Outdoor Research Helium Down Hoody Review

When I think back about the ‘adventurous’ season of my life, starting in my teens up until now, there’s often been a lot of Outdoor Research gear involved. They’re a brand who’s always managed to strike a great value between performance and value, and I don’t think they inflate their prices just because of their brand name. Their Helium Down Hoody is a great example of what I’m talking about: this is a premium performance puffy with a great feature set with a palatable price tag.

Outdoor Research Helium Down Hoody Features:

• 800 fill goose down
• Bluesign-approved Pertex fabrics with hybrid mapped construction
• Adjustable Hood
• Single Separating Center Front Zipper
• External Chest Pocket
• Brushed Tricot Hand Pockets
• Dual Internal Stash Pockets
• Left Hand Pocket Doubles as Stuff Sack
• Carabiner Loop with Key Clip
• Clean Finish Elastic Drawcord Hem
• No-Snag Webbing Behind Center Front Zipper
• Weight: 16.2oz/459g
• MSRP: $299

Gives everything you need and leaves cash in your pocket

This has not been a banner year for puffy jacket testing in the PNW. As you may know, we’ve been pounded with a nearly tropical La Niña which has decimated our snowpack and roads. While things are turning colder as I write this, I had to get some early season adventures and voyages up to Canada in for really good testing. Unsurprisingly, Canada delivered really cold testing weather.

The Outdoor Research Helium is their go-to midweight alpine down insulation option. It’s not a parka, and it’s not a superlight insulator: it’s in that middle area where 80% of all consumer down garments sit. Outdoor Research stuffed the Helium with 800-fill goose down, and while I can’t find the actual fill weight of the jacket it feels plenty warm. I was really pleased with the 800-fill down. It felt light and compressible and I had virtually no down leakage. While it’s technically not as favorable warmth-for-weight as 850-fill, the difference is barely discernible.

The 800-fill goose down works together with the Helium’s strategic construction to add weight and cut things like windchill. Structurally, the inside of the jacket has a nylon hung liner which blocks wind. I really like Outdoor Research’s use of Pertex Quantum fabric. This has long been one of my favorite down jacket fabrics because it’s light, resists down plume leaks and is really tough.

The whole jacket has Pertex Quantum with Diamond Fuse Technology (really their proprietary ripstop technology) in a 30D weight. 30D is a great weight for puffies, and it favors durability more than lighter 20D competitors. The hood, shoulder and upper sleeve have Pertex Shield 2.5L waterproof fabric. This strategic mapping keeps the down in the most moisture-prone areas dry, and doesn’t add perceptible bulk. I much prefer this strategy to the mapped synthetic insulation that some other brands use, which places synthetic insulation in these places instead of ultra-compressible, resilient goose down.

The combination of the 800-fill goose down and Pertex fabric is part of why I think this is an awesome value. Plenty of other brands would just offer an in-house nylon which likely doesn’t perform as well as Pertex, and still charge you more money.

Some of the other features deserve comment, too. I absolutely love the fleece-lined main pockets. These become a ready refuge from the cold for bear hands. If I’m wearing this jacket around for chores I often don’t have gloves on so it’s extra nice.

The main zipper has a no-snag liner, and it doesn’t its job well. I like the hood, and its single adjustment does a great job keeping your peripheral vision free. Of course, it also stuffs into its own pocket with a carabiner/key loop.

I think I’ve probably reviewed dozens of puffy jackets over the last 15 years. The reason I really like the Outdoor Research Helium is that it has all the finesse and lightweight vibes of my go-to alpine puffs, but it just doesn’t feel delicate. I didn’t hesitate to do chores like carry firewood in my Helium, and I was also bold enough to tree ski in it. This comes from the confidence I have in the Pertex 30D fabric. I also loved how well the Pertex Shield kept the goose down on my hood and shoulders dry.

Fit: I’m 5’11, 205lbs (let’s be honest, it’s 210 in the winter) wearing a Large. The fit is cut loose so it’s easy to layer under, but it’s not fitted like some high-zoot puffies.

Buy Now: Outdoor Research on Amazon

The Bottom Line

9.2 Winner

I like the Outdoor Research Helium because it performs better than more expensive jackets I’ve tested. Outdoor Research priced this thing at $299, and for the materials and features it could easily be $350 or $400. This thing is enough for 95% of adventurers’ needs short of a true winter parka for winter mountaineering or the like. It’s also rugged enough to use for chores, and cute enough that my wife lets me wear it around town.

The Good:

1. OR chose stellar fabrics and filling for the Helium
2. Features are well executed – love those cozy pockets
3. Hood is warm and tracks well with your head when cinched
4. Love that you can stuff into a pocket
5. Great value overall

The Bad:

1. You lose a little compressibility with 800 compared to 850
2. Baggier fit can feel bulky under a shell

• Mobility 8

• Materials 10

• Features 10

• Fit 9

• Aesthetics 8

• Value 10