HH Dry Stripe Crew

 

Simon Whiten

 

Preview of the HH Dry Stripe Crew Baselayer

 

Helly Hansen is not a name that you immediately think of when you think of cycling but they are slowly infiltrating the cycling market in very subtle ways. You often see riders in HH clothing and recently I have noticed more of the Norwegian company’s very cool kit bags in the changing rooms at races – even two of my teammates recently bought the ‘Duffel Bags’. But it’s their baselayers that we all know best, and it’s more than likely that you will have at least one Helly Hansen baselayer in a draw at home…

 

 
The baselayer we have in review is the HH Dry Stripe Crew, possibly the most recognisable of Helly Hansen tops thanks to the reflective, white chevrons on the sleeves. It’s certainly been around for a long time and you might be forgiven in thinking that it must be dated technology now, superseded by new more modern materials?
 
Well, Helly Hansen themselves say that it is ‘The original technical base layer designed to perform in any activity, year round’ and it would be hard to disagree with that, though my own preference would be to employ it as a cooler weather baselayer, especially in this long sleeved configuration. I may be writing this in the midst of a heatwave but, here in the UK, cooler weather can come along at anytime of year.
 

 
As a result of the aforementioned heatwave it may take us longer than normal to fully test this top, though we will certainly be able to quickly gauge its performance in hot weather.
 
The HH Dry is designed to work as a second skin with a 3-Layer System to keep you warm or cool, and dry. The fabric is 100% ‘polypropylene’ and uses ‘LIFA Stay Dry Technology’ to ensure effective insulation, breathability and moisture transportation. This technology was first developed over 40 years ago and has been continually refined ever since.
 

 
The Dry Stripe Crew is designed to be close fitting item with flat lock stitching and low bulk cuffs to make it comfortable under your cycling kit.
 

 
Close fitting this large size isn’t, even at my current 75 kgs and 40 inch chest, so take care when choosing your size; for a baselayer I prefer them to be skintight, so someone else is going to be wearing this out and about for the next few weeks before we report back fully on performance.
 
Here’s a quick video explanantion of the LIFA technology…
 

 

 

Helly Hansen
 
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