Review: Helly Hansen Boyne Parka.

Hello! At last count I have ordered three (3) different Helly Hansen raincoats in an effort to find one (1) that I 100% love without hesitation. The first one was the Welsey II trench which I reviewed here, but I've also included a couple of updated shots in this review for the purposes of comparison and also because I don't think my original photos are very good. I also ordered the Lyoness II coat somewhere in there and didn't bother to review it before returning because it wasn't a good fit. 

NOW. Now we are at coat #3. This one is the Helly Hansen Boyne Parka and I linked it last week in my Nordstrom Rack post before immediately buying it: 

Y'all. I'm just going to spoil this review by saying THIS IS THE ONE. It's so good. I love the color and the length and fit is perfect. For reference, I'm wearing a size medium. The color (unfortunately named "beluga") suits me as well. 

The best part? it has the benefit of being lightly insulated with PrimaLoft. It's not winter-coat level insulated but it's also not a thin raincoat either, so a perfect in-between kinda thing. I also love that, while waterproof, it doesn't look like a raincoat. And it's got style: 

One of you also has this coat and we were bitching on IG about the strings in the back (like, why?) so I did some research and here's why. I love that the look was co-opted by the Mods in the 1960s! So cool! So fashion. Now, let's get practical. This hood, you guys:

Yes, I look like a dork but the hood is good and really deep AND it has an extension piece that folds forward. I don't intend on wearing this on a fishing boat so I don't know that I'll ever need that much hood, but I like it. 

I also love the dual pockets - fleece-lined side pockets to keep my hands warm AND big front pockets with a snap for my giant iPhone. Ideal. Honestly, the only thing I don't like about this parka is the lack of an interior zip pocket. All coats should have one! All the damn men's coats by Helly Hansen have one! The patriarchy doesn't want us to have inside pockets and it's really irritating. 

The light was weird when I took these but here's a closer look - the color is a really good greyish-army green. Now, for comparison, the Welsey II trench:

I really like a lot of things about this trench coat but looking at the photos it's clear to me that it doesn't fit me well at all. I think I was just enamored with the copper zippers. It's also a damn mess if you want to leave it open: 

...but that is pretty much what you deal with when you go for a double-breasted style. I love a trench, but for my purposes I much prefer the Boyne parka. 

It also comes in a very on-trend mustard brown color and is available in plus sizes! Nordstrom Rack has some other HH styles that are well-priced as well. (And thanks, of course, to my best Philadelphia friend for introducing me to this brand!)