Gossamer Gear The One vs Outdoor Research Helium Bivy
Two shelters, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.
The short answer
The Gossamer Gear The One is ahead on floor space and vestibule space. Nothing published here goes the other way.
Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them. Every figure is a published measurement or computed from one — nobody here has used either one.
Where they differ
3 of the 5 things we can measure come out differently.
Poles to carry
the The One has no pole set at all, the Helium Bivy doesA trekking-pole shelter has nothing to fit across your bars, which removes the constraint entirely — but you then need poles from somewhere, strapped to the frame or bought separately. It is a different problem, not a smaller one.
Floor area
0.31m² more floor in the The OneInner length by inner width as published. On a bike trip the floor also has to take whatever you brought inside off the bike, so a few centimetres is not nothing.
Vestibules
1 more on the The OneWhere wet kit and panniers go. On a bike trip it is also where the bags off your bike spend the night, which is more volume than a hiker brings.
Side by side
Including the rows where they are level.
| Gossamer Gear The One | Outdoor Research Helium Bivy | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles to carry | None — trekking-pole shelter | 311mm folded |
| Minimum weight | 558g | 511g |
| Floor area | 213 × 84cm — 1.79m² | 208 × 71cm — 1.48m² |
| Vestibules | 1 | 0 |
| Price | $260 | $250 |