Where did the sun go? If you’re like me and searching through the wardrobe to bring out your warmer clothing then maybe it’s time to invest in a new jacket, one that you can be proud of and can keep you nice and cosy.
Is there a brand nicer than Helly Hansen for winter and autumn style? I love their range, from hiking gear to big cosy jackets, while this one is ideal as it provides plenty of warmth, but not overkill with the temperature only just dropping.
The Brighton wind really picks up around October time, so I’m certainly happy to have this new Bossanova jacket and I wanted to share my honest review with you.
My First Impressions
Raquel instantly felt jealous as I lifted the jacket out of the box, which is a good sign straight away. I absolutely love the appearance, it looks really stylish for a puffy jacket, some tend to really stick out, but this one was very fitting.
The black colour always works, it just matches perfectly with every colour trousers or top. Of course, you can opt for this jacket in navy blue or red, but the black looks by far the best.
There are so many nice touches to this jacket. The gold line on the back with the HH emblem looks brilliant. The zip is good quality, not getting caught at the bottom or showing early signs of breaking, which so many low quality jackets get, something I’m always eagle-eyed for.
Warmth and Weather Resistance
Brighton seafront really is the perfect place to test this out, considering we’ve had so many storms recently, wind speeds of 40-50 every day.
You really couldn’t feel the breeze at all, the jacket lived up to its claims, shielding me from those bitter winds.
It also still felt very breathable despite the thickness of the jacket. The jacket has a decent amount of insulation, ideal for Autumn temperatures, where it’s cold outside but you don’t want a full blown winter jacket. 6-12 degrees celsius felt like the ideal temperature for this jacket.
In regards to how waterproof it is, it worked well with a slight drizzle of rain, it wasn’t quite as waterproof as the Helly Hansen Foil Shell Jacket, which was absolutely impenetrable from raindrops. But it worked perfectly with that irritating stop-start British rain we seem to always get. The hood also kept my head nice and dry with no gaps or rain seeping through.
The Comfort and Fit
As I’ve already probably mentioned a few times, it really was cosy inside, it felt nice and warm but not overkill, making it ideal for Autumn and early spring time.
The jacket has adjustable cuffs and the drawcord along the bottom of the jacket can be tightened or loosened, while there were under arm zips (pit vents), which is quite rare for a puffer jacket and another demonstration of how they go the extra mile in delivering quality.
Despite the big appearance of the jacket, it wasn’t too heavy (1kg), meaning you could easily hold it when the sun pops back out.
There is a ‘life pocket’, which is an insulated phone pocket so your phone can be kept nice and snug and the battery won’t die from the cold. Ever noticed your phone battery drops from 40% to 5% quite quickly when it’s cold outside? This is due to the lithium-ion cells in the battery not having the required chemical reaction due to the temperature drop (little science lesson for you), so warm the phone up and it will perform better. Not too hot of course, but if it’s cold outside, this nifty pocket will ensure your phone battery isn’t affected.
There is also a Recco reflector, reflecting a signal from a detector to help locate someone if they got buried in snow or lost in the Alps. Hence this jacket is commonly used by skiers and is perfectly built for ski trips. Can you honestly say you have a jacket with mountain-grade safety built-in?
How About The Practicality?
Ok, you can spend less on a puffer jacket, so what are the real practical details that make this jacket stand out, beyond everything previously mentioned?
First lets look at the pockets, something cheaper jackets often throw on with minimal detail and quality. You have the two main hand pockets, which are lined and they’re also deep enough so you can easily fit your phone inside or your gloves.
You then have the zipped chest pocket, I don’t tend to use these ones as I always forget I’ve put something in them, but they provide so much value, as you can zip up any key essentials, especially if you’re doing an activity where they might fall out of your pockets.
There is an internal mesh pocket, which is surprisingly big. If we’re thinking from a skiing perspective, then you could keep your goggles or hat in here.
The final point, which is again pretty nifty from a skiing perspective, is the dedicated ski pass pocket, which is on the sleeve, so you can easily grab your pass when requested without having to sift through pockets and bags to find it.
You might also notice there is an elasticated band along the inner bottom of the jacket, which clips around your waist. This can be clipped up so that no snow blows up into your jacket, another clever functionality to this jacket. Personally, I clipped it just to stop any breeze coming through while climbing up a steep hill. This is also detachable in case you’re not heading out to the mountains or going skiing.
The hood is also relatively oversized, which is intentionally created so you can fit your ski helmet into the hood. As this means the hood is a bit roomier on a normal day-to-day basis, you can also use the drawcords to adjust the size.
Just one point from a personal perspective, the zip handle is also nice and big, meaning you can easily grab it with gloves on. I hate when they make them really dinky and you’re desperately trying to grab at them before having to take off the gloves and embrace the cold.
Where Can I Buy This From?
I don’t like to recommend Amazon, you’re better off going direct on the Helly Hansen website. The jacket costs £300, while they do allow for interest free monthly installments via PayPal.
