Is Helly Hansen Good for Cold Weather? (What We Think)

Is Helly Hansen Good for Cold Weather

With winter approaching here in the Northern Hemisphere we need to cover up to protect ourselves from the bitter cold days.

And here come in our help the many outdoor brands that we cover on this website. Yes, many of them are more for outdoor activities and you can see them more like “sporty” brands.

But they also offer good, warm clothing items that you can wear casually in your day-to-day life, for going to work, etc.

Such is the case of Helly Hansen, a Norwegian brand founded in 1877 by sea captain Helly Juell Hansen to create protective clothes for sailors.

Now the brand makes clothes and equipment for sailing, skiing, and mountaineering, but with an extensive selection of casual wear.

Today we’ll look at its winter clothing to understand if Helly Hansen is any good for cold weather.

Short answer: Yes, it’s good!

Let’s begin.

Contents:

1. Types of Helly Hansen Cold-Weather Products

Helly Hansen offers different clothes for cold weather such as down jackets, parkas, fleece mid-layers, different types of pants, winter boots, etc. We’ll take a look at some of them.

Jackets and Parkas

For cold weather, at Helly Hansen, you can choose between various down puffer jackets and parkas.

The brand uses natural down or synthetic insulations to keep you warm and the jackets come in different styles, and colors, with or without hoods.

For example, the Men’s Alaska Parka uses polyester for insulation, for the outside shell and the inside lining. It comes with many pockets and an adjustable hood.

On the other hand, the Women’s Verglas Glacier Down Jacket uses goose down for insulation and a combination of nylon (polyamide) and polyester for the other parts of the jacket. There are two hand pockets and an adjustable hood as well.

Helly Hansen Womens Verglas Glacier Down Jacket
Helly Hansen Women’s Verglas Glacier Down Jacket
Image from hellyhansen.com

Pants

When it comes to pants, there are many in the collection for men, women, and kids. Depending on the situation, you can choose between shell pants, rain pants, casual pants, and more.

Boots and Shoes

The selection of shoes and boots is also varied and versatile. If we go to the “Winter Boots” section on Helly Hansen’s website we can find for example the Men’s Varanger Primaloft Boot.

It is a high boot, with a removable Primaloft sock to keep you warm, a rubber shell for protection, and leather upper. This is the “ultimate cold-weather boot” as Helly Hansen calls it.

For women, if you don’t live in very cold places, you can opt for the Fremont Leather boots, a protective, comfortable shoe that is fashionable at the same time.

Hoodies, Fleeces, Midlayers, Baselayers

You can’t just wear a t-shirt under your jacket in the middle of winter, right? Don’t worry because Helly Hansen comes in our help with hoodies, sweatshirts, and fleece jackets to wear as midlayers.

For example, the Daybreaker fleece jacket is a good option, made of 100% recycled materials.

Helly Hansen Mens Daybreaker fleece jacket
Helly Hansen Men’s Daybreaker fleece jacket
Image from hellyhansen.com

You can also find different types of base layers on their site if the weather makes them necessary, like the Lifa Merino Midweight Crew Base Layer.

The HH Lifa Merino Crew Base Layer reviewed by Michael Maroney

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

2. Know the Materials Used

Different materials and fabrics are suitable for different types of uses. For example, jackets that use natural down, goose or duck down, are recommended to be worn in cold but dry weather. Natural down is not good for rainy weather because it loses its insulating capabilities if it gets wet.

Materials

Helly Hansen uses these main materials in its garments:

  • Natural down from ducks and geese, a great insulator against the cold, recommended in dry climates;
  • Synthetic insulations, like Primaloft that can be used even in more humid climates;
  • Nylon and Polyester for outer shells and linings, with a part of them being recycled;
  • Fleece, which is made from Polyester, and it’s good as a mid-layer under the jacket;
  • Merino Wool for baselayers.

Fabric Technologies

Over the years, Helly Hansen has also developed different technologies to create fabrics with particular features such as:

Helly Tech®

Helly Tech is a waterproof membrane that is breathable at the same time. It protects you from the rain while allowing sweat vapor to escape so you don’t overheat. We have discussed it in detail here and compared it to Gore-Tex here.

Helly Tech® Explained

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

Lifa®

Lifa is a technology created in the 1970s by Helly Hansen that is used in base layers to keep you warm and dry. It moves the moisture away from your skin, to the surface of the fabric.

The LIFA® Base Layer Technology Explained

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

LifaLoft™

LifaLoft is a synthetic insulation that combines Lifa with Primaloft.

3. Where is Helly Hansen’s Cold-Weather Clothing Made?

Helly Hansen makes its jackets and other cold-weather clothing mainly in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and other Asian countries. The materials and fabrics are sourced from European and Asian factories. (source)

4. What About the Prices?

The prices of Helly Hansen’s winter clothing may seem quite high to many people. In fact, they increase the more technical the product is and the more fabric technologies and particular fabrics it uses.

For example, the Verglas Glacier Down Jacket that we saw above costs $350 (at the moment of writing this) because it uses goose down as insulator, and we know that goose down is expensive.

Moreover, their winter boots can cost more than $100 and many of them can reach more than $150.

Are their products worth the price?

Although they may seem expensive, usually quality clothing for cold weather has a high price tag. Helly Hansen’s prices are in line with other similar brands. They offer high quality and great performance which we think are worth the price you’ll pay.

And the brand has also some more accessible products here and there, along with items that go on sale from time to time.

5. How Warm is Helly Hansen?

Well, it depends on the product you’re going to buy. In general, down jackets are usually very warm and those by Helly Hansen perform really well.

For example, the Men’s Arctic Patrol Down Parka, insulated with duck down and feathers, is created to withstand frigid temperatures in extreme climates.

There is also the Arctic Patrol Modular Parka, an award-winning jacket, and Helly Hansen’s most advanced parka. It has been designed to resist extreme cold and costs more than $1500.

Helly Hansen Mens Arctic Patrol Modular Parka
Helly Hansen Mens Arctic Patrol Modular Parka
Image from hellyhansen.com

When it comes to footwear, here is an interesting article by Helly Hansen that discusses some tests done on a few winter shoes of the brand. It also shows some temperature ratings, ranging between -10°C (14°F) and -30°C (-22°F).

So, all in all, a wide range of options for different levels of cold temperatures.

6. What About Rain? Are Helly Hansen Parkas and Jackets Waterproof?

Ok, at this point we are protected from cold! But what if we get caught in the rain? Does the brand offer waterproof jackets?

Yes, of course, there are many Helly Hansen parkas and jackets that are waterproof. For example, the Arctic Patrol Modular Parka that we saw above is waterproof.

Another example is the Women’s Mayen Parka. It uses Helly Tech Protection.

In any case, you should know that there are different levels of waterproofness. So, keep that in mind when shopping for a new jacket.

7. Conclusion: So, Is Helly Hansen Good for Cold Weather?

As we saw in this article, the Scandinavian brand has developed many options and solutions to withstand the harsh climates of Nordic countries.

It uses quality materials (wool, down, polyester, nylon) and particular fabric technologies (Helly Tech) to obtain specific performances from jackets, clothes, and footwear, that are needed in specific situations.

For cold weather, Helly Hansen has a wide selection of jackets, parkas, and boots for all types of customers and their needs. No matter the level of cold, you’ll surely find what you need in their collections.

To conclude, as we said in the introduction and for the reasons we just discussed, we think Helly Hansen is definitely a good brand for cold-weather clothes!

– – – –

What do you think? Do you agree with us? Let us know in the comments.

– – – –

You might also like: 10 Outdoor Brands like Helly Hansen that We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

To learn how we use your data when you comment, read our Privacy Policy.