Life After Sandy

Sometimes things come across our desks that really make us stop and reflect. A lot of folks think that the storm is over, but it really isn't for many people out there. This letter is a good reminder of that, and makes us proud to have been there for someone when it really mattered.

Nov. 8th 2012

Dear Mr. Brensinger,

First let me say I never write these type of letters but I felt I had to tell you how grateful I was to stumble upon your product recently in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which hit the Northeastern United States a few weeks ago which resulted in the loss of several lives.

The storm knocked out the local Con Edison power plant which threw over 200,000 residents that live in lower Manhattan into darkness. To compound this, I also live in an apartment building where regular water pressure wouldn't allow us to have water pressure to our apartment. For a week, I was forced to carry gallons of water for my wife, mother-in-law (who was staying with us) and myself, for all of life's necessities.

Having camped in the past, I went to my local camping store to see if there were any products that could address personal hygiene. The store employee showed me the Helio pressured water system. I was a little taken aback by the price at first but I figure I would give it a shot.

I brought it home and followed the directions and was pleasantly surprised by the results. The Helio functioned just as promised. I filled the tank with warm water and was able to take a very thorough and satisfactory shower with the bottle barely half filled.

What I like most about the Helio is its simplicity. No gas bottles to buy or complicated assembly or large pieces to store.

Being without power and water has rekindled my desire to be more prepared for emergencies. Although there are quite a few items I still have to get, at least I know I have a reliable way to wash up. Thanks for making a product that helped bring a little comfort during a bad situation.

Sincerely,
Martin Brown

Helio Q&A

Helio Pressure Shower arrived in our warehouse a couple weeks ago (and has since been shipped out to stores). We've already heard back from folks that have been playing with their new toy and had a few questions about the product.

Q: Given the color, I assume it's meant to be left out in the sun the way other camp showers are. How long do I need to leave it out before it warms up?
A: The long answer? It depends. It depends on what temperature the water starts at when you put it in, how much water you put in, the temperature outside, whether it is exposed to direct sunlight, and what you want the final temperature to be. But to give you a data point in space, when we were out at Trail Days in Damascus, VA, we filled Helio halfway up with water from the spigot (~55F) and let it sit in direct sunlight where the outside temperature was about 85-90F. It took the water inside the tank about 3 hours to warm up to what felt about 90F.

Q: How strong is the hanging strap? Am I messing with disaster if I hang a full Helio by this strap?
A: The strap is a carrying strap, not a hanging strap. It is meant to be used to carry Helio a short distance, and should NOT be used to hang Helio—unless the tank is empty and is just being dried. Hanging the weighted tank by the strap puts undue stress on the welds. Over time, both the material and welds can be compromised by the constant loading. Plus, the beauty of Helio is that you don't have to hang it. The bottom of the tank is structurally rigid, so it can stand on its own, which means you won't have to search for the perfect tree at the perfect height to wash up.

Q: It looks like you open the valve at the top of the foot pump before use. What's the valve at the bottom of the foot pump for?
A: The valve on the underside of the foot pump is just for drainage purposes when you are finished using the pressure shower. Be sure to keep it closed when pressurizing the tank.

Q: What's the best way to store Helio?
You should only pressurize the tank when you're using it. Keeping the tank out and pressurized over long periods of time puts the fabrics and welds under constant tension. Over long periods of time, this can affect the durability and longevity of the product. So when you're done showering/rinsing dishes/etc, take the time to properly depressurize the tank. The easiest way to do this is to spray water out of the nozzle until the stream dies out. Then open the valve on top of the tank to let the air out.

If you have any other questions, let us know!

NEMO's Adventure Products Test Team Announced

Last month, NEMO launched The Adventure Products Testing Contest through its Facebook page to find gear testers for its upcoming sleeping bag line. Gear junkies were called to submit a video and written gear review for Facebook users and the NEMO crew to vote on. Over 150 adventurers entered the contest; 13 were chosen to join the APT Team.


“Woooooot! O wow, thanks! That was a great to start my day off! I can't wait!
I'm so happy I'm shaking,” said Nick Korda when he found out he won.

“This is going to be a blast! I am looking forward to working with NEMO on this sleeping bag line,” said Bradley Wilson.

“I'm excited and can't wait to hear what I need to do to get going!” said Lindsay Bean.

The inaugural APT Team hails from all parts of the US and its members include dual sport, backpacking, surfing, sailing, trail running, skateboarding, biking, hunting, canoeing, and skiing enthusiasts. The winners: Paul Owens, Bradley Wilson, Lindsay Bean, Gregory Goad, Nick Korda, Sean Clark, Eric Hall, Zachary Scheitel, Buck Holly, Gary Hochgraf, Nan Woodbury and Jonathan Heffron will all be interacting directly with our team of designers and engineers throughout testing.

“We try to get as many different avenues of input into our design process as possible, and this contest not only formalizes the way we have worked with our customers for years, but gives me a direct line to our current users to ask questions and try out new and different cutting edge concepts. For me, I'm most excited about the real time communication and instant feedback. I think it will push the sleeping bag program far and fast,” said NEMO’s Director of Product Design, Suzanne Turell.

Joining the customer gear testers will be NEMO’s current team of testers, ambassadors and retail partners. Testing will take place throughout the fall and winter with the final designs expected to launch in Spring 2013.

Spotting Meta 2P in Wyoming

We received a quick note over the weekend from Jeff R. in Arizona. He recently finished a 7 day backpack trip into the Wind River Range, Wyoming with his Meta 2P, and sent us this great shot.

-Connie

Espri in the Tateyama Mountains (Japan)

Loyal NEMO customer Mitsu Ida recently sent over these pics from a recent solo trekking trip to the Tateyama Mountain Range—one of Japan's most famous spiritual mountains. He spent 2 nights at Raicho-Daira trekking to 3,000 meter ridge lines. Not too shabby.

-Connie

Sleeping Bag Testers Wanted!

Calling all outdoorsy people who like to use great gear!

NEMO has officially launched its Adventure Product Testing platform through our Facebook Page. As long as I have been at NEMO we have done extensive testing outside of our labs with ambassadors, athletes, ourselves, families, and friends. While we've had a lot of success in excellent feedback from these groups, we are taking big steps to make a more integrated, cohesive, and connected testing program. This means big things for me...lots more information to work with and a direct line to a variety people with all different shapes, sizes, experiences, and needs.

We are unrolling the program with an entirely new category for us - sleeping bags. They've been in the works for a couple years now, and will debut next year. However, before they get anywhere close to a store, we want to make sure we are putting the best and most innovative product out there. We think our unique ideas make a lot of sense, but in the end, it doesn't matter what we think.

In the Adventure Product Testing program we will be integrating feedback from our designers, engineers, ambassadors, athletes, shop employees, and customers. I want to get all of us into a conversation about what makes a great sleeping bag and make this happen. We can sketch and CAD model and lab test all day long, and we'll never get the same kind insights as extensive real world testing. So help me out!

We'll be testing everything from ultralight down quilts to car camping comfort to arctic mountaineering bags. There is something for all adventures, all body types, and all levels of experience. We want as diverse of a testing team as we can make.

You need to visit our Facebook page to enter, but here's the skinny.

First you make a short video with a fake gear review and tell us why you'd make a great member of our testing team. Note: There are no extra points for how hardcore you are or how many sleeping bags you already own. However, there are extra points for creativity, insight, and presenting information well. If the fans like you, we like you, and you've got some testing opportunities coming up this fall, you're on the team. We'll work with you to figure out what prototypes will be most appropriate for your upcoming adventures, and then you are in charge of using the hell out of them. We have several platforms for testers to keep in touch, communicate with each other, and log data points that will be useful in understanding if our designs are performing to their intentions.

Alright, get out there and blow me away with your videos.

-Suzanne

Sharing Camp with Bears in the Enchanted

In case you need a bit more inspiration to get out this weekend, Nicole in Customer Service just forwarded this email over from Derrick, who recently completed a 27 mile round trip in the Enchanted Valley (Olympic National Park) with his wife:

You didn't mention in the specs that the tent was bearproof, that came in handy too! They were in our camp all weekend and didn't bother a thing. Nice job NEMO, keep up the good work. Attached are a couple of pics, one of our camp with the bear, another with my wife Angela making coffee after our first night in the Meta 2, and one close up of our campmate/bear! Looking forward to many more trips this summer in our new tent.

-Connie

Summer Trips Abound

We're chock in the middle of summer and are stoked to keep hearing from customers who are getting out every chance possible. Michael N. sent us this picture from a trip out to Black Balsam Knob in Shining Rock Wilderness, NC (Pisgah range). The picture was taken on the peak just below BBK (which was already taken).

-Connie

More Fun Customer Pics

Another set of customer pics from Tara P, with comments included. The first one remind me of the Hipstamatic type images that are seemingly all over the Interweb these days—but better and touches that sweet spot of depth and texture. The last picture is one of my favorites in a while, for obvious reasons (mostly the commentary).

Photo taken by a Canon AE-1 SLR camera, I love the film texture.

My friend Terry's Meta 2P, day and night at Ma On Shan, Hong Kong. The front view is Sai Kung City.

Woke up and saw a bird around my Morpho 1P. Left a shit on it too... -_-

-Connie