Well-designed and manufactured jobsite workwear can make working all day a little easier and more comfortable. Helly Hansen, a Norwegian-based company, continues to develop comfortable, functional, versatile Helly Hansen workwear. Their new Kensington Shell Jacket and Manchester Cons Pants have a LOT of features: some for form, some for function.
Helly Hansen Men’s Kensington Shell Jacket
- Name – Helly Hansen
- Style – Kensington Shell Jacket (71080 Black)
- Price – $190
- Where to Buy – Amazon
- Helly Hansen Reviews – Helly Hansen
A few of us tried on this Helly Hansen workwear jacket and first impressions were “It feels like a quality jacket.” The 100% polyester two-layer shell and fully taped construction make it windproof and waterproof. We appreciated the detachable hood and reflective details for safety.
Helly Hansen Workwear designed this lightweight jacket for comfort, mobility, and protection from the elements. It has an extended back, no shoulder seams, and articulated elbows.
This jacket has you covered (literally) on those rainy days on the jobsite. The bottom hem can be synched in with the jacket open or closed – the elastic drawcord can be accessed on the inside, and in the hand pockets so you don’t have to open the jacket. The inside lining of this jacket has a full zipper across the back, about waist high. It gives you full access to the inside of the back of the jacket for a hands-free way to carry your jobsite plans and keep them dry.
There is underarm ventilation inside with an outside zipper – because good ventilation is a must with waterproof workwear. For your safety, they incorporated reflective details on the front of the jacket and back of elbows.
The detachable hood has vertical and horizontal adjustments so you can keep the rain out and also keep the hood out of your face. You can comfortably zip the jacket all the way up – the zipper has chin protection and the adjustable collar is lined with brushed polyester.
The cuffs can be tightened around your wrist and have slanted ends to keep the sleeves out of your way.
Pockets inside and out – The hand pockets have a brushed lining. The Napoleon chest pocket is accessible with the jacket open or closed. And there is an inner chest pocket with a snap closure.
Helly Hansen Men’s Manchester Cons Pants
- Name – Helly Hansen
- Style – Manchester Cons Pants (77522)
- Price – $70
- Where to Buy – Amazon
- Helly Hansen Reviews – Helly Hansen
We had two electricians try on these unwashed size 32 x 32 Helly Hansen Workwear pants. They found them to be true to size. One wears 33 x 34’s – they were a bit snug around the waist but still with plenty of room otherwise, and just slightly short in length* (but with work boots on they may have been OK). The other one wears a 30 x 34 – these were very loose on him and again a bit short*. Both thought they were comfortable. One comment was, “They kinda feel like dress pants”.
*These pants have extra fabric at the bottom to allow the hem to be extended an extra 5 cms.
The 2-way mechanical stretch fabric, gusset in the crotch, and loose fit in the seat make these Helly Hansen Workwear pants very comfortable at the top. And with the extra fabric at the bottom, you can get the length you want. All of the buttons are plastic-covered metal. And like the jacket, there are reflective details for your safety.
The bottoms of the hanging pockets are double-lined. One pocket has a hook-n-loop closure – great for your phone. The left side hanging pocket was designed to carry a ruler, knife, and pencil. And there is an ID card loop. Both electricians said that even with all of these pockets most of the time they would still need their tool belts. But with all of the well-designed, easily accessible pockets on both sides, there could be times when these pants could be all you need and better than wearing a tool belt.
The knees have articulated construction for better mobility and to accommodate knee pads. The knee pad pockets are only accessible from the inside, which means you have to put them in before you put the pants on. The good news: there are two positions to choose from for optimal placement.
Helly Hansen Workwear Our Thoughts
The Kensington Shell Jacket was loose, but with lots of adjustment options to make it fit just the way you need it to. The fabric is virtually wrinkle-water-wind proof. You could cram this jacket in a tool bag or seat pouch in your truck, pull it out and it still looks good – even good enough to wear after work.
The Manchester Cons Pants won’t always replace your tool belt, even with all those pockets, but they would be great to wear when you only need a few things within reach, for instance, while you are up on the ladder. It was unanimous that they are very comfortable, and run true to size, and the fabric has a bit cleaner looking than most jobsite workwear pants.
Helly Hansen Workwear Wrap Up
These workwear options give you both great form and lots of function. They look and feel great with plenty of fit adjustment options. They also have tons of pockets and storage, so they’re more versatile than most jobsite workwear. I don’t think these were intended for the super-rugged jobsite, but they would allow you to comfortably go from the jobsite, to the office, and then to your kid’s soccer game.
