Nemo Helio Portable Pressure Camp Shower Review
Nemo Helio Portable Pressure Camp Shower: QUICK OVERVIEW
Review of: Nemo Helio Portable Pressure Camp Shower
Category: Camping Shower
Features
Price
Ease of Set Up
What I/We Like
- Easy to use and set up
- Folds up for easy transportation
- Provides pressured cleaning
- Designed to absorb heat from the sun
- Decently high capacity
- Long hose system can be used hands-free with a hanging hook
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
- Requires consistent pumping for consistent pressure
- Can feel clunky to use
- Difficult to dry completely
If you’re an avid camper who enjoys their time outdoors, then you will almost definitely appreciate what the Nemo Helio Portable Shower has to offer. After days and days of staying outdoors and being subject to the elements, there is just no stopping dirt from building up.
This is especially true if you prefer to camp on the move, as it can be nasty trying to carry around filthy, muddy camping equipment. That is why you need a portable camping shower so that you can hose down any grime and keep your gear clean, as well as your own body.
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Nemo Helio Portable Pressure Camp Shower Review
This Portable Pressure Camp Shower is, as the name might suggest, a portable pressure shower that is perfect for camping trips. We’ll go into more detail as to what that means under the features section.
Still, for a general idea of what this pressure shower is attempting to do, you can think of it as a portable cleaning device that can make showering and cleaning much more practical when far away from more conventional and readily available amenities. Nemo came out with two variants, and we’ll be touching on both designs in this review.
Who Is This Product For?
The targeted audience is those who enjoy spending time outdoors and away from home. This can include campers who would enjoy the camping luxury of having a potentially warm shower to wash away the day’s work. Still, it’s also suitable for days on the beach, hiking, or taking the dog for a walk to the park so they can play and get some exercise.
You’ll get a good amount of use from this nifty shower. Anyone who wants or needs a way to provide themselves pressurized water off the grid will enjoy the Nemo Helio series of portable pressure camp showers.
What’s Included?
The two showers have the same general design and assembly. The entire kit can be stored neatly into a small, round carry bag that keeps everything in one convenient place. Once you’ve opened your bag, you’ll find the main piece, which holds all the water and houses the pressure system. This pressure system connects to the hose and a foot pump that provides the pressure.
Overview of Features
Next, we can dive in and start with the basic specifications. As we said, the Helio line includes two different designs for these portable pressure showers. These are the base 11-liter (2.9 gallons) model, which lies horizontally, and the vertical variant is much larger with twice the capacity at 22 liters (5.8 gallons).
The size is the only real difference between the two, except that the difference in capacity means that you’ll enjoy different shower lengths. The smaller of the two provides around 7 minutes of wash time, and the other provides around 10, which is plenty of time for a quick washdown.
One of the purposes of this portable pressure shower is to replace gravity showers that can be awkward to set up and often provide almost no water pressure. This prompted a design that was easy to set up and use and offered an impressive amount of pressure that trumps what gravity showers could put out.
The way the Nemo Helio shower achieves this pressure is with a foot pump system. By pumping it up a few times before use, you can build up pressure in the system, which you can then release along with the water by using the button on the back. You needn’t worry about over-pressurizing the system, as the tank has built-in protection against being over-inflated.
The aesthetic choice of the tank is not just for looks either, as the black design allows you to set it out in the sun to absorb heat quickly, providing you with warm water after a sunny day. You can also just fill it up with hot water yourself, no hose required.
Speaking of the hose, the outlet hose is a 7-foot-long neoprene hose that is designed to allow for an overhead shower and hit hard-to-reach places when cleaning anything other than your body. The nozzle will house the release button for the water, but there is also a bright green rubber piece around the handle that acts as a grip.
When unfolded upwards, you can both hold down the button indefinitely or use it as a hands-free way to shower by hanging it above you. This is most effective when used with another of Nemo’s products, the Heliopolis privacy shelter.
Other general features include a nifty hook that allows you to hang the nozzle on the tank easily so it doesn’t get left lying on the floor, waiting for an accident to come along. It all folds up easily and quickly, fitting inside a drawstring sack for easy carrying.
The see-through end cap on the tank lets you keep track of water. It also has a handle of its own, so you can carry it around without having to keep folding and unfolding it each time.
Overall, this is an excellent product that fulfills a nice niche, but you might encounter some issues. First of all, there is the issue of it not being very easy to dry. It’s difficult to empty and dry the tank of liquid once it’s been filled, and leaving old, stale water inside to be used again potentially months later is not ideal.
Secondly, the tank itself is more of a bag, which is difficult to stand upright and hold still until it’s been filled and partially pressurized, making it annoying to control. Additionally, having to continually pump for pressure while also cleaning yourself with the nozzle in hand can be tiresome and clunky.
How to Get the Most Out of It
It’s simple to use this shower. All you need to do is fill it with water in the inlet nozzle and begin pumping using the foot pump to build up pressure. Once you’ve got some pressure, you can release it using the button on the outlet nozzle. There isn’t any nuance to using it or getting the most out of it. Just remember to keep pumping to get a good, steady amount of pressure. Because of this, not many people consider it worth the rather steep price.
Alternatives
Given the constant need to keep pumping for pressure and the overall clumsiness that you might experience, a good alternative might be the Yakima Roadshower, which sits on the roof rack of your car and heats up using the sun. The pressure is comparable to that of a garden hose and uses a regular air pump for pressure, which might beat having to pump with your foot consistently.
Conclusion
The Helio line of portable pressure showers is an excellent option for those looking for a way to get a nice cleaning while outside and away from any amenities. It’s easy to use, is lightweight, and is incredibly portable.