The first thing I liked about the Helly Hansen Offshore oilskins was the colour: bold red, not the black and grey that most of the competitor brands want us to wear this year. I may be wrong, but I feel that bright red would give better visibility in an MOB situation.
Safety is obviously high on the Helly Hansen agenda, and the jacket features an external pocket for a headlamp (supplied) on the right sleeve - safely away from lifejacket and harness. The light can be switched on in situ, to assist rescue, should the wearer go overboard.
But of course, we all hope we won't go overboard, so the real question is: how well do the oilies - which cost about £525 for the set - perform safely on deck?
First impressions are entirely favourable. Using Helly Tech XP technology, the suit claims to be not just waterproof but “watertight - for extreme weather protection.”
Even so, the fabric is lightweight, stretchy and breathable, making the oilies extremely comfortable and easy to move around in.
The design of the jacket - shorter than many, but longer at the back than the front, to keep the draughts out - adds to the sense of unrestricted movement. It's stylish, too, with big bold zips on the handwarmer pockets - which are lined, like the collar, with Lifa fleece.
And it's practical: the high visibility hood folds neatly into a good high protective collar. There's a draw cord round the bottom of the jacket, to ensure a snug fit. There are plenty of reflective patches, and there's a useful zipped internal pocket.
The trousers too are well thought out, reaching good and high up back and chest for warmth and protection, with sturdy snap fasteners on the adjustable elastic braces. Elastic in the back of the waistband ensures a good fit. There's plenty of reinforcement on seat and knees, and there are fleece-lined handwarmer pockets and a good big patch pocket on the thigh.
The only reservation about the suit concerns the double-ended zip which features on both jacket and trousers. There doesn't seem much point in it opening from the bottom on the trousers, since there is a huge weatherproof gusset behind the zip, and really the only way in is from the top. And putting the zip back together can be a bit fiddly.
Helly Hansen has almost acknowledged the pointlessness of the double ended zips by only providing proper pull tabs at the top end, on jacket and trousers alike. The zips also seem perhaps a little light weight for the job - especially compared with the fashion feature zips on the jacket pockets.
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Providing those zips are treated with respect, these are light and comfortable oilies which, given the appropriate layers underneath, will keep you warm and dry and let you move around as much as you like. And you'll look stylish, too.
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