Outdoor Research Helium Bivy vs Tarptent ProTrail Li
Two shelters, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.
The short answer
The Helium Bivy takes price; the ProTrail Li takes weight, floor space and vestibule space. 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 ProTrail Li 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
58g lighter on the ProTrail LiTrail 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
0.80m² more floor in the ProTrail LiInner 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 ProTrail LiWhere 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
$99 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 | Tarptent ProTrail Li | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles to carry | 311mm folded | None — trekking-pole shelter |
| Minimum weight | 511g | 453g |
| Floor area | 208 × 71cm — 1.48m² | 213 × 107cm — 2.28m² |
| Vestibules | 0 | 1 — 0.92 cm² |
| Price | $250 | $349 |