As a parent, it goes without saying that keeping my kids protected is one of my top priorities. And right now, with winter finally hitting here in the Midwest (complete with a good share of freezing cold temps and a dumping of snow), that means keeping them protected from the elements.
With that said, buying a children’s winter jacket is not an easy task. As the proud owner of his first snowboard, my son is at an age where he’s can’t get outside enough to enjoy it. And anything my son does my daughter has to do, so she’s outside constantly as well chasing him and trying to steal his ride. Together, they’re outside far more than I ever anticipated them being, and plain winter coats just weren’t cutting it. They both owned multiple normal winter coats, but they all were doing a terrible job keeping my kids warm and keeping the winter elements out.
That’s when I decided to check into my favorite performance winter gear brand – Helly Hansen – to see what they offered for kids. Thankfully, not only do they offer kids gear, they offer kids gear that has all the features that made me fall in love with Helly’s larger adult versions. This means your kids are protected with a combination of Helly Tech PERFORMANCE fabric (that’s waterproof, breathable and windproof) as well as PrimaLoft’s Warmcore insulation, which together form the most advanced cold weather protection on the planet.
Helly Hansen K Riders INS Jacket ($130)
In picking jackets for my kids, I went with the Helly Hansen K Riders INS Jacket for both (green for my son, purple for my daughter). It’s a fantastic coat, and it features all the technology you’ll find in Helly’s adult gear.
Construction wise, the K Riders INS Jacket notes an insulated 2-layer construction with Helly Tech PERFORMANCE fabric and PrimaLoft’s Warmcore insulation. As an owner of multiple coats noting the same construction, I know firsthand that Helly Hansen coats excel at keeping you warm irregardless of conditions, but also allow excessive body heat to escape, meaning you don’t have to worry about overheating. For kids, it’s exactly the construction you want.
From there, Helly added a powder skirt, preventing snow from getting up under the jacket during falls or snow dives; fully sealed seams to keep water out; and adjustable cuffs with reflective elements that fit easily over gloves, then tighten to prevent snow from getting in. The smallest jacket available is a size 1 for the smallest of snow lovers, while the highest size is a size 16 for juniors that aren’t quite ready for adult sizes.
Here’s the full list of Helly Hansen’s K Riders INS Jacket features:
You can learn more about the Helly Hansen K Riders INS Jacket or pick up your own at the official Helly Hansen website.
Helly Hansen HH Warm Kid Set ($70)
Underneath their K Riders INS Jackets I decided to add another level of protection from the cold, employing Helly Hansen’s layering system in the form of the HH Warm Sets for kids. Again, Helly uses the same great fabrics and technology used in the adult HH Warm Sets – a combination of Merino Wool combined with LIFA Stay Dry Technology. It’s so great, in fact, it’s the same combination used by the U.S. ski team. It works by insulating the body and keeping you warm, but as activity increases and sweat is produced, it then wicks moisture away from your body, ensuring you stay dry irregardless of activity level. For kids with nonstop energy, it’s a must.
Sizing starts at a size 2, fitting my very large 18 month old girl perfectly, and it goes all the way up to a juniors size 14, ensuring kids of all sizes can take advantage of the HH Warm Sets. My kids love them, they’re super simple to wash and keep clean, and most importantly, I know my kids have the ultimate in cold weather protection.
You can learn more about Helly Hansen’s HH Warm Kid Set or pick up your own at the official Helly Hansen website.
Staying warm in the winter is an often misunderstood science. Let me rephrase that: staying warm in the winter while being active is an often misunderstood science.
Whereas going out for a quick trip in the cold is simply a case of throwing on a warm coat, spending an extended period of time in the cold with fluctuating body temperatures is significantly more complicated. Skiing/snowboarding is a great example. Starting out the day, your body is cold, so you need something to keep your body warm. But as you begin engaging your body, it heats up from the activity, causing you to sweat. As you sweat, this moisture accumulates on the clothing layer closest to your body, and when you stop engaging your body (such as your trip back up the mountain), this soaked layer is the first to cool. It’s this layer that is single biggest cause of uncomfortably cold body temperatures during your time outdoors.
Putting it bluntly, it doesn’t matter how much you spend on your outerwear, if you don’t have the right baselayers, you’re not going to be warm. It’s as simple as that.
I just got back from a weeklong skiing/snowboarding excursion in Vail, and it’s a truth I became intimately familiar with, as I had the opportunity to test several baselayers that are part of my winter gear collection. With temperatures fluctuating about 30 degrees during my stay, ranging from cold and windy to relatively warm and sunny, I found that it was exceptionally difficult to find a baselayer capable of managing the expanded temperature range. They either didn’t warm adequately, or when they did warm, they ended up saturated with sweat, resulting in not only an uncomfortable baselayer, bus also one that cooled significantly during any downtime.
There was one base layer, however, that managed to withstand the temperature swings and fluctuating body temps, and unsurprisingly, it came from the brand that pioneered the concept of layering: Helly Hansen. Not only did the Helly Hansen baselayer manage to keep me warm in every temperature I used it in, it excelled at maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the day, irregardless of my activity level.
Helly Hansen Baselayer Construction
The secret to the brilliance of the Helly Hansen baselayer range lies in the fabric it’s constructed from, which Helly Hansen calls Lifa. Invented by Helly Hansen in the ’70’s, Lifa is a technological marvel – a super fabric developed to not only keep you warm, but also to wick away moisture from your body better than anything else.
Without getting overly technical, Helly’s Lifa baselayers operate under a simple premise: they repel moisture. Whereas polyester (one of the most commonly used baselayer materials) absorbs moisture, thus becoming saturated during activity and keeping moisture in contact with your skin, Lifa was created to do exactly the opposite: it repels moisture away from your skin. So as you sweat, Helly’s Lifa baselayer is constantly channeling moisture away from your body and onto your mid layer. Your skin stays dry, which translates into warmer body temperatures, whether you’re active or not.
It’s Lifa’s moisture wicking properties that make the baselayer the first of Helly Hansen’s unique 3-Layer system. The Lifa baselayer wicks moisture away from your body; the midlayer absorbs the moisture from the baselayer, keeping it safely away from you skin; and the third outer layer protects you from the wind and elements. The result is continuously stable, warm body temperature, irregardless of conditions or activity level.
Helly Hansen Baselayer Families
During my time in Vail, temps ranged from the 20’s to the 50’s, so I used baselayer pieces exclusively from the HH Dry family. Constructed entirely from their Lifa fabric and virtually seamless, Helly’s HH Dry family is ideal for a wide range of temperatures and heightened activity levels, due to the aforementioned moisture wicking properties. Available HH Dry baselayer pieces include the HH Dry Stripe Crew (men’s), the HH Dry Charger Half Zip (men’s), the HH Dry Dynamic LS Crew (women’s), the HH Dry Dynamic LS 1/2 Zip (women’s) and the HH Dry Fly Pant (men’s and women’s).
For even colder temperatures and added insulation, Helly Hansen also offers the HH Warm baselayer family. Whereas HH Dry is constructed entirely of Lifa fabric, HH Warm is essentially two layers in one, with a Lifa core to maintain exceptional moisture wicking ability and an outer Merino wool layer to provide added insulation in sub zero conditions. Available HH Warm baselayer pieces include the HH Warm Ice Crew (men’s and women’s), the HH Warm Freeze 1/2 Zip (men’s and women’s) and the HH Warm Pant (men’s and women’s).
Helly Hansen Baselayer Care
One of the things I love most about Helly Hansen baselayers is how exceptionally easy it is to take care of them. Simply wash your baselayers with a mild detergent at 60 degrees Celsius for HH Dry or 40 degrees Celsius for HH Warm, then let air dry. Due to their moisture repelling properties, they dry exceptionally fast.
Interestingly enough, the Helly Hansen care guide notes that if you dry your baselayers, they’ll actually melt. Intrigued, I emailed Helly Hansen’s customer service to find out why my baselayer would melt, and their response was quite interesting. Unlike conventional thread that’s woven from even smaller strands, Helly’s Lifa fabric is unique in that its thread is created by melting particles together. When magnified, Lifa’s thread would show a smooth surface, whereas other threads are simply multiple smaller threads joined together with millions of crevices and gaps.
Helly’s process of creating thread through melting has two key advantages. Unlike woven threads that allow bacteria to enter and hide in its various crevices, Lifa thread’s smooth surface doesn’t have the same places for bacteria to hide. The result is a baselayer that doesn’t maintain an odor after you wash it. Secondly, and my favorite part of Lifa, is the fact that the color chips are actually baked into the fabric during its melting phase. As a result, colors of Helly’s Lifa baselayers will never fade, and they’ll never bleed onto one another, as they’re actually a part of the thread.
After using Helly’s baselayer this winter, it’s easily the most durable, easy-to-take-care-of baselayer system I own.
Where to Get the Helly Hansen Baselayer
I’m clearly a fan of Helly Hansen’s baselayers, so much so that I now own multiple sets of both the HH Dry and HH Warm series. They’re the warmest, most breathable baselayers I’ve used, period. If you’re interested in picking up a Helly Hansen baselayer for yourself, you can do so at the official Helly Hansen online store, Altrec, and a variety of other retailers.