Cost £200
Weight 580g
+ Stretch panels, comfortable, pit zips for ventilation
- Weight, breathability
The Volt is designed for hiking and backpacking rather than fast moving adventure racing, so is heavy on features and this means weight. The fit is on the large side of large, meaning plenty of room for insulation layers but not ideal for fast movers. Waterproofness and breathability details on the fabric are not close to challenging eVent, and we found in the field that it got hot and clammy damp inside pretty quickly when working hard. A mixture of stretch and light weight fabric panels are combined to give good freedom of movement, but all the seams results in a lot of seam tape which reduces breathability and increases production cost. The hood fits well and will accept a helmet; however, the peak isn’t stiff enough to handle strong winds. There is a pair of handwarmer pockets hidden under a storm flap and a single chest pocket with water-resistant zip, but it’s not big enough to take a map and none of the pockets have drain holes to allow any water that gets in to escape. There is a soft perforated beard guard at the top of the offset zip which makes for a cosy place to be when the weather is rotten. While a few years ago 580g would have seemed lightweight for a waterproof jacket, fabric and construction technology has come a long way and there are better, lighter options around. This isn’t a bad jacket, just more appropriate for walking than racing.
Tags: Helly Hansen, Jackets, Reviews, waterproofs
