![]() I’ll admit I am often reluctant to pack a hard shell jacket on most my adventures. This shell has what it needs and nothing it doesn’t. The alpinist or skimo customer this jacket is designed for is not looking for a ton of bells and whistles. Full length pit zips, two large chest pockets, velcro cuffs, and an innovative and effective “Coheasive” single pull draw-cord system at both the hem and the hood leave little to talk about here, and that’s ok. The Black Diamond Helio Shell Jacket sports a streamlined minimalist design to keep the weight down and the pack-ability up. Plenty of room in the shoulders for long reaches over the head. Length was perfect for tucking into my harness and the hood easily fit over my ski helmet. Sleeve length was slightly long on the large but could be shortened with the Velcro wrist straps. The large has a lot of space in the chest and I feel it would better fit a 44+ inch chest or someone closer to 200 pounds. For reference I am 5′ 9″ 180 pounds with a 42 inch chest. While Black Diamonds size charts put me in a size large I would definitely prefer a size medium in this piece. The Black Diamond Helio Shell Jacket is designed to be worn with a harness and omits hand pockets to save weight and increase pack-ability. Comfort/Sizing Black Diamond Helio Alpine Shell Review- photo by Brent Doscher Photography I could crush the piece down to about a 6 inch by 6 inch by 3 inch package, easily small enough to forget about it in your pack until that snow switches over to freezing rain or the next pitch climbs out a drippy shower-fest. My size large was 386 grams, or 13 5/8 ounces. Black Diamond lists 370 grams for a size medium. Weight/Pack-ability Hard shell protection at less than a pound!ĭefinitely one of the key features of this streamlined jacket is how light and small it packs. After a few thousand feet of back-country skiing, a half dozen or more ice pitches, and 2-3 days above tree-line on Washington the jacket is showing virtually no signs of wear. While it may feel a little softer than an old stiff style GORE-TEX ® jacket it definitely does not feel like a soft-shell jacket, but that is a sacrifice one makes when they want 100% water and wind proof protection. The nylon C-Knit™ backer supposedly creates a “quieter construction”. The Black Diamond Helio Shell Jacket uses GORE-TEX ® 3L, 30d nylon plain-weave face with nylon C-Knit™ backer and DWR (95 gsm, 100% nylon). Durability Black Diamond Helio Alpine Shell Review- photo by Brent Doscher Photography Its versatility and durability combined with its extreme pack-ability make this a solid contender in best hard-shells of 2016/17. Over the last 3 months I have tested this jacket climbing above tree-line on Mount Washington, leading Grade 5 waterfall ice, and taking laps on the Sherburne ski trail. The Black Diamond Helio Shell Jacket is a bombproof technical super light three layer hard shell suitable for everything from hard ice climbing to alpine touring and Skimo.ĭEAL ALERT! Currently 40% off on Backcountry here!īlack Diamond Helio Alpine Shell Review- photo by Brent Doscher Photography
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |