Today we will compare brands that are generally perceived as hiking clothing. We will discuss the Norwegian brand Helly Hansen and The North Face from the US.

I was curious about how they differ with their most accessible and mass-market products – the Helly Hansen Ervik men’s jacket and The North Face 1985 Seasonal Mountain. Also, we will compare two jackets the Helly Hansen Skagen Offshore Sailing Jacket and The North Face Retro 1996 Nuptse.

Key factors for comparison

For such jackets, the most important thing for me is their weight, as this is a key factor for comfort during a hike. The first impression of the item, when you pick it up, is its weight, and here the North Face definitely wins compared to the Helly Hansen jacket; you can hardly feel it.

It’s not that the Ervik is much heavier, no, it weighs like a regular windbreaker, but still, it’s incomparable with the 1985 Seasonal Mountain.

If you carefully compare the details, the Helly Hansen jacket has many more elastic bands on the hood and at the bottom, and velcro almost everywhere. The North Face is more modest. I don’t like having many zippers on a jacket, as it is a vulnerable spot, and you can never be sure that it won’t suddenly stop working.

Another feature that I really like about The North Face is that this jacket can be folded down to very small sizes. It can be perfectly packed into a backpack and won’t take up much space.

I can also note that the Ervik jacket can be more precisely adjusted to fit oneself thanks to the Velcro and elastic bands, and the hood holds its shape well. On the other hand, The North Face jacket isn’t particularly adjustable, but its main advantage lies elsewhere; due to its thin thickness, you hardly notice it on yourself.

Waterproofing

What I don’t like about the 1985 Seasonal model from The North Face is the thin waterproof layer. The jacket protects you well from the wind, but if there’s heavy rain during a hike, you’ll definitely get wet.

Helly Hansen, on the other hand, provides very good water protection. You can wear the jacket in any bad weather and be confident that it won’t get wet or be penetrated by the wind.

Price

In stores, the average price of the Helly Hansen Ervik is $120, which is about $20 more expensive than the 1985 Seasonal Mountain jacket. In my opinion, the $100 price tag for The North Face is too high for a jacket that won’t protect you from the rain. You will feel fine in this jacket in windy weather, but you will surely get wet under a downpour somewhere in the mountains.

Therefore, for me, in terms of price-quality, the Ervik jacket from Helly Hansen is the preferable choice.

Insulation quality for cold weather gear

The North Face Nupsey 1996 Jacket looks a bit short, but it still has a retro style. If you raise your arms, the lower part of the stomach will be visible. The jacket is made from high-quality goose down with a density of 700. Definitely, the Nupsey 1996 is one of the warmest jackets from the North Face.

The Helly Hansen Skagen Offshore Sailing Jacket is developed with the participation of professional sailors and is made from Helitech fabric, with 50% of the fabric made from recycled materials like bottles and the like.

The jacket has a dual-structure made of Condora fabric, with a pleasant fleece lining.

The fleece is also inside the collar, which actually adds another level of comfort and really keeps your neck warm, while the collar looks stylish and subdued.

Wind resistance of the The North Face Nupsey 1996 Jacket

The jacket looks a bit short, but it still has a retro style. If you raise your arms, the lower part of the stomach will be visible. However, the jacket’s wind resistance is not very good. I would say it is average.
Water resistance is even worse, unfortunately, I would rate it very poorly. In fact, the Nupsey 1996, like the 1985 Seasonal Mountain, is not waterproof. Definitely, these jackets are not suitable for weather conditions with wet snow, slush, and rain.

Key differences

Overall, both Helly Hansen and the North Face use high-quality materials, and certainly, both brands can guarantee the durability of their products. But in my opinion, the North Face is more suitable for everyday life, for street style, to be precise. Helly Hansen is geared towards more severe weather conditions, such as rainy and windy weather.

If you’re planning to go hiking or skiing, I would recommend considering models from Helly Hansen. If style for urban conditions is more important to you, then the North Face would be the better choice.