Waterproof Jackets

Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds Jacket | Review

A big new release this year from Helly Hansen, offering durability, top-level protection and more

“Odin was known to travel the length of the nine worlds for extended periods of time. We designed a jacket which holds up to its namesake.” So say Helly Hansen of the Odin 9 World jacket that spearheads their new range of outdoor gear.

It’s a big claim from the Norwegian company, what with Odin being the one-eyed god of gods in Norse Mythology who’s synonymous with life, death, royalty, poetry, war, the runic alphabet – something we definitely didn’t have to Google – and of course, known for his journey across the nine worlds of Yggdrasil in search of wisdom.

How exactly do you design a jacket which holds up to that?

“There are few places you could take the Odin 9 World jacket on planet Earth where it would be out of its comfort zone.”

Well, we don’t know if Helly Hansen have indeed been to the other eight worlds and tested their new jacket in the storms of Asgard and the colds of Jotunheim, but we can confirm that there are few places you could take the Odin 9 Worlds jacket on planet Earth where it would be out of its comfort zone.

The jacket is made from Helly Hansen’s in-house Helly Tech Professional 3-layer fabric, with a 20,000mm waterproofness and 15,000g/24h/mˆ2 moisture vapour permeability. What those numbers translate to is a jacket that knows no limits on altitude or severity of conditions. The jacket is designed for flash-storms and extended expeditions – and for the people who find themselves in exactly those conditions on a regular basis.

The Odin 9 Worlds jacket isn't limited by things like the severity of the weather, just like Odin himself. Photo: Chris Johnson.

Well designed, zipped vents will let you dump heat and control your temperature. Photo: Chris Johnson.

The Helly Tech Professional 3-layer fabric that the Odin 9 Worlds is made from will keep your dry even in the lashing rain. Photo: Chris Johnson.

The Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds jacket is designed for a snug, comfortable fit. Photo: Chris Johnson.

This jacket does not rip. It does not let in water. The hood is perfectly designed to either keep you snug or comfortably fit a helmet, and Odin must have liked to travel in comfort as well, because the fabric around the chin and neck is intended to offer high-level comfort.

The Odin 9 Worlds’ fabric is also a breathable wear, surprisingly so given its durable build, and there are useful pit zips to bring extra airflow when it’s needed. Easy access to pockets is always available, it is harness and hipbelt-friendly and the pockets are deep as you like to the point where they can also be used as extra ventilation.

High-vis touches on what is aesthetically a very attractive coat add further to the design detail, and while we’re not sure if Odin himself would have required them himself, the quality of the Odin 9 Worlds does indeed have us wondering if this shell jacket is proof that the great norse god completed his quest for wisdom after all, and handed the results back to Helly Hansen. This is a serious piece of kit.