Helly Hansen Jotun Flannel Jacket – Review

Wearing a Helly Hansen flannel jacket has become so much a part of my daily life that my wife refers my Jotun jacket as ‘my uniform.’ It’s rare for me to find a piece of gear that I like and use so much and so it’s easy for me to recommend them to you. Compared to the hoodies are that I use to wear regularly these ‘shakets’ are so much better and I could never go back.

I currently have three flannel Jackets from Helly: two of which are in regular use and the third is on standby as back up should the unfathomable happen that I lose or tear one.

The first jacket  I received in fall 2013 and I estimate that I used it 250+ days over the course of the year. It was only in the hottest days of summer that wouldn’t have this jacket with me. Usually however, I find that even in the summer, the evenings in the mountains can get chilly, especially if you’re at a higher altitude.

I’ve found these jackets completely reliable and comfortable for almost everything that I do including: wearing it at work, chopping firewood, hunting, fishing, skiing, sledding, hanging out in muddy parking lots, etc…  I can wear the same jacket to a meeting in the morning and still shove it in my backpack for a late day slack-country ski tour. Having a wind proof membrane makes it immediately better than any other cotton shirt because it saves you from the chill that often blows through the mountains.  The fact that it doesn’t wrinkle immediately makes it better in my books.

I like the fact that the logos on the jackets are very discrete. If you don’t look closely you’ll never know I’m wearing a Helly jacket and I like that anonymity. The Jotun jacket that I wear now is reversible with one side being multicolor flannel and the other a single color. To be honest, I’ve always worn it as flannel. The pocket systems are different depending on which way you wear it and that may be the reason you pick which side you like more.  For me, two big bucket pockets in front, that are closed with a snap, have done perfectly for my daily life.

At $160, this jacket isn’t exactly a cheap shirt but if you consider how much wear you’ll get out one of these then the cost becomes negligible. I’d way rather pay a bit more for something good that lasts than a cheap piece that will fall apart.

http://shop.hellyhansen.com/ca-en/item/jotun-flannel-jacket-51634/