Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket
If you spend any time outdoors you know how important it is to have a rain jacket tucked into your pack. The weather can change in an instant and those blue skies can quickly be filled with rain clouds. The Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 rain jacket is ready to take on the rain and be the go to jacket to always have in the pack. Here is my review of the Loke 2.0 rain jacket.
As a disclaimer I would like to mention that I was sent this product so that I could write this review. All opinions on this page are my own and based on my own experiences with this product. I am not compensated for the opinions on this review. Your experience with the product may be different. This site uses affiliate marketing links. If you click on a button or link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
From Helly Hansen about the Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket
Before I get into my thoughts on the Loke 2.0, I wanted to let you know what Helly Hansen had to say about their popular jacket. From their website, they said this, “We’ve built our Men’s Loke Jacket 2.0 to withstand changeable weather conditions on your mountain adventures. This 2.5-layer, seam-sealed jacket features our waterproof/breathable and windproof HELLY TECH® Performance technology.”
Here are some more of the stats and details about the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 directly from their website.
Specs
Price*
$120.00 (for men’s jacket)
$120.00 (for women’s)
Sizes*
S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL – men
XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, – women
Colors*
Cyber Lime, Cyan (Shown), Washed Navy, Alpine Frost, Alert Red, Black, – men
Apricot Cru, Purple Clay, Sharp Green, Ultra Blue, Alert Red, Black – women
Weight*
250g
Features*
- HELLY TECH® PERFORMANCE
- RECCO®
- Fully seam sealed
- 2.5-layer construction
- Durable Water Repellency (DWR) treatment
- Front placket/storm flap
- Adjustable hood
- External hanging loop
- Packable product
- Under arm ventilation zippers
- Adjustable bottom hem
- Adjustable cuffs
- Hand pockets
- HH® printed logo
- bluesign® main material
- PFC-free DWR
- Recycled Content
Fabrics
Shell: 100% Polyamide (Recycled)
All information from Hellyhansen.com. Check the website for full details and options.
What I liked about the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket
There is a ton to like about the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket. There is a ton of tech built into the lightweight, waterproof and windproof shell. Plus, they use recycled materials to make it. Here is more about what I really liked about the Loke 2.0.
Weight
Because we all want to have a rain jacket with us for all those pop up storms, it is important that the jacket is lightweight, packable and easy to store in a pack for when it is really needed. The Loke 2.0 weighs in at just 250 grams or about 8.8 ounces. That is roughly the same weight of a hamster or 1 cup of water. So it is nice and light, maybe not for the ultralight crowd, but for a majority of people out there, you won’t even notice this in your pack.
I found this jacket really packable as well. It can all be zipped up into one of the side pockets to reduce the footprint a bit, but I found that it is so light and thin that it does fine just rolled up in my pack. I also have kept it stuffed in the back external pouch of my pack so I don’t have to open the pack if it starts to rain. The Loke 2.0 is great to have with you in spring, summer and early fall and really doesn’t take up much room or weight.
Recco®
One of the coolest new features of the Loke 2.0 is the integration with Recco®. Recco is an RF reflector system that allows search and rescue teams to find stranded people quicker. The technology is very cool, and I was able to get a demo of it, but rescuers have a device that sends a signal and the reflector allows them to zero in on the stranded person. It is way more advanced than that and I encourage you to check the link to learn more.
What is really exciting about this technology being used in the Loke 2.0 is that I have not seen it directly in clothing before. I have seen it used in backpacks and shoes but this is the first time I have seen it used in a jacket. It definitely allows for a bit of comfort knowing that you have an extra tool in case of emergency that could help you be spotted even faster!
Rain Protection
The Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 is a lighter weight but it still does really well with protection from the rain. This is important for a rain jacket! To be fair, living in Colorado we don’t get a lot of those soaking, all-day rains so I wasn’t able to test it in these conditions. However, I was able to test in my real weather. Quick bursts of light to moderate rain, graupel and light hail. In all of these forms of precipitation, the Loke 2.0 held up great. I didn’t get any rain coming through. I also like the tighter hood to the water off of my face while hiking. Plus, there are two big side pockets that allow me to throw my phone into one and my keys with their electronics in the other to protect them from the moisture. Overall, I was really happy with the water.
One feature that I want to really point out is how adjustable this jacket is. There is a Velcro chest flap to cover the zipper for added waterproofing protection. There are also adjustable cuffs to form a tighter seal around your wrists. The bottom hem is also adjustable via drawstring so you can have a tight fit at the bottom of the coat. This works great on windy days as well. Plus, the jacket is fully seam sealed making for very few places for water to penetrate.
Wind Break
While we don’t have a ton of rain in Colorado, we sure do get a lot of wind. Especially up at elevation in the spring. The winds funnel down from the mountains at surprising speeds and can really just show up out of nowhere. Another reason to always have a jacket like the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 ready to go in the pack.
The Loke 2.0 does a great job of blocking the wind. A lot of the features that go into the waterproofing also help tremendously against the wind. The adjustable bottom hem keeps the bottom and back of the jacket from flapping or collecting the wind like a giant balloon. The adjustable cuffs keep a tight seal to prevent the wind from blowing up your sleeves. Pro tip. Tighten down the cuffs and then put a pair of gloves on over the cuff to help block even more wind.
One thing I want to point out is the tighter hood and fit that comes up around the neck and lower face. this is great for blocking the wind and can be adjusted as well. I hate when I’m on top of a mountain and the wind is making a loose hood smack against my face and ears so I really like having that tighter hood on the Loke 2.0.
Breathability
Despite doing so well with the rain and wind protection, I never got overheated in the Loke 2.0. There are two really big pit zips that can be opened to allow some air flow when necessary. When I say big zippers, these are 9 inches long on my XXL jacket. That gives a ton of control over how much air you want to allow in on those rainy days. Even with the zippers sealed up, I didn’t find the jacket overly stuffy. Granted, I put it on when the clouds came in and it got cooler before the rain, but I was still very comfortable in the Loke 2.0 while it was fully sealed.
Sizing
As a bigger guy who likes to get out and hike, I always appreciate when brands offer a wide range of sizes to accommodate more people. I think this is also important on rain gear because most of the time, the rain gear will be on top of other layers so its nice to have options to go up a size if needed.
Helly Hansen offers the Loke 2.0 in men’s and women’s sizes. The Men’s range from S-XXXL and the women’s range from XS-XXL.
What I didn’t Like
There is so much to love about the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 rain jacket but they will take my blogger card away if I don’t find something I didn’t like. This one was a real struggle with this jacket but I think I settled on…nothing. I really couldn’t find anything that I didn’t like about the Loke 2.0. I probably wouldn’t use it in the early spring or late fall when the temps were super cold but it isn’t really designed for that. Even then, with enough base and insulating layers it would be fine in those seasons too. So I guess I really don’t have anything to complain about on this one.
Video Review of the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket
Before my final thoughts here is a quick video review of the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket. If you enjoy the review make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to be the first to see my new content.
Wrap Up of the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket
Overall, I was really impressed with the Helly Hansen Loke 2.0 Rain Jacket. The basics of rain and wind protection are top notch but they took it even further by adding all the right features, adjustable cuffs, hood, and hem and a storm flap to cover the main zipper. They even included Recco so if you are ever lost or stranded, it could be easier for rescuers to find you. Even the price, $120, is great for the amount of tech that is built into this rain jacket.
Look, we all need to keep a rain jacket in the pack, might as well be one that offers everything that the Loke 2.0 does. I was really impressed and have continued to use this jacket and will continue to use it for a long time.
More from the Fatman
For a list of other products that I have reviewed you can check my Product Review page here. If you have any products you would like me to review or any comments you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!