HELLY HANSEN PIER / PIER 2
JACKET £170 SALOPETTES £140
A set of oilskins that aims for full
protection despite being lighter
weight, the Helly Hansen Pier
outfit has the greatest range of
features of the jackets tested. As
well as Scandinavian styling, HH
have created a good all-round
jacket. Men’s and women’s
come in different styles and fits
but do not include a drop seat.JACKET
With a fairly high microfleece-
lined collar, long body and waist,
and hem adjustment, the Pier
jacket gave protection withoutrestricting movement. The hood
is hi-vis yellow, rolls away into
the collar, has a mesh liner and
has adjustment at the sides and
back. The double cuff kept water
out, as did the storm flap over
the zip, and there are reflective
patches on the sleeves but not
the shoulders or hood. This
is the best jacket for pockets,
with two main cargo pockets
and fleece-lined handwarmer
pockets behind, and another
pair of handwarmer pockets
on the chest. The single internal
zipped pocket is accessed
at the top rather than the side- more secure but harder to
access. The soft mesh liner felt
cosy but did snag on the Velcro
when taking it off. Reinforcement
was good on the seat and elbows.
SALOPETTES
The Pier 2 salopettes are a little
more basic than the jacket,
offering a single cargo pocket
on the thigh and an elasticated
waist but with no adjustment.
The body of the salopettes is
high and the shoulder strapselastic, securing back on
to themselves with Velcro.
Reinforcement on knees and
seat felt tough, the ankles closed
with Velcro but aren’t reinforced.
The two-way zip (also on the
jacket) is covered by a storm flap.TEST VERDICT
The Pier jacket and Pier 2
salopettes performed well in
the water test. No water got in
past the inner cuffs and only thesmallest amount got in through
the neck. They gave a good
range of movement and fitted
nicely without acres of spare
fabric. With a good range of
features, some decent safety
points and solid protection, this
was our favourite. It would have
been nice to see handwarmer
pockets and an adjustable waist
on the salopettes for the perfect
outfit. A rugged all-round, all-
weather jacket at a fair price.SPECIFICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY Helly Tech
Performance 2-layer fabric
WATERPROOF >10,000mm
EXTERNAL POCKETS
2, plus 4 handwarmers
INTERNAL POCKETS 1
LINING Mesh
WOMEN’S VERSION Yes
WEBSITE http://www.hellyhansen.comGood protection, lots of pockets
and a comfortable fit makes
the Pier jacket our winnerGROUP TEST
We put the waterproofs
through their paces in a range
of activites and conditionsThe hi-vis hood had
good adjustment and
offers lots of protectionBEST
ON TEST