In a climate as harsh as the Arctic you need your clothing to perform so we put it to the test as far north as you can go on the European mainland in November with the temperatures approaching -20 degrees without even factoring in the windchill!

What Helly Hansen say:

We designed the Unisex Arctic Patrol Down Parka together with Arctic patrollers facing extreme conditions during scientific experiments in Greenland. 850 fill power hydrophobic down insulation means you stay warm even in wet conditions, and the parka has been tried and tested by professionals in the harshest environments. Strategic pockets and side zippers accommodate equipment like harnesses and sleds while a detachable faux fur hood offers added protection. Full 360 degree and aerial visibility means that you’re easily spotted in low light conditions.

Features:

• Allied Feather & Down®
• Cordura® reinforcement fabric
• YKK VISLON®
• YKK® - 2-way zipper
• Hydrophobic down insulation, specially treated to repel water and ensure optimal warmth even in wet conditions.
• Ripstop Fabric
• Full front zipper with double storm flap
• Adjustable hood
• Detachable faux fur
• Full 360 and aerial visibility
• Name tag
• Side opening with zipper
• Adjustable bottom hem
• Adjustable cuffs
• Double entry hand pockets
• Napoleon pocket, no need to open the jacket to access
• Inside stash pocket
• Back pocket with secure zipper
• Embroidered Helly Hansen (HH) logo
• bluesign® main material
• PFC-free DWR

On Test:

Size:

At 1.6kg for a large there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a heavy and bulky jacket even before you start filling its voluminous pockets. Having said that, once on, it feels instantly protective. You get an immediate sense that nothing is going to get through the wind resistant shell and goose down insulation – even the Arctic wind off the coast of Norway.

The fit is quite long, but not excessively so, reaching down to between a third and halfway between waist and knees. Arm length is spot-on, perfectly proportional and benefits from elastic at the wrists to prevent access to cold.

The hood is, to put it bluntly, large enough to accommodate a head with both a mid-layer hood and a helmet on with space to spare. Thankfully, though, it’s very adjustable and there’s an adjustable internal baffle at the neck in addition to multiple cinching points on the hood. The result, in combination with the faux fur edging is protection that goes above and beyond.

Pockets:

You can understand why the Unisex Arctic Patrol Down Parka is targeted at expedition teams when you look at the size of the pockets. The front of the jacket is dominated by 2 enormous square pockets that measure almost 30 x 30cm. These outer pockets, with Velcro sealing top flap, allow vertical access, but behind each one is another pocket of equal size accessed horizontally via zips.

In case this is insufficient storage for all that expedition kit you have an additional, smaller, pocket at ¾ height, behind the main storm flap and next to the main zip. To complete the picture there’s also 2 mesh pockets on the inside of the jacket that be accessed via zips on either side of the jacket. Together these 7 pockets give more than enough capacity for anything you need on your person – and importantly each of the main pockets is individually large enough to accommodate full size maps, dehydrated meal packets or large notebooks and the main pockets are exceptionally easy to access with thick gloves on. Talking of gloves, having the secondary, horizontal access pockets behind the main pockets was perfect for keeping gloves separate from everything else so that when pulling gloves out there was nothing accidently pulled out along with them. These are the little things that really make a difference in cold environments.

Insulation:

With 90% Goose down and 10% Goose feather at 850 fill power this is one seriously warm jacket. Throw in a hydrophobic coating on the down and I had no issue not only on the dry cold plateau above Tromsø, but also out on deck on Hurtigruten’s MS Nordlys as we navigated the route from Bergen to Kirkenes and around the Nordkapp. Or North Cape. With temperatures dropping to -18° and wind chill brining that to -25° the insulation came into its own for prolonged periods outdoors. Even remaining essentially stationary, as dogs made the effort of moving a sled across the snow the main body and arms were what can only be described as “toastie”. In fact it was, if anything, slightly too warm and I had to open and even drop the hood periodically to regulate the temperature.

On the ice covered decks at the prow of the Nordlys the wind is cutting, but again the combination of a wind resistant shell and the copious amount of goose down proved more than enough. Pockets accommodated the hand-held DJI Osmo still connected to a smartphone without requiring disassembly, freeing me up to use the DSLR and the hood wrapped itself around my face – assisted by a buff as face protection, to allow me the time to record sequences of Northern Lights imagery without getting cold.

Extras:

The immediately obvious extra feature of the Helly Hansen Unisex Arctic Patrol Down Parka is that you’re not going to get lost wearing this jacket. Front, back, hood and arms are adorned with reflective strips visible from every possible angle. You also get a rectangle of reinforced material on the right hand side, above the pocket, for attaching a name badge for quick identification.

Branding is beautifully subtle, with “HH” embroidered in black mounted on black (orange is also available) on the right-hand pocket, and high on the left-hand chest with a full, embrodered, “Helly Hansen across the shoulders on the rear.

It’s important with a jacket designed for these conditions that you can close down any gaps and eliminate cold spots, so Helly Hansen have made the hem and cuffs closable with wide Velcro adjusters – each with an easy grip tape loop at the end to assist in securing. Combined with the neck baffle this makes for a closed war cell covering the body and arms with the side mounted zips that give access to both internal mesh pockets and mid layers also doubling up as ventilation when required. The 2 way main zip, protected by a Velcro closure storm flap can also help with ventilation.

Durability:

Obviously you can’t write authoritatively on how durable a product will be from 2 weeks of use, but it’s fair to say that the materials are top end and the “feel” of the product is that of something that’s going to last. Together with Helly Hansen’s reputation and history you feel this is a jacket you’re only going to need to buy once in a lifetime.  The main zip is large and “chunky” and while the jacket is so large you need to remove it to get a car or bus seat belt on it doesn’t particularly protrude anywhere likely to snag. Give it a couple of years more use and I’ll update if there’s anything to add on durability, but it will be a big surprise if there is anything.

Verdict:

How do you give a product like this a rating in numbers? Helly Hansen have given numbers above that cover Windproofing, Waterproofing, Insulation and Durability but when you’re in the Arctic, and the temperature’s down below -20°C plus windchill it either works or it doesn’t. IN this test it works – no doubts whatsoever.

From the cutting winds of a ship working its way through winter seas in the far north to socialising with reindeer and huskies it more than sufficed. When everyone around was concerned with getting out of the wind I was looking for ventilation – either through dropping the hood or opening the side zips. The pockets were just a dream, large enough for everything needed while being easy to access with the thickest winter gloves. The hood was the finishing touch – close enough fitting despite being large enough to accommodate multiple heads!

All in all it was everything it says on the P.R. and more.