ProView – Helly Hansen Men’s Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket

I’ve put the Helly Hansen Odin 9 worlds shell jacket through its paces over the past month. From pouring rain on multi-day sea kayak tours in Glacier Bay National Park to Driving Zodiacs in 30 knot winds in the Norwegian high Arctic, this jacket has really impressed me with its durability and weather resistance. This rendition of the Odin series has also been right at home on those soggy afternoon dog walks in the persistent rain of Juneau Alaska.

I must admit I was skeptical when the first jacket I received had a defective front zipper, but Helly Hansen customer service was great and sent me a new jacket right away. Helly Hansen also allowed me to keep the defective jacket to find a repair shop or give it away to someone else who could get the jacket serviced.

Testing

I initially gave this gear the ol’ Juneau rainy day dog walk test, which it passed with flying colors. I must admit that I normally gravitate toward muted colors, but I really like this vibrant “patrol orange”. The next test was to take it up into the mountains to see how it handled the more demanding alpine environment.  It was clear that this jacket was developed with alpinism in mind.  The hood was not only accommodating of a helmet but fit so well and out of the field of vision that I forgot that my hood was up. The pockets on the Odin jacket are also perfectly situated so you can access them while wearing a harness. This jacket also has excellent armpit zips for serious ventilation on those more demanding ascents. Although the next ski season seems like an eternity away, I couldn’t stop from thinking of how perfect this jacket would be for backcountry ski touring.  The next test was the packability and weather resistance on a multi-day sea kayaking trip in Glacier Bay National Park. Though it continued to impress with its keeping the water on the outside, I did notice that the jacket is fairly bulky and perhaps not the lightest or most packable high-end rain shell on the market today. One clever feature I found to be particularly practical was that the hand pockets could be zipped from top down, or from bottom up. This allows you to keep your hands dry and warm without the pocket filling up with water! Finally I’ve been testing this jacket whilst driving zodiacs around Northern Norway and the Svalbard archipelago. When driving Zodiacs in the elements the ability to wear layers, layers, and more layers is crucially important. I was impressed with the way I could fit mid layers and heavily insulated jackets under the Odin. My jobs tend to be highly demanding on gear and with the Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket I feel free to focus on what I’m doing and not to worry about the elements or destroying the jacket that I’m wearing.

Fit/Comfort

Even before ordering the Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket I read enough reviews to see that this jacket runs on the larger side, so I ordered a medium and it fit perfectly. For reference I am about 6’0, weigh around 175 lbs. and I almost always wear a size large in jackets and shells. Not only did the medium fit me, but I also had room to put a wool base layer, fleece mid layer, and heavy synthetic jacket underneath it.  I’m not sure comfort is necessarily a characteristic attributed to hard shells but I found I had good range of motion with my upper body and it doesn’t make any terrible “swishing” noise whilst moving about.

Looks/Style

Truth be told, Patrol Orange was not my first choice in color, but the blue was out of stock in my size.  I am actually really glad that I got the orange, I was surprised by how much I like the color, not only is it different from most of the garments I own, but the color really pops in photos against the lack of color in the alpine, and the greens and browns of the forest!

Features

The Odin 9 Worlds 2.0 Outdoor Shell Jacket is loaded with features that make it an ideal jacket for ski touring and alpine missions. The hood is fully adjustable and can be worn over helmets with no issues, it also has a re-enforced bill, like a hat, so that water doesn’t fall on your face in heavy rains. It has large and accommodating armpit zips for ventilation. It also has hand pockets that sit up high enough to be able to access even whilst wearing a harness. Possibly the niftiest little feature is that it has pocket zips that can be zipped from the bottom or the top so that you can keep you hands out of the elements without inviting the elements into your jacket pocket!

Weight/Packability

The area where this jacket receives its lowest scores is in the weight and packability section, but it’s justifiable if you’ll hear me out. This is not the Ultralight shell that you throw into your backpack every time you go outside on the off chance you get caught out in a rainstorm. This jacket was designed to be a more sturdy, durable, workhorse of a jacket for backcountry ski trips, alpine outings, ice climbing trips, etc. Unfortunately, to build a sturdy and dependable jacket, you have to use a heavier denier material, therefore sacrificing a bit on the ultralight and packability fronts. 

Performance

At the end of the day, though all the bells and whistles of the modern day rain shell are nice, the one true metric by which a waterproof shell should be judged is its resistance to the elements. I must say I have been impressed with the wind and water resistance of this shell.  From testing this shell in both heavy rains and strong winds I stayed remarkably dry and comfortable. 

Durability/Construction

The area where the Odin 9 worlds 2.0 shell jacket receives its highest marks is in its durability and construction. This jacket has a much thicker and sturdier feeling denier than the Gortex
Pro jackets I have used. There is only so much testing of durability you can do in a single month, but this jacket held up to everything without so much as a nick or a scratch.  I look forward to using it on some backcountry ski tours and ice climbs this upcoming winter.  

Shop Helly Hansen on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!