Gear Review - Helly Hansen LIFA ACTIVE Stripe baselayer

Henry

Mar 43 min read

Can I be lured away from my adoration of merino wool baselayers with this blast-from-the-past offer from Helly Hansen?

If like me you learnt to ski in the mid- to late-2000s, you would have skied in Helly Hansen base layers. The brand was everywhere at the time, led by their iconic range of chevron-sleeved baselayers that perhaps were the only first layer to break through to become a fashion icon in the last generation.

After a few years lying low out of the spotlight, the Norwegian brand is firmly back, putting out gear that is better than ever with cleaner looks and lines but keeping up with their iconic looks of the past. Their large HH branding is unmistakable and is leading a vanguard charge back to the top.

Alongside high quality shells, Helly Hansen are continuing to dominate the performance baselayer market; this is Skiing Unlocked's review of Helly Hansen's LIFA ACTIVE baselayer.

The Brand

Helly Hansen have been making outdoor clothing since as far back as 1877, when Helly Juell Hansen first soaked linen with linseed oil to create a revolutionary new material to protect fishermen at sea. Headquarted in Moss, on Norway's Skagerrak southern coast, for most of its 150 year history, their move to Oslo in 2009 was the latest step for what has been a long history of innovation in the outdoor sphere.

The brand was one of the first to bring plastic waterproofing to Europe from the US in the immediate post-WWII period, following the same principles that kick started business but laminating linen with PVC rather than linseed oil. And their HELLY TECH(R) breathable waterproof laminate was one of the first none-GoreTex materials on the market.

But what about baselayers? Helly Hansen's performance baselayers have always been seen as the benchmark in the outdoor industry, as iconic in look as in utility.

The LIFA ACTIVE no exception to this. Straight out of the box this looks and feels like it will do a seriously good job.

The Kit

Anyone who has read this blog in the past or just generally interacted with me knows my love and appreciation for merino wool, especially baselayers. Their myriad benefits and performance in low-intensity cold weather sports is unmatched. Therefore, the LIFA ACTIVE had a lot to live up to, but so far, so good.

What about second impressions? They were also excellent. Once on, the LIFA ACTIVE fittted brilliantly well, not falling off the shoulders or sitting awkwardly along the collar bones, and taking it my lately slightly over developed eating muscle well.

It feels really light, too, thanks to Helly Hansen's LIFA material - a two-layer blend of polyester and propylene - that allows the piece to perform well despite its light weight. The material was soft to the touch but performed really, really well. I mean incredibly well. It wicked sweat away really effectively and controlled temperature really well, and, whilst soft to the touch, was rugged; it felt like these are going to last a very long time.

Here's one thing I really noticed kind of above and beyond anything else - length. The baselayers I ski with at the moment are pretty much cut to t-shirt length; these, however, were cut longer, giving an extra couple of inches over the hips to completely do away with any risk of builder's bum or a cold lower back when, particularly, sitting on the chairlift.

I did notice them riding up a couple of times that could have a been a little uncomfortable, but that was entirely on me for wearing my backpack on my back on the chair more than anything else. But that extra length was a huge benefit, extending that performance and that feel to completely cover any potential draughts in my outer layers.

Finally, I couldn't feel then on me at all. Anyone who's read my gear reviews before knows that this is my golden rule - the best skier gear is that which you forget you're wearing. These were light enough and agile enough and extraordinarily well fitting enough that they moved with me, kept up with the intense skiing I was doing that day, made sure I didn't overheat but also ensure I wasn't too cold. And I couldn't feel a thing. From venting heat when skiing down into the valley to keeping me warm up high, handling performance skiing through deep off-piste powder to gentle pottering on the piste. These were phenomenal.

Any drawbacks? Not that I can recall. Yeah, fine, these aren't merino wool, but the performance offered trumps any of the benefits that can be earned from swapping to Merion. I must be in love ...

Final Thoughts

In short, the LIFA ACTIVE from Helly Hansen were brilliant. I loved everything about them, from the colour and classic chevrons down the sleeve to the incredible fit and superb performance. Beware, merino wool, your end might be near ...