NEMO Helio Pressure Shower Review

The NEMO Helio is a human-powered, pressurized shower that packs down small and is inflated with an easy-to-use foot pump. It's constructed of polyurethane-coated polyester with a 6' 10" neoprene hose and a nozzle that's similar to a kitchen sink sprayer. We highly recommend this truly off-grid shower to anyone who wants a warm shower without having to cart around a propane tank. That said, we wouldn't recommend it for winter van life, but for everything else, it's great.

Comfort

With the Helio, getting suds out of human hair, dog hair, or even cloth is a breeze. With the simple foot pump, it's easy to build a lot of pressure for those harder jobs or use less pressure for easy rinsing. It takes a bit to get a feel for the right pump-to-spray ratio for the job, but we got the hang of it after a few tries. The long, almost 7' hose facilitates easy use—even for tall folks—and everyone loves not having to hang a big, heavy bag of water in a tree. The showerhead works much like the sprayer on your kitchen sink at home—press to turn on and release to stop the flow of water. We appreciate that we can also flip the handle grip up for continuous flow.

While this wasn't the most hands-free shower we tested, we found that we could hang it on a shower privacy tent for hands-free showering—though that means actually having to purchase a privacy shelter. But, if you're just using it to rinse gear, dishes, or muddy dog paws, the lack of a showerhead holder won't be an issue.

The Helio has one of the narrowest sprayers of any model we tested, at just ⅝ inches. One struggle we had was that once your feet are wet, it becomes easy for them to slip off the foot pump, which is frustrating and can create a muddy mess. Minor gripes aside, the Helio is a decently comfortable shower to use, but its strengths are in its versatility, not in its ability to replicate your home shower.

Functionality

The Helio boasts pretty high pressure that pairs with a relatively small shower head to make your 2.9 gallons last longer. Pumped up to its maximum pressure, we clocked this shower outputting up to a gallon per minute. At that rate, the whole thing runs dry in just about 3 minutes. However, using and pumping it at a more relaxed pace and pressure gives around 6 minutes of water flow.

The Helio has plenty of surface area to soak up the sunshine and use that energy to heat the water within. It's one of the most efficient solar-heated showers we tested. How quickly it heats to your perfect temperature, of course, depends on the original temperature of water you put in it and the strength of the sun wherever you are. In our testing, it went from about room temperature (roughly 68 degrees Fahrenheit) to over 100 degrees in just three hours of full sun.

We also appreciate the handle on the top next to the lid, which makes it easier for us to haul the bag of water around while it's full. The strap on the bottom is useful for hanging the bag downward to dry once we were done using it.

Ease of Set Up

The Helio is an incredibly easy shower to set up. It's pretty self-explanatory, and all the pieces stay securely attached. Just take it out of its little bag, fill it with water, and you're ready to shower. That said, the water inlet is rather unique and took us a while to figure out how to best use it. Though it's a bit narrow, this flip-top lid is nestled into a pocket on top of the tank that acts as a funnel when you fill it. The opening is plenty wide enough to fill without any splashing, which is an improvement from the previous version. One end is also completely clear, which makes it easier to see exactly how much water is left.

While we mostly love the ease of setting up the Helio (because there's almost nothing to it), we wish this shower could come apart for cleaning and maintenance. The shower nozzle does screw off if you want it to, but that's it. Even with the wider opening, we still found it tough to get inside and scrub the interior, especially for those with larger hands. Mostly, we were just able to rinse it out. The hoses are also quite thin and can easily get kinked. They attach to the bottom of the shower, though with the addition of small legs on the main body of this unit, it's now easy to set it down without worrying the hoses are being clamped shut by the weight of the water. There are two clearly labeled valves on the foot pump — one to open during use and the other to open after use. Once empty, the whole thing accordions closed and fits into a small mesh bag for easy transport.

Durability

The Helio is constructed of polyurethane-coated plastic and two neoprene tubes that are securely attached. It gives off the feel of being a reasonably durable unit capable of withstanding a good amount of abuse, and we found that to be the case. The plastic pieces are thick and feel solid, and attachment points are well-sealed and showed no signs of wear even at the end of our long summer of carting it around everywhere.

We are glad nothing broke while using the Helio, as it comes with no replacement pieces. We've now tested several different versions of this shower, and every new iteration continues to improve upon the last, both in durability and functionality. Issues and concerns we once had with the foot pump seem to have disappeared with this model. It performs very well, took a strong beating in our testing, and continued working without any issues.

Portability

Compared to smaller options out there, the Helio looks like a bit of a monster. But considering what you get in this 1.25-pound package, it's actually a pretty portable shower. We love how small it packs, squishing from 17.5 inches when full down to just 5.5 inches. Even when it's full of water, 2.9 gallons weigh just under 24 pounds, and you don't have to tie it 7 feet up in a tree for it to work. The convenient handle makes it easy to carry as well, even for longer distances.

That said, the Helio may not make the cut for a backpacking trip—although you could probably make it work, it will definitely take up a lot of space in your pack. But for a car camping trip, quick after-work adventure, or even bathing the dog in the backyard, the ability to compress this versatile shower down into a compact package that easily tucks away is fantastic.

Previous Next

Should you Buy the NEMO Helio?

We love that the Helio can be used in off-grid situations without the need for a charger, batteries, or a propane tank to provide comfortable, warm showers. We especially appreciate the anti-gravity nature of this shower, and the fact that we don't need to haul water over our heads to use it. If it fits into your budget, this is an excellent camp shower.

What Other Camping Showers Should You Consider?

While there's a lot to love about this shower, it doesn't feel exactly like the kind of shower you'd experience at home. If you're camping out of your car or have access to hot water (like at a campground or music festival), we think the Spopal shower is a great and budget-friendly alternative. This unit feels much more like the shower you'd have at home, as it has a wider spray and can change between different spray modes that are conveniently located. It doesn't heat water, but if you already have access to hot water, we highly recommend it.