Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Helium Pants

I bought these pants along with the Helium HD Jacket and I am in love with both of these products. The pants are extremely light and perform above expectations. Don't ask, but I had to wade in some water about waist deep for about 300 yards last week, and no water penetrated though the pants. The zippers along the side are sealed extremely tight. I have a 34" waist and larger thighs, and the large was a perfect fit.

Really lightweight, but feel substantial. Minus one star because they don't zip all the way down the side, which I consider essential in rain pants. If you don't need that, though, then these are great!

Nice and light. easy to put on but wet through faster than expected

Super light and packable. I'm 5'7'' and the length is ok. Taller should take the SmallLong version instead of Small.

do the job and are super light

Only four stars because I haven't had a need to use these yet! Hope to add the fifth star once I do. However, I can say that these pants fit well (5'10" 32" inseam). They packed small and are very light! They'll be staying in my pack!

Pants fit well, just like the jacket, I would like a crotch vent to help it breathe, besides that great for hiking in the rain.

Very light!

Helium is a good name, incredibly lightweight but a tad short for me in the Med, with 32" inseam, and rather noisy fabric. That said , have worked pretty well in recent rain events.

Good construction, but maybe a bit tight in the waist. The lack of zipper makes them hard to get on over pants.

I haven't used these pants in the pouring rain yet, but they do keep me dry in the "Seattle mist." One star taken away because the fit is weird. I ordered a size up (large, normally wear medium) like the other reviews recommended. It was worth it because the inseam fits perfect, but unfortunately the waist is a little big. Would have been better if the inseam size of the large could be combined with the waist size of the medium.

I just finished two weeks in Alaska and did a lot of hiking. I was very lucky with the weather but the few times I needed rain pants the Helium were perfect! They are lightweight and take very little space in the backpack. I gave it four stars because they are a bit too short for my body type (I'm 6'1 and 165 lb) but they do their job. A bigger size would be too large.

The fit is a little tight (squat test), especially when wearing pants underneath. I think I'll pair these up with a base layer bottom or running tights.

First of all, these are amazing waterproof pants that are incredibly light and pack down super small. Great to keep in your bag just in case and adds hardly any weight or bulk. You could pack these down even smaller than the built in back pocket. I bought these for daily bike commuting in the PNW and so far so good! Slim enough to not get tangled in the chain. Can easily slip off and on over shoes. I got the 'Coyote' color and because of the material it has a strange reflectivity to it, which I don't mind on the bike. But if you want low-key style, get the black. Also I am 5'7" 145 and THE ONE THING I would change is to not even have pockets, but to have side zips that open up to the inside to get at the pockets on your under layer. Since these work the best as a light shell over 'normal' clothes, I wish I could access all the pockets underneath without digging down my pants via the waistband.

Wish they had a cargo pocket. Easy to pack.

These can be packed for any adventure, as a backup, for an unplanned rain event. They are very lightweight and should only be a primary rain pant on the most weight sensitive adventures. That said they can be with you always as they pack down to nothing and weigh very little. They basically go everywhere with me now, work or play.

Good rain pants/outer shell. The thighs and butt are a little snug for me, but this is a common problem I have with most pants. I ended up re-ordering a size larger to accommodate wearing the rain pants over a pants and long underwear.

I use this product for daily bike commuting. when I purchased it I thought id be able to use it for work, but it is much to lightweight for any backcountry use. Keeps me dry on my rides though! I find the fit in the thighs to be a little tight, but I only notice this when biking, they fit nicely when not in the saddle.

Loved the fit. They are lightweight and therefore it's more likely I'll use them! They worked! Some waterproof pants make a lot of noise while walking, but these were pretty quiet. The one thing I did not prepare for is the fact that leg cuffs are quite narrow and so the rain that hit the legs ran down and dripped into my hiking shoes! I'll need to work out how to avoid that, but something worth thinking about when buying.

Should have ordered an extra size up. Same issue with the helium coat

I bought the men's Helium pants last summer before OR released a women's version, so I can't really comment on the fit. I used the Helium pants one summer and while they stayed in my pack most of the time, they performed very well whenever I had to use them, including one instance of 5 hours of continuous heavy rain! Because the fabric is so thin, the Helium pants are more fragile compared to other waterproof pants I own: small sections of the stitches along the elastic waist band have already come undone, and the taped seams have been cutting through the fabric slowly causing little holes that I had to patch. It's not a super big deal in my option since I do not intend to use these pants as my main waterproof pants on multi-day trips, but I just need to be careful when using them. Because of that, I gave the Helium pants 4 stars.

This is a great product due to its weight and pack-size. It would get a 5-star except that the fit runs quite small, especially in width but also in length. I'm a 31 waist at 5' 10" and my size Medium barely fits. Wish I had bought a Large.

I can only review the size, not their function as rain pants. I wear 32/32 pants and these Medium Helium pants would fit fine if they could be worn alone, but they do not fit well with pants under them. They do technically fit over my pants, but not with enough room to take a full step. I will try a Large and hope that works. I can say they look very well made and are extremely light weight and take up very little pack space, which is why I chose them over some other options.

Go up at least one size for a better fit. They do not easily pull over boots, even with a larger size that fits at the waist.

I always wear a size large for jackets and shell pants, so I purchased the HD Jacket and these together in Large. I am a cyclist, 32" waist 175lb 6'1". I sometimes have trouble fitting pants at the waist because of my thick thighs/seat from riding a lot, but these were a joke. Be wary of the size. I was thoroughly disappointed in that respect. Fortunately, they fit my wife great. As a rain pant, they're solid after light use so far.