I love investing in pieces that I can wear year-round, not just one season, and the Helly Hansen Verglas Down Insulator is just that. This versatile jacket will make an amazing insulator for your cold skiing days or the perfect layer for chilly summer camping nights.
The Verglas is an extremely compressible layer which makes it perfect for travel whether it’s in a backpacking backpack or a suitcase to your favorite getaway. This fall, I stuffed my Verglas into my motorcycle pannier and embarked on a 3200-mile trip to Mexico. It was surprisingly cold throughout the majority of the trip and I was so grateful that I had this insulator with me. It fits well underneath my motorcycle jacket but it also fits well under my ski jacket.
Having a lightweight and compressible down layer is almost an essential piece to any adventure in my opinion, and I rarely go anywhere without one. Although the fillpower of the Verglas is 700+, don’t let that scare you away as it is fairly slim and not so bulky in my opinion. The flattering and feminine fit of the Verglas makes the transformation from ski to après super easy.
The Verglas is treated with Durable Water Repellency (DWR) so while in a downpour you may get wet, if you’re in the snow or a light rain you will stay dry. Along with the DWR, Helly Hansen is using a Pertex microlight ripstop fabric and I’ve found that the Verglas is highly resistance to abuse! My motorcycle jacket is a pretty stout jacket with armor on the inside and after weeks of wearing the Verglas underneath it, it is still unscathed. Not to mention the many tree branches at camping spots and stuffing it in and pulling it out of my pannier (stuffed next to things that it probably shouldn’t have been stuffed next to).
The most beneficial feature of the Verglas in my opinion is that it can be used year-round. It is also compatible with Helly Hansen’s CIS compatible shells so you can add insulation to your ski jacket when you really need it without noticeable bulk. Be sure to check out Helly Hansen’s shells (whether CIS compatible or not), which make a great companion for the Verglas Down Insulator. I personally pair my Verglas Jacket with my Aurora Shell and it is the perfect backcountry system.
