Feathered Friends Helios vest

[Fromage]

Review of Feathered Friends Helios Vest

 

I recently spent 28 days in the remote reaches of the Wind River Range in Wyoming instructing a NOLS mountaineering course. I took along said vest as insulation and offer my findings as to its performance in the field.

 

Specs of vest tested:

Microfiber ripstop shell fabric, upgraded 800-fill down, total weight about 11 ounces. The retail price of a vest with these features is $115.

 

Trip conditions:

For 20 of the 28 days we were between 10,000 and 13,800 feet, and spent four nights above 13,000 feet. Weather was mild and night time temperatures were in the upper twenties at higher elevations.

 

Review

 

On an extended backcountry mountaineering expedition such as NOLS offers, weight, space, and functionality are of paramount importance. As an instructor, my 7,000 cubic inch pack contained 85-100 pounds depending on the day. Since much of this was group gear and climbing gear, I had to keep the weight of personal gear I carried to a minimum. Following previous experiences of sustained early winter storms catching me under prepared during late summer in the Winds, I wanted to make sure I stayed warm this time around. The Helios vest was an excellent performer in terms of weight, packability, simplicity, and warmth.

 

The Helios is a scant 11 ounces, and it provides an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. When compared to my fleece jacket, it is less than half the weight and is much, much warmer. The vest is a lighter than other down vests I have worn, and about half the weight of most down jackets.

 

The vest features sewn-through construction, and the fabric is mostly down-proof. The idea of using a vest as an outer layer is like wearing Gore-Tex shorts, so I went with the lighter nylon ripstop fabric and brought a hardshell for weather protection. If you are the kind of person who wears Gore-Tex shorts, then you will be pleased to know that the Helios also comes with several other fabric options that have varying degrees of water resistance and price. The range of colors and fabrics in which you can buy all Feathered Friends products is pretty extensive.

 

In terms of space, the Helios is hard to beat. It could easily fit into a stuff sack smaller than the one provided, which is about the size of a one-liter Nalgene. The packability of this vest was one of my favorite things about it. If you smooth out the sharp edges, you could compress the vest into an empty Rainier can.

 

The summer nights at altitude in the Winds were cool (upper twenties to low thirties), and the Helios kept me plenty warm. I would wear this vest into the teens, but much below that I would go for a full jacket. The hand warmer pockets are delightfully simple and cozy, and there is an inner zippered pocket as well. The lycra trim hugged my body well, allowed for good range of motion, and didn’t let in much cold air.

 

As much as I liked the Helios, there are a couple improvements I would like to see made standard. The main zipper works very smoothly, but a second slider would allow unzipping from the bottom to create room around a belay device while climbing. Additionally, I would have liked a bit more fill in the collar and a more substantial draft flap behind the zipper. Overall I found the Helios to be an excellent performer in terms of weight, packability, and functionality. The Helios is also cheaper than many comparable vests made by other manufacturers, and has the respected reputation of Seattle-made quality. After a month of institutional abuse on a NOLS course my vest still looks new.

 

 

Helios vest in action in the kitchen below Connie Glacier, Wind River Mountains, Wyoming.

 

[Rainier_Wolfscastle]

Thank god for that 11 oz vest. Pack weight now 99 lbs instead of 100.