The Helly Hansen's branding is fairly subtle
Helly Hansen Odin Rapide Softshell
Price: £110
Weight: 540g
Breathable softshell, material: outer, 90 per cent polyester; 10 per cent Elastene. Lining: 100 per cent polyester
Colours: men’s night blue, espresso or black; women’s red grape or black
Country of manufacture: China
Sizes: men’s, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL; women’s XS, S, M, L, XL.
This pared-down softshell in Helly Hansen’s Odin range has the addition of Eco DWR (durable water repellent) coating which, combined with the double-weave softshell, means the jacket will shake off a shower.
It is also very breathable, which fixes its use either as an outer layer in cold, dry conditions or where there are intermittent light showers and the user is working hard.
The Odin Rapide Softshell
Helly Hansen says it is a perfect outer or midlayer for everything but the wettest conditions.
Being of a contrarian nature, we put it to the test in, er, some of the wettest conditions, just to see how long it resisted.
In heavy rain driven by 30mph winds, the Odin Rapide Softshell initially shed the raindrops quite well, but after about 45 minutes of relentless rain, the jacket had stopped beading the rain so well and was starting wetting out.
After a full hour-and-a-half in pretty horrible conditions the rain was starting to permeate a little, though the softshell was still keeping a fair proportion of the Pennine precipitation at bay.
Of course, it’s unfair to expect the jacket to perform as a full waterproof – it’s not designed for that. But what our moorland test did prove is that the Odin Rapide does repel rain for quite a while before succumbing, making it ideal for those annoying days on the hill when on-off showers would otherwise make for a frustrating time to don waterproofs only to have to take them off almost straight away.
As a comparison, my legs, clad in Gore-Tex waterproof overtrousers, were almost as damp from retained perspiration.
Helly Hansen Odin Rapide Softshell sports the triple triangle between the shoulder blades
Where the Odin Rapide Softshell comes into its own is on cool, windy days on the hill. Its windstopping qualities are excellent and, even in strong winds, there is no sense of cooling through the jacket from the air movement.
Coupled to the fact that the jacket is very breathable, this enables rapid progress uphill with good temperature control. As someone who tends to overheat when pressing the pace uphill, I found the Odin Rapide ideal in such conditions.
And, when the downpours do come, as they frequently do in Britain, the jacket does indeed make an ideal mid layer under a waterproof shell.
The Odin Rapide is made from stretchy material that helps insulate by hugging the body and has an adjustable hem, Velcro cuff adjusters and a YKK Vislon centre front zip.
There is no hood, and the brushed tricot collar feels comfortable in action.
It has two zipped external pockets that don’t clear the hip belt of a rucksack, but a single, smaller zipped pocket on the chest is clear of any belt and is big enough for a smartphone or GPS unit.
The lower pockets are described by Helly Hansen as hand pockets and that just about nails it.
All the pockets are mesh, as are two large internal ones which are both big enough to take a laminated OS map.
The Odin Rapide Softshell has a minimalist feel to it: there is just a simple Helly Hansen lettering on the left front and the only other logo is the triple-triangle Odin crest on the back.
The interior pockets are big enough for an OS map
The jacket has been first into the bag for many recent hill trips and for the odd trip around town too as the temperature drops and winds rise.
The Rapide Softshell slots in towards the bottom end of the Norwegian brand’s Odin technical range, but performs well, with outstanding breathability when working hard, combined with the ability to shed a shower or two.
More details are on the Helly Hansen website.
