They listened to my concerns/experience with the jacket and we were able to come up with more suitable jacket for the application. I was treated as a person and not just a dissatisfied customer!! Although I won't recommend this jacket for UL purposes I will totally recommend OR!! Thanks Outdoor Research!!!

This is NOT a rain jacket

This is marketed as a rain jacket. It has taped seams. HOWEVER - after wearing jacket on AT in rain I quickly discovered it is only marginally water resistant. WHY IS THIS MARKETED AS A RAIN JACKET? WHY TAPE THE SEAMS IF IT IS GOING TO LEAK ANYWAY????

A Rain Jacket Should Keep You Dry

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

This jacket has been a complete disappointment. It cannot hold up in even a light rain to keep you dry. I watched/read reviews that indicated it "was not a long/steady downpour solution", but was moreso intended for "short spot showers". OK... but, unfortunately, after testing it repeatedly in both scenarios, I can say it is not a solution for either. Even in light rain, one is damp and wet disappointingly quickly. Calling it an extra windbreaker and looking elsewhere to find an actual rain jacket.

Wouldn't recommend for rain

I recently used this jacket while hiking the Juan Du Fuca Marine trail on Vancouver Island. The first day was a very light mist/fog and the jacket was suitable for keeping me dry but that was about the extent of it. The second day was quite rainy and I was thoroughly soaked within 30 minutes. I didn't even bother with the helium pants. The jacket also lacks adequate ventilation. I can second an earlier posters comment that he wasn't sure if he was wet from overheating underneath or from rain soaking through. The jacket was reasonable at blocking wind. I chose this jacket for its UL weight/cost. I would certainly not recommend this to any user who is doing through hikes in rainy coastal areas.

NO need anymore.

Fabric not breathable. ALso rain protection is too weak.