"While I forget the exact model of this jacket, I need to vent a bit of
frustration of HH HellyTech in general! I purchased this $325
HellyTech jacket this prior winter over TNF and Mt Hardwear.
The jacket was the rave of Colorado and supposed to take the
place of 3 Layer Gore-tex. Not even close. The jacket sweats like
a pig, the speciality vents (all 8 of them) I'm sure were put there to
offset this horribly laminated material. The material is flimsy and
not wear resistent at all, I have two good size tears from mild tree
skiing. The zippers are good quality but poor design causes them
to snag EVERY single time you attempt to zip the thing up! Pit
Zips included. The only thing I can say positive is the coat is very
stylish and HH has almost a cult following from Colorado to
Alaska, but for what reason, I'll never know!"
"--have used several of HH Helly Tech garments over the last five years, only because they were given to me from a thorougly dissatisfied user. He was right as the products SUCK! Stay clear of HH unless you want to find out the hard way."
"Have to agree with the other comments in general. We bought Helly Tech rain gear and the iside lining disintegrated! So much for waterproof..."
"I don't know about the jackets for skiing or what not but I am from Oregon and have family from here to Alaska and we are commercial fisherman and dairy farmers in Tillimook Or. I cannot say enough good things about H.H. PVC Raingear! It is bar none the most durable heavy raingear on the planet. It holds up to abuse from everything including fish guts. Like I said I don't know about the ski jackets but the PVC Raingear is bulletproof. Huck Dean"
"I disagree with the other reviews, I am really happy with my HH jacket. I just put it to the ultimate test by wearing it WW Rafting and came out dry as a bone, and it kept me warm. I am very pleased with my purchase."
"I have had problems with the laminate of Helly Tech Extreme on the Kautz jacket - but it took three years of very regular use to have a problem. It began to disintegrate where the hood folded back around the neck, and water came in. HH replaced the jacket without much fuss when I showed it to them in the shop (though I believe it was out of guarantee). I have a new Kautz to find out if I have the same laminate problem again!
Breathability is not bad though - and with the vents I found it better than my old GoreTex (which didn't have vents). I buy HH because I have found a factory discount outlet and have got very good deals. In fact I have now had two Kautz jackets for a total of £50/$80 so I am not complaining!"
"I've owned a Helly Hansen Verglas jacket Helly Tech 10 for several years I've worn it skiing, mountaineering, and hiking and I have to say it's held together great it breath as good as any goretex jacket I've had ie: Arcteryx, EMS, LL bean. although the newer 2003 Verglas has been redesigned for the worst so I can no longer recommend it pitzips"
"I owned a Helly Hansen Packable Jacket for over 6, 7 years (can't remember exactly, but I've had it for a long time) and recently the taping along the seams started coming off. Other than that, the jacket was in great shape with no holes or tears. I was just going to throw it out when I happened upon Helly Hansen's "Million Mile Guarantee" on the internet. It basically states if the jacket ever starts to fall apart due to defects in workmanship (not through normal wear and tear, i.e. holes, tears, etc) that HH will repair or replace it. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I called HH. After stating the problem, they said it sounded like something covered through the guarantee and I sent the jacket in to be inspected. After a couple weeks, they called me and said the jacket could not be repaired and told me I could pick out a new jacket! Wow! I am now the proud new owner of a 2005 HH Packable Jacket!
It's nice to see a company (besides LL Bean) that actually stands by their product. How rare these days! Many companies have guarantees/warranties, but either they're too short in length, or else trying to utilize them is more challenging than climbing Mt. Everest.
A BIG KUDOS to Helly Hansen for their customer service and standing by their product. I am truly impressed."
"I have two HH jackets a ski jacket made of ultra bombproof nylon with kevlar shoulder patches and a light weight shell. I got the ski jacket for $100 at an outlet store as general coat but after backpacking with it decided to get something lighter and more compact for some situations so I got the shell for $60 at the same store. Both are extremely waterproof. I've tested both around the PNW including wet snow and Olympic spring storms that soaked the rest of my family with various waterproof breathable coat. They are also super-breathable when backpacking, a mile or two from camp I put whichever coat I have on to stay warm and by the time I get to camp I'm completly dry. Neither has worn out in the 6 years I've had them and I use them in thick brush and for winter caving in the area. I have had 3 problems. On the shell the outside pockets are so high up I can't put my hands in them and it is not completely mesh lined so at times it feels clammy in the sleeves and once when in the Ape Caves with the heavy coat the pocket caught on a rock and some of the stitching ripped inside the pocket but the rock broke in the end and the waterproofness was not compromised on the jacket."
"I bought my Helly Tech rain jacket several years ago. I use it mostly to walk the dog! so I got one that's bright yellow for greatest evening visibility. Unfortunately, that means it shows soiling readily, so I end up washing it more frequently than I might if I had a different colour. All that washing in regular detergent means it's starting to show some degradation of the waterproofing, but I am so impressed with most of the other aspects of the jacket--placement and size of pockets, the underarm zips (I am famous for overheating), the overall fit--that I am going to attempt to restore it before replacing it."
"I have a Verglas jacket. I bought it in 2003 and have hardly used it because I tore my ACL. The zipper sticks every time I zip it up. The reason is the seam taping is pushing the fabric into the path of the zipper. This has now caused the nylon to rip! I am sending it back for warranty. I am sure this is a design flaw and hope that they replace the jacket. If your jacket is doing this, send it back."
"Well, surprise surprise! I rated my first Kautz HellyTech10 in 2003 after it disintegrated... and after less than two years the one that the store gave me as a replacement also failed in the same place (around the back of the neck). But to Helly's true credit, they replaced it once again, this time with a Verglas in HellyTech Extreme. The Verglas is a lighter, more modern cut technical mountain jacket and the fabric seems more flexible so I am keeping my fingers crossed for the future."
