Helly Hansen windproof W Salt jacket
UK Price: £150
Pros:Attractive, well-designed jacket that delivers
Cons:Colours are a bit limited
Verdict:A very good sailing jacket
Rating:
Available from: Helly Hansen online and good specialist outlets
Product Review
One of the most recognisable makes on the market, this jacket does not just look good, it performs well too and a great deal of thought has gone into the design.
The jacket is ideal for wearing on most days apart from when you are faced with brilliant sunshine or it is snowing. Most suited to water sports, such as sailing, it’s also perfect for other outdoor activities where you need to protect yourself from the wind and water. It’s medium weight and waterproof – but made from breathable fabric – and fits snugly, with enough room to get a thin fleece underneath as well. The collar is lined inside with soft fleece, making chafing a thing of the past. The rear covers the lower back nicely but the front is shorter, ideal if you are messing about with ropes or doing other deck work. The sleeves are long and the wrists have adjustments to keep out wind and water.
The hood sits beyond and over the head, but stands proud, enabling you to see properly. The hood may be adjusted to fit more snugly if it’s particularly windy.
It has two slanting external zipped pockets, with a lip to protect the contents; the right one also has a hook for keys. There is a Velcro internal left hand pocket for mobile phone and a net pocket on the other side which would be handy for gloves.
There is a reflector on both the hood and the back of the jacket, as well as a sturdy red hook, to take a kill cord, in case you fall in the water. A final touch is the fleece lined pockets – someone who designed this knows it’s cold on the water.
You do need to try this on; it fits me perfectly but I’m tall and a standard size. Someone much shorter might find they can go a size smaller.
Since it’s machine washable, you could consider the bright white colour.