Outdoor Research Helium Bivy vs Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
Two shelters, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.
The short answer
The Helium Bivy takes weight; the Lunar Solo takes floor space, vestibule space and price. On a bike the pole set usually decides it before the rest do.
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
5 of the 5 things we can measure come out differently.
Poles to carry
the Lunar Solo 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.
Minimum weight
229g lighter on the Helium BivyTrail weight where the maker publishes one — fly, inner and poles, without the stuff sacks or the footprint. Worth reading against the pole length rather than instead of it: a Bikepack edition is usually a few grams heavier for shorter poles.
Floor area
1.28m² more floor in the Lunar SoloInner 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 Lunar SoloWhere 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.
Price
$35 between themAs we hold it. Shelter prices move more than most gear, so check before you commit.
Side by side
Including the rows where they are level.
| Outdoor Research Helium Bivy | Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles to carry | 311mm folded | None — trekking-pole shelter |
| Minimum weight | 511g | 740g |
| Floor area | 208 × 71cm — 1.48m² | 228 × 121cm — 2.76m² |
| Vestibules | 0 | 1 — 0.8 cm² |
| Price | $250 | $215 |