HELLY HANSEN SAIL SAFE

Price £150 Website www.hellyhansen.com

This is a well-constructed ergonomically styled jacket with a secure crossed backstrap design. Available in two fairly understated colours (red or navy), it’s a rather strappy design compared with the more modern, structured vests.

This means if pulled out of a locker or kitbag in a hurry, it can take a few more seconds to ensure there are no twists in the webbing before popping it on. The crotch strap has a neat stowage pocket on the back panel. The bottle positioning is on the inside of the bladder facing the wearer’s body, but it works fine. The bladder is yellow, though not fluoro yellow like some of the others. It’s flexible enough to pack down small into a kit bag easily and though repacking it took some fiddling with zips, it is relatively easy to unzip once you know how to check the firing mechanism.

James commented from the pool test: ‘It’s very comfortable, with everything to hand that needs to be, although the lifting strop isn’t marked. It didn’t turn me over from face down.’

The Helly Hansen Sail Safe lifejacket is a lightweight coastal lifejacket with the ubiquitous HH branding. You get good performance all over but for the (relatively high) price it does feel that you are paying for a name and higher specified lifejackets are available at a lower price. Pros:lightweight and easy to stow, no-frills design. Neat stowage for the crotch strap on the back of the lifejacket straps. CONS: Performance was adequate in all areas but didn’t excel in any particular area. OVERALL SCORE: 56%

In water 8 / Adjustability 6 / Buckle 4 / Comfort 7 / Practicality 3 / Equipment 7 / Visibility 7 Arming check 5 / Repacking 4 / Style 5