Lara Dunn rates the Helly Hansen Verglas Polar Down jacket her Best in Test – and it wins in our Gear of the Year Awards. Find out why.

The Helly Hansen Verglas Polar Down is an ultra-warm jacket designed for ultra-cold conditions. With 800 fill power, 90% goose down/10% goose feather insulation and a box-wall construction, it’s a jacket that’s got more in common with a polar sleeping bag than with the sort of thing you’d expect to see at a footie match.

Lara Dunn’s Best in Test

Helly Hansen state that it’s the warmest down jacket they have ever created apart from their bespoke Everest expedition jackets. And it shows.
Pros
  • super warm
  • nicely featured
  • robust
Cons
  • quite bulky
Quick specs
Price: $345 / £400 (available from Helly Hansen)
Weight: 820g (size L)
Fill: 90% goose down/10% goose feather (Responsible Down standard)
Shell: 100% recycled polyester with PFC-free DWR
Hood: Lightly stiffened peak, drawcord adjustable
Cuffs: Velcro adjustable and elasticated
Hem: Drawcord adjustable
Pockets: 2 zipped external, 1 internal zipped mesh pocket
Sizes: XS-XL Men’s Version: Yes
hellyhansen.com

The fit is spot on for its stated size, fitting neatly enough to instantly trap heat without being overtight. The sumptuous hood and collar both cinch in quickly around the face and neck with easy-to-use (even with gloves) adjustment cords. A soft brushed fabric area protects the skin from contact with the sturdy YKK zip, again easy to operate even with gloves on.

The zipped side pockets have a soft lining on one face too, and there are two internal pouch pockets, one with a zip, ideal for keeping battery-powered gadgets warm and functioning. The cuffs are neat, elasticated and also have a Velcro tab to adjust them further, and there’s an easy-to-use hem drawcord too.

Helly Hansen have used ethically sourced Responsible Down Standard down in this jacket, and the DWR treatment on the outer recycled polyester shell fabric is PFC-free.

The jacket comes with its own drawstring stuff sack and packs down to about the size of a smallish down sleeping bag. The goose down insulation is incredibly warm, instantly trapping and maximising body heat. The hood and cuffs are quick to adjust, as is the hem drawcord, making it straightforward to tweak the fit of the jacket when you don’t want to be faffing about.

The DWR is very effective, keeping unexpectedly wet snow or sleet from penetrating the fabric, and protecting the down filling from risk of wetting out. Is it expensive? Yes, but no more than equivalent jackets from other manufacturers.

Helly Hansen state that it’s the warmest down jacket they have ever created apart from their bespoke Everest expedition jackets. And it shows.

Testing conditions

Lara tested the jackets on walks in the Malvern Hills, Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains during a mixed autumn and a spectacularly cold, snowy early winter. Long, static wildlife-spotting evenings proved a good test of insulation properties. She usually takes a size 14, sometimes 16.

This review was first published in the March 2025 issue of The Great Outdoors.