The NEMO Heliopolis: A review
There are plenty of cheaper privacy shelters out there, but we decided to go with the NEMO Heliopolis Privacy Shelter and Shower Tent ($249) for a few reasons: we’re big fans of the other NEMO products we own, and they’re a local, New Hampshire-based company. And, honestly, I truly believe that you get what you pay for. So far, with four camping weekends to our credit this season so far, the Heliopolis has been an absolute game-changer. Why? Read on.
While we had planned to camp as much as possible this summer, we were planning to fit those weekends in around our original plans, which originally included a two-week trip on the West coast. When we had to cancel our original summer plans due to COVID-19, our summer calendar became wide open. Luckily, camping is physically/socially distant by nature, so we were in luck. A summer of camping weekends, it would be (and if you want to check out where we’re headed, be sure to read this post!)! However, as the virus is certainly still raging and the risks to G, who is immuno-compromised, are great, I only wanted to camp if we could ensure that we would be self-contained. For me, that meant not having to use any shared facilities. And that’s where the Heliopolis comes in. Paired with the Luggable Loo portable toilet I bought last year (think: five-gallon bucket with a toilet seat) for emergencies (but never used), and I have my own personal bathroom—and, once fitted with our NEMO HelioLX pressure shower, a shower, too!
The Heliopolis, which we affectionately refer to as “the pee tent,” is easy to set up—so easy that I did all by myself our second weekend camping. What’s included? The tent itself, four stakes, the frame, and guy lines. The ONLY issue I have with set-up is that, at 5’4”, I’m a smidge too short to be able to attach the top of the shelter to the top clip. Luckily, G can do that easily. Then, it’s just a matter of attaching the clips on the sides of of the shelter to the poles and voila! At 84” tall with a square 4-foot floor, it’s plenty roomy—so much so that we’ve stored extra up to three bundles of wood inside the shelter overnight during rainstorms! Take-down is a breeze as well—it’s the same process as set-up, just in reverse. I estimate the whole process taking us maybe five minutes for set-up and take-down. Easy-peasy.
The shelter has a huge front door that zips three-quarters of the way around the front; the zippers (located on both sides of the door) can even latch together to “lock.” Features like that one and so many others are what I so love and appreciate about the shelter:
the mesh holder inside can hold a small bottle of hand sanitizer (or a beverage, I guess?)
the “window” flap covering can be let down to get some air through the mesh or kept closed for the most privacy
the overhead battery-powered light
overhead pockets/flaps, a side pocket (perfect for wipes or toiletries)
an outside cord to use to dry clothes or towels
and, best of all, a holder for toilet paper that cinches tight to keep the paper dry if you’re showering. Brilliant.
The shelter is designed to work seamlessly with NEMO’s pressure showers. Last year, when we first embarked on our van travels, we bought one of the showers (the XL version, which holds 5.8 gallons of water. We didn’t end up using it last season, but it definitely came in handy on our most recent camping trip, after a particularly hot hike. I learned for next time, though, that I really should fill the reservoir and leave it in the sun to warm up. Needless to say, the cold water felt refreshing, but damn, it was coooold. With a few foot-powered pumps to create the pressurized chamber, the shower is designed to deliver 7-10 minutes of steady water. I didn’t test that, but I might I remember to use warm water! With the shower set up, it’s perfect to use to wash hands or even dishes, as the hose is long enough to use outside of the shelter.
Here’s the thing: I’m not a pee-in-the-woods kind of girl. I like some semblance of normalcy, and while I’m pretty low-maintenance, I do enjoy practicing good hygiene. With physical distancing a priority of ours these days, the Heliopolis set-up allows us to be as self-contained as we can possibly be (until our next van upgrade, of course!). And the ease and convenience of just walking a few steps to use the bathroom—I didn’t expect to appreciate that so much! This unit is a game-changer, and I can’t imagine van-camping without it.
