Helly Hansen Men’s Patrol Pile Fleece Jacket

I’ve been a Helly Hansen aficionado for years. As a lifelong skier and occasional sailor, I am aware that Helly Hansen has a very loyal following, especially among sailors, snow skiers and other athletes that exercise outdoors in changing weather conditions. That being said, I’ve never tried any of their warm midlayer or fleece products until now. Let’s go over the details of the Helly Hansen Men’s Patrol Pile Fleece Jacket

Details:

This hooded pile fleece jacket is made of very soft and warm materials. The fleece is 100% polyester, while the hood and shoulder fabric is a synthetic material with DWR coating.

The jacket comes with nice, zippered hand pockets and a hood that can protect you from those days when an unexpected rain or snow shower appears. Lastly, both the hood and waist have adjustable elastic drawstrings to customize fit and help keep out cold drafts.

Wear testing:

I live in the high Rocky Mountains of Colorado and the snow flies here from late September into early May, sometimes June. So, having a warm fleece jacket like this is a great option! I’ve found myself putting this on at least one day a week this winter, especially on days when the thermometer dips into the single digits. It is just a nice, cozy item to wear around the house, for walking the dogs, or doing errands during “shoulder season” (spring and fall).

I have not worn this as a mid-layer for alpine skiing. The jacket IS fairly bulky due to the thickness of the pile fleece, which is exactly what I like about it. I would consider it as a midlayer under a ski jacket on a very cold day, but just have not had the weather conditions to do so. This jacket is clothing that I love to linger in, doing things around the house on a cold winter day.

Lastly, the jacket appears to be true to size. I’m 6’2” and weigh 165lb. I have the Men’s Large, which fits a bit big around the middle. Since I mainly wear this fleece over a base layer and normally as an outer layer, that fit is fine. If I intended this to be mainly a mid-layer, I’d try on the size Medium before deciding which I’d buy.

This jacket is available in four colors with sizes ranging from Small to 2XL.