I’ve used the Helium UL 1 on three stealth camps in the forest now and thought I’d do a post on the mods.
Because I’ve been in the forest, I’ve used a groundsheet protector. There’s a lot of leaf litter, so it’s impossible to clear all the twigs etc therefore it seemed wise to use one. Having said that, in most circumstances it would be superfluous as the groundsheet seems pretty robust. I’ve been using the Gram Counter Small protector which fits most of the tent groundsheet. It doesn’t cover the porch nor a small part opposite the door, but it does cover all the area that you lie on. I’ve put some shock cord and ordinary cord on the corners so it fits the tent corner tie outs exactly. Another advantage of the protector is being able to lay it out first so you can see the area you will be lying on. It weighs 111g vs 172g for the F10 one, so a decent weight saving.
On the end guys, I’ve added a sail ring and a loop of cord. The sail ring enables the original guy to run freely when adjusting. The additional loop means I can use a bigger peg if I want to. Not an essential mod but it makes set up a bit easier.
There’s a buckle to adjust the pole tension but the loop of webbing is very small so I’ve added a loop of cord to make it easier to adjust. Again, not essential but helps setup.
While the original side guys were fine, they were a bit short and grey. Being grey, they were difficult to see and easy to trip over, so I changed them to thinner, longer yellow guys. The cord is also non-stretch do the pitch is tauter too.
I really don’t like the way the fly door folds away. There’s a toggle on the door which clips onto a hoop on the outer side of roof of the inner. It’s fiddly and the fly can flap and come loose. An easy fix is to use a plastic clothes peg. It’s much easier to use and is more secure.
The inner door has a toggle and loop to tie back which is fine. However, you have to have the whole door open. I’ve decided to use another clothes peg instead. It’s a lot easier and quicker.
The Helium has the F10 Tension Band System which stabilises the pole arch from inside. I found the supplied cord didn’t run easily through the tensioner so I replaced it with slightly thinner cord. It works better now. It is detachable so I would only use it when necessary. However the band at the rear doesn’t get in the way, so I left it in place. It can double as a washing line.
The only pockets are two small ones in the roof of the inner. They are fine for small items like a torch but I wanted one at the end so I got a friend to make one. I attached it with safety pins so I can move it to the opposite end if needed. It’s great for an iPhone or tissues. I’m not sure why F10 didn’t put pockets at the ends as standard as try weigh next to nothing.
I mentioned in a previous post that the porch is quite narrow, especially for cooking. You can detach the groundsheet from the cord that connects the pole ends and pull it back to widen the porch. However there’s no way to secure it, so I sewed an elastic loop to marry up with the toggle that secures the front of the groundsheet to the pole webbing, shown in the pictures below.
I noticed that the top of the groundsheet was a bit high as it was under extra tension. The solution was to use a kamsnap to fasten it down. Perfect! It adds an extra 15cm width to make it 40cms, not huge but enough for cooking.
In the main, the Helium is a good tent and I’m very happy with it, especially for the price. For me, these mods make it even better. This post is a bit long, so I’ll do another with some further thoughts and suggestions for changes. Who knows Vango might even choose to use some.
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