HELLY HANSEN HH Arc Wind ½ Zip Jacket Review

DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.

Reviewed by Sheila

The Helly Hansen HH Arc Wind ½ Zip Jacket is an extremely lightweight wind-proof jacket. When I received it I was surprised at just how lightweight it actually is and wondered how well it would perform under the strong winds of northern England and the Lake District.

The Helly Hansen website has a size guide with sizes ranging from XS – XL, which I chose to ignore and am pleased I did. The size guide suggested I order a ‘large’. From experience I know that as I am 5’ 1” and a UK size 10/12 a large would have overwhelmed me and decided to go for the ‘medium’. Although this is still quite large, it fits me well enough to have layers underneath and still be roomy. For me the sleeves and the body are too long but this tends to be the norm for me.

The jacket is available in three colours, Black, Endive Abstract AOP (which is a patterned version) or Elemental Blue. I opted for the Elemental Blue which I would describe as an Airforce blue or light grey.

The jacket is made of 100% polyamide and has wide elastic on the cuffs and at the bottom and it has a funnel neck all to keep the wearer snug. The front ½ zip is long enough so that it’s easy to pull on and get out of the jacket. It has a large front zipped pocket that runs across the entire garment and is big enough for phone, keys etc. The stylish Helly Hansen logo features both on the front pocket and on the back. The lightweight fabric means that the jacket can be folded into a small space so that it can easily fit into a rucksack when out walking.

So the Helly Hansen HH Arc Wind ½ zip jacket looks good, but how does it perform? Trialling this product in one of the warmest springs on record has meant that I have not been able to test it as well as I would have liked too, however, I feel that I have been able to give it a good go. Due to the very lightweight nature of the jacket I have found that it feels very cool on the skin unless I am wearing another garment under it and for me this other garment needs to have long sleeves otherwise my arms feel cold. With a long sleeved t-shirt underneath I find the jacket repels the spring breezes with ease. I am unable to say for certain if it will repel stronger winds as I have not been able to carry put a test in such circumstances, but I have no reason to doubt that with a fleece and base layers it will provide a good buffer against stronger winds.

As a regular walker, this Helly Hansen HH Arc Wind ½ zip jacket will be a useful garment to add to my wardrobe and will be a great outer layer when the weather is windy.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £180

For more information or to buy, visit www.hellyhansen.com