Helly Hansen Alpha Lifaloft Jacket - Men's for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

I bought this jacket to go on a ski trip in 2020. I had been using more of a Parka from another brand so it was a bit longer than the HH. The Helly Hansen is a great jacket if you are a better skier than I am. When upright, it locks you in, I was at 10,000 ft on some very cold (-5 to -10), windy and snowy days this trip and it blocks out the wind like a champ! Waterproofing is top notch! Fit is a bit tighter in the chest than I would have anticipated, but once on the hill, it fit great, I have never purchased an actual "Ski jacket" before so it took a slight amount of getting used to how it fit. The Life pocket with Insulation really did it's job by not allowing the cold to zap my phone battery while on the mountain. I admit I am a novice skier at best. I took a few tumbles and even with the powder skirt snapped into place, one spill shot snow right up my back. I can't say that I blame the coat, but I didn't have this problem last year on the hill with the "parka" coat I was wearing. It kept me warm, it kept the snow out when upright, looks great, moves wonderfully and hits all the marks!

After an exhaustive search for a new insulated ski jacket, I narrowed it down to the Patagonia Powderbowl and Snowshot and the Helly Hansen Alpha 3.0 and Alpha Lifaloft. When I put on the Alpha 3.0 and Lifaloft, they felt warmer and more comfortable. The "life pocket" in the HH jackets to keep your phone warm seems like an excellent idea, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly which of the pockets it is. I reached out to HH support, but NEVER heard back...not a good sign. I was also a bit spooked by the folks complaining about the HH jackets ripping on tree branches and quickly fading. The HH jackets are nearly identical, but I discovered that the Lifaloft has a number of technical advantages: -Lifaloft insulation is supposed to be 20% warmer -Lifaloft jacket has more robust zippers with better seals -Lifaloft jacket has a slightly different back venting system -Lifaloft jacket has much fluffier collar insulation that should provide more warmth Unfortunately, the Alpha Lifaloft jacket only comes in three colors none of which suited my style. The blues are pretty dull and the orange is WAY too much. The Alpha 3.0 has a bunch of color options that are pretty great. Ultimately, I decided not to buy either of the HH jackets because of the durability issues and potentially poor warranty support. They seemed like good jackets for a short term purchase, but not something you can keep for years like the Patagonia jackets, which are more durable and have comparable features with excellent warranty support.