Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
Sea to Summit Pocket Shower vs NEMO Equipment Helio Portable Pressure Shower
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Camp Showers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Pocket Shower wins on the thing the others cannot touch: at a stated 135 grams it can go in a pack, and it still holds 10 litres and heats itself in the sun. The Helio is the better answer whenever you arrive by car and want pressure that does not depend on finding a branch.
Sea to Summit Pocket Shower
Buy itTen litres and a built-in shower head in a dry bag weighing a stated 135 grams, which is the only one here you would carry any distance.
- A stated 135 grams for a 10 litre capacity, dozens of times lighter than the vehicle-mounted option.
- Made from 70D nylon, the same fabric as Sea to Summit's Lightweight Dry Sacks, with fully taped seams.
- Shower head is built into the base, with a twist mechanism to set the flow, and Sea to Summit states roughly an eight minute shower with it fully open.
- Roll-top closure with two D-rings attached to 20 feet of nylon cord, so it hangs almost anywhere.
- Entirely gravity fed, so the pressure is whatever the hanging height gives you.
- You need something to hang 10 kilograms of water from, which is not always available.
- Heating depends on sunshine, so it does nothing for you on an overcast day.
NEMO Equipment Helio Portable Pressure Shower
Buy itA foot pump instead of a branch, giving 5 to 7 minutes of steady spray from an 11.3 litre reservoir that sits on the ground.
- NEMO states 5 to 7 minutes of continuous, steady spraying from the foot pump, with no need to hang the reservoir or rely on gravity.
- 11.3 litres, quoted by NEMO as 2.9 gallons, in a vertical reservoir that stands up on its own.
- A 7 foot neoprene hose with a two-stage nozzle, so the shower head reaches where you need it.
- Large port with an easy-grip screw cap, which NEMO points out also lets the inside dry and be cleaned properly.
- Considerably heavier and bulkier than the Pocket Shower, so it is a car item.
- The foot pump is another mechanism to fail and needs repumping through a long shower.
- No solar heating claim, so warm water means filling it warm.
Side by side
The 8 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Sea to Summit Pocket Shower Our pick | NEMO Equipment Helio Portable Pressure Shower | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Backpackers, paddlers and anyone who needs a shower that packs down to nothing and can be hung from a tree. | Car campers, van users and surfers who want real pressure without hunting for something to hang a bag from. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $$$ · premium |
| Where the pressure comes from | Gravity, from hanging it | Foot pump |
| Stated capacity | 10 L | 11.3 L (2.9 gallons) |
| Stated empty weight | 135 g | 800 g packed |
| Warm water method | Black fabric heats in the sun | Fill it warm |
| Stated run time | About 8 minutes with the head fully open | 5 to 7 minutes of continuous spray |
| Needs something to hang from | Yes, 20 ft of cord supplied | No |
| Material or construction | 70D nylon, fully taped seams | Reservoir with 7 ft neoprene hose |
| Packs down | Zips into its own pouch | Folds down small |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Sea to Summit Pocket Shower if
backpackers, paddlers and anyone who needs a shower that packs down to nothing and can be hung from a tree.
Know before buying: entirely gravity fed, so the pressure is whatever the hanging height gives you.
Pick the NEMO Equipment Helio Portable Pressure Shower if
car campers, van users and surfers who want real pressure without hunting for something to hang a bag from.
Know before buying: considerably heavier and bulkier than the Pocket Shower, so it is a car item.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Sea to Summit Pocket Shower - Ten litres and a built-in shower head in a dry bag weighing a stated 135 grams, which is the only one here you would carry any distance. Choose the NEMO Equipment Helio Portable Pressure Shower instead if car campers, van users and surfers who want real pressure without hunting for something to hang a bag from.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Camp Showers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).