Helly Hansen have the full specification on their site. They use a combination of LIFALOFT and Primaloft ® GOLD for the insulation with LIFA INFINITYTM as the outer fabric with certified bluesign® manufacturing process.
The Odin Lifa Pro Belay Jacket has been designed to keep outdoor professionals warm in cold and wet weather and it does just that. I have been lucky enough to test this jacket over the last few months taking it on both filming jobs and Scottish winter climbing trips. Designed to meet the needs of search and rescue professionals in cold, wet and windy environments the Odin Lifa is well matched for photography in Scottish winter. Frequently fluctuating above and below the freezing level often leads to wet and icy kit. Down belay jackets often fall short in Scotland due to this and I have long left down behind unless there are good spells of high pressure and low freezing levels. Point 5 gully’s first pitch was running like a small waterfall, leading to frozen gear, gloves and ropes but the Odin Lifa repelled the water impressively and what water was absorbed seem to have all but dried by the top of the route.
Helly Hansen have designed this jacket with multiple adjustments to keep the hood, which fits over a helmet perfectly, tight, draft and spindrift free. The over all warmth of the jacket is impressive, and will definitely be my go to jacket for all my static or top down filming and photography. The jacket has large pockets that easily fit large belay gloves / map or microphones making them ideal for me, however the zips open almost full length and with the volume of loft in the jacket I found it easy to drop the contents of the pocket on opening – a minor flaw in an otherwise great design. Strategic distribution of insulation keeps you feeling reasonably dexterous and draft free even when working with ropes at challenging and awkward angles.
The Odin Lifa is surprisingly light for its warmth at only 950g only 130g more than the Mountain Equipment Citadel. The outer fabric of the jacket feels incredibly durable and remains unmarked after some less than gentle use. Defiantly a jacket built to be fit for purpose in a hostile environment.
On the SMC International winter meet, we climbed for 5 days and although we were granted glorious weather, I took the Odin Lifa with me every day making belays rather uncharacteristically agreeable. Having the camera only for the quick ‘bum shots‘ or second shot we moved fast on the ice and belays were normally short; in this type of climbing the Odin Lifa is too heavy and large to be necessary and definitely not designed for it. However, tackling harder mixed lines in bad weather, it is a treat to have along, keeping your core and arms warm for the next pitch for hours at a time.
Warmth and durability will always be a traded up between weight and volume. Having kit you trust will keep you safe in the mountain is key for confidence on jobs and fun days out. For its design purpose Helly Hansen has hit the nail on the head and this jacket will remain a key part of my bad weather shooting and climbing gear.
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