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PACIFICA

Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag

$399.00 - $419.00

(21)

Item # 762528

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Backpacker April '08 proclaims the Marmot Helium bag is ''sleep-anywhere evidence that luxury and lightweight can go hand in hand.''

The super-versatile, 3-season Marmot Helium sleeping bag packs smaller than a loaf of bread
Filled with certified, super-lofty, ultralight, 850-fill-power goose down for an unsurpassed warmth-to weight ratio
LightForce nylon shell is treated with a Durable Water Repellent finish that cause moisture to bead up and roll off
Face muff allows hood to be cinched snug without digging into your face
Down-insulated draft tube backs the full-length zipper to keep the cold out
Classic trapezoidal foot box lets feet move freely and comfortably, and allows goose down to loft fully to keep your toes toasty warm
Snag-free zipper guards
Ultralight stuff sack and storage bag included

Imported.

Item 762528

View all Marmot products

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Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular

4.2

(based on 21 reviews)

90%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (19)
Warm (17)
Comfortable (13)
Adjustable hood (12)
Packs small (11)

Cons

Inaccurate temp rating (3)
Zipper snags easily (3)

Best Uses

Backpacking (17)
3 season use (15)
Cold conditions (7)
Car camping (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (14), Casual/ recreational (3), Outdoor professional (3)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (15), Comfort driven (4)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (11)

Reviewed by 21 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Apr

2008

(19 of 19 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Best 3-season bag available

By Max Power

from Olympia, WA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Great Zipper System
Lightweight
Stows Easily
Warm

Cons

Expensive

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking
Climbing

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

This is definitely the best 3 season sleeping bag on the market. Compared to the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15 and the North Face Hightail, it simply offers better warmth, more space, and lighter weight.

Super bomber zipper does not snag on accident. The shell fabric is lightweight and durable.

One should consider buying the Helium "EQ" version which has a waterproof/breatheable shell fabric. It costs a bit more, but is worth it in the long run.

The only downside, IMHO, is that the Helium is only available in Left Hand Zip.

Nov

2009

(18 of 18 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

My Most Important Piece of Gear

By PeteB

from Boston, MA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Comfortable
Lightweight
Roomy
Stows Easily
Warm

Cons

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
4 Season camping
Backpacking
Car Camping
Cold Conditions
Lightweight backpacking

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

Hands down, Marmot's Helium +15 sleeping bag is the best bag I have ever used and it has quickly become one of my most prized and critical pieces of gear.

Notes on my intended use:
- 3-season backpacking
- Emergency gear (plus a bivy) on all of my winter day hikes
- Possible 4-season backpacking with a liner + a winter bivy (will probably test this out car camping a few times as overnight winter temps here typically call for a minimum of a 0-degree bag if not a -10 or -20)
- I do not typically use this bag for car camping, opting instead to use one of my cheaper bags to minimize the wear and tear of my Helium

PROS:
- Excellent weight to warmth to loft ratio
- Almost perfect fit (5'10" with broad shoulders) -- roomy enough to be comfortable, but snug enough to efficiently trap and retain heat
- The hood is perfect! Normally I find the hood on a mummy bag to be quite uncomfortable. On really cold nights I like to cinch everything down really tight, leaving only a small hole for my mouth and nose to poke out. In most bags the cinch cords bite into my head and face, and the hood has an inadequate amount of loft and cushioning. The Helium's hood has excellent loft and cushioning, keeps my noggin, and by extension my body, nice and toasty, and has the most comfortable casing/padding for the two cinch cords.
- Excellent torso draft tube!
- Packs down very, very small with minimal compression.
- Mostly snag-less zipper

CONS:
- If I had to pick one, it would be that the zipper could be shortened to shave a bit of weight and gain a slight improvement in temperature rating. That said, it is a minor gripe, and not significant enough for me to lower the rating at all.

Overall: Excellent, excellent, excellent bag! 5 out of 5 stars.

Feb

2009

(15 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Quality Preformer

By akajut

from Oklahoma City, OK

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Stows Easily

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

I purchased this bag in an effort to decrease weight and volume on my backpacking trips. This bag replaced a 0 degree synthetic bag so the difference is like night and day. The bag has plenty of room, but tight fitting enough that it doesn't have a lot of empty air to warm. I was hesitant to get down, but am very happy I went with it. The only thing I would change about the bag is to make it a 3/4 or half zip to save on zipper and baffle weight.

Sep

2009

(14 of 14 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Excellent, well made, comfortable

By Camping Squirrel

from Anaheim, California

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Comfortable
Lightweight
Roomy
Smooth operating zipper
Stows Easily
Warm

Cons

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking
Cold Conditions

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

I've own a 30 year old North Face "Cat's Meow", owned, and returned to REI, a North Face "Hightail", and recently acquired a Marmot Helium, to supplant the "Hightail".This Helium, for me is perfect for the non-hostile environments I expect to encounter while backpacking. After purchasing this, I spent a week,this past June, at the 8-10,000 ft. level of Bishop's Pass, and the high country of Yosemite. While I don't know the night time temperatures, my partner was cold in a +40 bag that he brought, no doubt wearing thermals. I was comfortable, in every way, temperature wise, and bag fitment wise.The zipper on this bag did not snag...unlike the "Hightail", which did too often, in "at home" living room floor, testing. The zipper on the Helium, is a full length, and it is perfect!I can only say good things about the Marmot Helium, and the small stuff sack that comes with it, leaves no extra room, as the bag compresses itself perfectly, with in it. Another reason I bought this, and returned the "Hightail", besides the "Hightail's" 1/3 length zipper, is that the Helium has a DWR coating on the shell...the "Hightail", does not....and I hate the 1/3rd length zipper of the "Hightail"!!!One last thing...especially for the REI administrators who will read this. This Marmot Helium...DID NOT win the Editor's Choice Award from Backpacker magazine in the April 2008 issue!It was the Marmot Helium EQ that won the award.[...]

Nov

2009

(10 of 26 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Luxuruis, But Too Wide and Poor Hood

By 0tommy0

from Cali

About Me Outdoor Professional

See all my reviews

Pros

Bomber Construction
Comfortable
Lightweight

Cons

Drafty
Hood opening too big
Lacking Extra Features
No Shoulder Collar
Not Warm Enough
No Velcro Zipper Stay
Overall Bag Too Wide
Poor Hood Design

Best Uses

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

The Helium is ultra soft and comfortable with huge loft all in an ultralight, compressible package. However, the performance of the bag left me wanting...

The bag is WAY to big for me (I'm a 5'9", 160 male). It is excessively wide, leaving large, cold air pockets inside the bag. I found myself having to bunch up the excess and tuck it beneath my body on cold nights.

The face opening in the hood is HUGE. Even cinched all the way down, it allows drafts to enter.

Also, when the hood is cinched tight, the draw chord has a tendency to flop in your face. Same goes for the zipper - I had to remove the chord on the zipper to keep it out of my face when fully closed. There is nothing built in (like a velcro flap etc.) to keep these out of your face.

The Helium also lacks a cinchable shoulder collar, making the big drafty hood more noticeable.

Overall, this bag is constructed well with quality materials and down. It is soft and luxurious, but for me failed in the details and field performance. I returned mine and got a Mountain Hardware Phantom which I LOVE.

May

2010

(6 of 11 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

High-Performance Sleeping Bag

By Stick13

from Mississippi

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Comfortable
Roomy
Warm

Cons

Innacurate weight listing

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking
Car Camping

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

I just got my Helium a few hours ago. I was stoked! I ripped open the box and pulled it out quickly. I immediately noticed how soft and cushy it felt. Upon laying it on my sleeping pad I noticed how quickly it lofted up. I unzipped the bag and climbed in. It was plenty roomy and comfy. The zipper zipped up easily and even as sloppy as I zipped it up it did not snag once. The cinch cord is easy enough to use and I really like the way the hood cinches around my face. It seems to be more contoured to my head, rather than just closing up over it. I can't wait to take it out on a trip!
The only complaint I have is the weight. I bought this bag expecting a sub 2 pound bag, but whenever I set it on my scales it weighed in at 2 pounds 3.2 ounces (35.2 ounces). Granted this was in the 0.7 ounce stuff sack. I thought this was a pretty big difference in weights since it is being sold as a 31 ounce bag. So, I checked out the hang tags that are placed on the bags with the price and EN listings more closely, and it listed the total weight as being 2 pounds 3 ounces. This verified that there was not much of a weight variation in the listed and actual weights, but it also verified that this bag is selling as a 1 pound 15 ounce bag and actually weighs 2 pounds 3 ounces. This is according to the hang tags on the bag. I did speak with an agent once I realized this, and I was assured I could return the bag for another one. I do plan on going to the store with my scales and checking it out myself before I exchange it though.
Other than this hang up, I believe it will be a great bag. As far as using it, I am curious to see how well it repels water. I chose the regular Helium over the EQ version mostly because I was trying to cut weight out, however, with the actual weight of the regular Helium, the EQ may have been a better choice especially since there is only a 2 ounce difference in the weights.

Mar

2008

(6 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Fantastic !

By Nw_Adventure

from Seattle, WA.

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Great Zipper System
Lightweight
Stows Easily
Warm
Water Resistant

Cons

Compression Sack Needed

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking
Car Camping
Cold Conditions

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

This is the one bag that has really met and exceeded my expectations. It lives up to its 15 degree rating and its uber comfortable with a generous amount of room for us side sleepers. After a couple years in sub-par overated bags I have finally found the one ! It comes with a small stuff sack that seems pretty flimsy, it could use a nice REI style compression sack to reduce pack size and protect the bag but thats just a small issue. This bag rocks. :)

Feb

2008

(6 of 12 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

GREAT BAG

By I

from HOUSTON, TX

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Great Zipper System
Lightweight
Stows Easily
Warm
Water Resistant

Cons

NONE I'VE FOUND

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking
Cold Conditions
ULTRALIGHT PACKING

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

IT'S THE BEST BAG I'VE EVER USED AND SUPRISINGLY WATER RESISTANT.

Feb

2009

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Worth Every Penny

By Cjag

from Atlanta,Ga

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable Hood
Great Zipper System
Lightweight
Stows Easily
Warm

Cons

Compression Sack Needed

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

Love the Marmot brand, very well made, durable products. Packs small, lofts right back up. Very confident in temp rating. Been in 22deg no cold spots. Stuff sack upgrade would be nice for a bag in "super premium" category. Otherwise no complaints.

Apr

2010

(3 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Great Night Sleep

By Stuck at work!

from Santa Cruz, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Lightweight
Packs Small
Roomy
Warm

Cons

Best Uses

3 Season Camping
Backpacking
Car Camping

Comments about Marmot Helium +15 Sleeping Bag - Regular:

Very nice bag, very comfortable and best of all, I was able to sleep almost through the night. Pricey sleeping bag but if you can afford, there is just no substitute for a good down bag that is only two pounds.