The NEMO Helio is a portable shower that uses a manually-pressurized chamber to deliver a strong flow of water, rather than replying on gravity or an electric pump. As a bonus, the water chamber is black, allowing for solar heating of the water.
Available in two sizes, the regular size delivers 5-7 minutes of continuous water flow; while the Helio XL shower delivers 7-10 minutes of continuous flow. The Helio shower is designed to pair with the NEMO Heliopolis Privacy Shelter, for a private outdoor shower experience.
We purchased our Nemo Helio in 2020 and have used it enough to warrant this longterm review. We bought the small size since that volume seemed sufficient for our 1-2-person-plus-dog use. Disclosure: we have included affiliate links to the item.
River and I have been using the Helio in the back of our car for post-beach and post-trail-run rinse-off sessions, as well as at our rustic three-season lakeside cottage where it serves as our outdoor dog-and-human shower, a gear washer, and as a post-meal dish-washer. I have not used any other portable showers so I can’t offer a comparison. I chose the Helio based on it not requiring electricity to operate, not relying on gravity for flow, and for its ability to heat up the water if placed in the sun.
I love the portability, ease of use and warm water this shower delivers.
The Helio is lightweight and, when empty, is very easy to transport by car or by hand. It’s a bit trickier to carry when it’s full of water, so you may wish to use two arms to carry it rather than just relying on the handle. If you typically fill it near where you’ll be using it, you’ll rarely need to carry it when full.
It also comes with a compact travel/storage bag. I’ve so far not needed to collapse it back into its bag but this would be handy of you’re travelling with it by plane or have minimal storage space. When in the trunk of the car, I usually just have it sitting in a wide shallow bucket (the kind available at dollar stores or garden centres).
The Helio is filled by pulling on a tab which opens a plug at the top of the cylinder. The mouth is wide enough to make filling it by hose or pitcher quite easy.
Repeatedly stepping on the foot pedal forces air into the cylinder, resulting in a pressurized chamber not unlike blowing into the straw of a juice box. If you’d prefer your water to be hot, and if it’s a sunny day, inflate just enough air for the cylinder to remain standing on its own, then simply leave the Helio in the sun for 2-4 hours. Being black with a transparent window at one end, the container heats up the water very effectively. Note: I’ve never had the water reach temperatures too hot to shower with; it’s usually “just right” but be sure to test the water temperature before using it on your dog.
The hose is long enough (7’) to allow a person to have a stand-up shower. And the water pressure generated through the foot pedal is high enough to effectively wash your hair; to rinse off dirt, mud, sand, loose algae; and to wash dishes (a bit of scrubbing needed). You’ll need to repressurize the cylinder a few times using the footpad, to maintain good water flow, but this is easy to do.
The water flow, while effective, is gentle enough that River didn’t mind it. She seems to much prefer being rinsed using warm water over typically-cold garden hose water.
I was disappointed that since the nozzle lever needs to be held down continuously during use, that there isn’t a clip to lock it in the ‘down’ position. So I used a rubber band to achieve this.
When not in use for prolonged periods, pull open the cylinder tab and the foot pedal tab, empty out the water and allow it to air dry.
In our experience, the 11-litre Helio shower has been large enough for a dog to be rinsed off plus a person to fully shower and wash their hair; or for a dog and two people to be thoroughly rinsed off. If several people or dogs will be using it sequentially, you should consider the larger-volume Helio XL.
I haven’t experienced any issues with any of the parts during 2-season use for the past five years. Some other online reviews have mentioned concerns with the nozzle durability, but that may have been due to bad luck or to a previous iteration of the shower. Or perhaps my experience has been from good luck. NEMO Equipment customer care has been excellent when I’ve called in the past with some product-use questions.
If you’re looking for an effective portable shower that can heat water and operate without electricity, consider adding the NEMO Helio to your dogpacking adventures.
Perferendis rerum vitae fugiat et sequi ex est tempore expedita. Recusandae quibusdam est et eius eum sit et. Quia quidem quia voluptatem hic eaque quis et suscipit et. Doloribus doloribus neque eius sint.
