Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket review: seriously heavy-duty weather protection

Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket: first impressions

Named after the Norse god of war, and designed and developed in collaboration with mountain professionals, Helly Hansen’s Odin collection of outdoor gear is all kick-ass, take-no-prisoners top quality, but this jacket sits is right at the apex of the range.

A premium, three-layer shell jacket, the Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket is intended for real use in potentially extreme conditions by serious outdoor adventurers and professionals, including guides and rescue workers (who must be very thankful that their employers are the ones splashing out for such a serious piece of clothing, while they get all the benefit). 

As you would expect, this jacket is highly protective and boasts a broad range of excellent features, including a highly adjustable, helmet-compatible hood and double zipping where it counts.

There’s no denying it is one of the very best waterproof jackets currently on the market, but to find out exactly how good it is, I’ve been trialing the Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket for over eight months now, in a wide range of circumstances, temperatures and weather conditions. 

Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket: on the trails

I first put the Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket to the test on a wild winter’s day in the Brecon Beacons in south Wales, where relentless misty rain was rolling around the exposed hilltops, and being given some extra bite by a gusting wind blowing in off the sea. 

As already mentioned, Helly Hansen develop the gear in the Odin range with expert input from outdoor professionals, many of whom end up wearing the resulting garments in the most challenging environments and conditions imaginable. 

For example, Helly supply gear to Mountain Rescue teams around the country, including the Western Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, a volunteer group of highly trained experts who come to the aid of injured, lost and stricken people out on the Beacons all year round. Along with my colleague Julia (who wrote this excellent account about the whole experience) and several others, I joined the team for a day to see how they operate and to test some of the clothes they wear.

To avoid creating extra casualties, the first rule of any rescue is to keep the rescuers themselves safe, and therefore the clothing and equipment the teams use has to be of the absolute highest quality.

Part of Helly’s Tech Professional range, the Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket boasts Helly Hansen’s top score for “extreme waterproofness” (it has a hydrostactic head of over 20000 mmH2O), and is also considered “Extremely Breathable”, with a breathability rating of over 20000g/m²/24.

With plenty of wind and moisture in the Welsh mountain air, I was grateful for these high levels of protection. But the day was unseasonably warm too, and as we started to stride up some steeper ascents, sometimes hauling stretchers during mock rescues, I began to feel the heat, despite the high breathability rating of the jacket. Beneath the shell I was wearing a Helly Hansen Daybreaker fleece and a LIFA Merino Midweight Crew Base Layer, which were both doing their job a little too well, and I was starting to steam.

Thankfully, the Odin 9 has large underarm vents with two zips on each side, which allowed me to quickly dump all that excess heat and then maintain a nice amount of airflow without letting in any rain in.

I was also able to fasten the cuffs around my wrists with velcro strips, to keep the elements out, and pull the bottom of the jacket in tight with a couple of cords, which meant the persistent wind couldn’t get in.

Both on the Brecons and on numerous occasions since, I have very much appreciated the helmet-compatible hood, which is highly adjustable (with toggles on the back of the head and on the neck) and has an excellent peak, which keeps rain off your face.

By zipping the high neck right up and tightening the hood, I have been able to reduce the front opening to a small slit while walking in heavy weather, just enough to maintain visibility while staying almost entirely shielded from near-sideways rain. The hood also has a recco reflector in the peak, which makes it easier for rescuers to find you if something goes wrong out there.

Other features include very generous-sized side pockets, which can easily accommodate a sheet map and plenty more besides, and also have double zips. The main zip is a robust YKK number, and the runner is topped by a nice chin protector. All the zips have glove-friendly pull tabs, so they can be opened and shut very easily even in the most challenging conditions – something I have been extremely thankful for on other adventures, during much colder days over winter.

As well as the main side pouches, the Odin 9 has a chest pocket on the left breast, but there is no inside pocket, which is a bit of a shame. Overall, though, this is an excellent shell jacket that will keep you dry and well protected in any conditions.

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