Helly Hansen Workwear review: Top items for 2025

I’ll confess to being a bit of a nerd about Nordic-designed gear. My best axe is a Hults Bruk, my sport watch of choice is a Suunto, my Bushcraft blade is made by Helle Knives, and my favorite running vest is from Uswe. And since my wife and I started wearing Helly Hansen Workwear a few years ago around our small Virginia farm, I’ve gravitated toward the brand’s blend of flexibility and durability that comfortably spans seasons.

The Nordic approach Helly Hansen Workwear brings to farm and industrial clothing is innovative without being gimmicky, functional without being basic, and rugged without being restrictive. That makes my Helly items some of those that I reach for the most when chore time is a-callin’.

Helly is based in Oslo, Norway, and has been in business for 140 years. The company is probably best known for its sailing and mountain sportswear, including clothes for skiing, mountaineering, and skyrunning. But, it also does robust business on the workwear side, channeling all of the best characteristics of premium sports gear into items that will be useful on farms, ranches, construction sites, and warehouses.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve tested several items from the 2025 Helly Hansen Workwear lineup. That included a shirt, pants, a zip-up midlayer, backpack, and water bottle, as well as a few smaller odds and ends. The brand did send these items to me for free, but this isn’t a paid review, and all thoughts presented here are entirely my own. 

Here are the pieces that stood out:

Tech Midlayer Jacket

When I first started testing these new items from Helly Hansen Workwear, the mornings were still chilly and the slog of the summer humidity hadn’t set in yet. That made it the perfect time to don the Tech Midlayer, which is made from a polyester that is good at both warding off some morning moisture as well as keeping small bits of hay from clinging to my arms.

Then, of course, when the temps did rise, it was easy to peel off.

I know that Nordic styling are all about minimalism, and at first glance, this jacket seems really minimalist. But when one looks more closely at the details, it’s apparent why this jacket runs $140. The zippers are thick and strong, the brushed fleece lining is cozy, the cuffs at the end of the sleeves have an integrated stretchiness that makes them work well with gloves and even wristwatches. Then there’s the zippered chest pocket, that is nicely hidden behind a fold in the fabric and is just big enough to hold my Samsung S24+ smartphone.

And if sustainability is important to you, the Tech Midlayer Jacket is Bluesign-classified, which means it’s been evaluated to minimize adverse impacts of production and shipping across the value chain.

Oxford 4X Work Pants

This is probably the most one-of-a-kind item that I got from Helly Hansen Workwear. The Oxford 4X Work Pants are super stretchy, comfortable, and breathable — and have more pockets that you ever knew you needed.

Forget the cargo pants of old; there’s a new king in town.

The highlights to these pants (besides the very literal high-vis neon yellow trimming) are the sewn-in side pockets that can fit an array of screws, nuts/bolts, drill bits, ruler, notepad, carpenter’s pencil, and so much more. They made fence repairs and some shingle replacements so convenient. Plus, the pants have a standard set of pockets, as well as pockets along the legs, so you’re not making multiple trips to the workshop or utility vehicle to replenish your fasteners.

And, for those of us getting on in years, there’s are zippered compartments to add kneepads to help you through your project.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure I was going to like the added pockets on the sides, and they took some getting used to when it came to reaching for my tools. But once some of the muscle memory set in and I wore the pants consistently, I found them handy for carrying a lot of items without feeling bogged down.

And overall, because they were so comfortable and felt great even in the heat, the pants ended up get a lot of use over these past few weeks. They’re treated with PFC-free DWR for water repellency, have a crotch gusset for good mobility, and well-implemented ventilation. They’ll run you $145.

Evo T-Shirt

We’re all thinking the same thing here — it’s just a T-shirt. And while lots of T-shirts can actually cost you more than $35, few will give you this kind of bang for your buck when it comes to putting them to work on a farm or ranch.

I don’t know what previous iterations of the Evo shirt lineup looked like, but Helly says that this shirt was “upgraded with stylistic nuances based on customer feedback.” The customer may not always be right, but they probably are in this case.

This shirt is mostly cotton with a bit of elastane mixed in, but wow, is it comfortable and durable! I’ve scratched this thing along cinderblocks and caught it on the edge of wire fencing, and it holds up so well. Just having it in hand, you can tell its got some weight to it. That makes it a little more stuffy on the hotter days, but wearing a shirt I trust more than made up for that. The Evo lineup also has a polo, long sleeve, and various hoodie styles.

Considering I live in an area known for clay-like red mud, I don’t suspect that this shirt will actually stay white for long. They never do!

Barcode Backpack

I’ve been a little rough on this piece of gear, but it wasn’t anything it couldn’t handle. The Barcode Backpack is my favorite new piece of gear for all kinds of things. Throwing a hammer, drill, and tape to go make a repair on the back end of the property? No problem. Need a gear bag for a family trip to the beach? Perfect. Need to pack a stove, raincoat, and extra socks for a daylong hike? All good. 

The exterior material of this backpack is resilient across a variety of situations, and the minimalism (hidden zippers and thoughtful use of straps) means that there’s not a lot of places for it to get snagged on things or for dirt and other debris to collect. It definitely gives it some urban vibes with real rural functions.

There aren’t a ton of internal pockets in this bag, which is almost a little surprising considering how pocket-heavy another Helly product, the Oxford pants, were. The Barcode Backpack has a lined sunglasses pouch at the top, a laptop sleeve in the main pocket, and ample space for lots of other goodies.

Coming in at $140, it has a carrying capacity of 20 liters and is carry-on compatible. (The company says a 35L version is also on the way, but it’s not currently available online.)

As with other items from the 2025 Helly Hansen Workwear lineup, the zippers on the Barcode Backpack are extremely sturdy, and the design incorporates padding and other small features in just the right places. And best of all, it’s water-resistant, which means I don’t have to stress when a day in the yard starts to turn cloudy.

Liking what 2025 holds for Helly Hansen

The 2025 Helly Hansen Workwear lineup features many well-crafted items that are tailor-made for those of us who spend time working with our hands and have the elements bearing down on the back of our necks every day of every month. 

As I said at the beginning, I’ve been a Helly fan for a while, so it’s probably no surprise that I’m still wearing the 2025 items long after the “review period” has been over. 

Probably the only thing left to test is how well they continue to perform as 85 degree days turn into 95 degree days, and the humidity here in the Southeast lingers above 80 percent well into lunchtime. But Helly knows well what working folk get themselves into, so I have little doubt that these clothes will last day after day after day.

Ryan Tipps is the founder and managing editor of AGDAILY. The Indiana native has a master’s degree in Agriculture and Life Sciences from Virginia Tech and has covered the food and farming industries at the state and national levels since 2011.

Want to see more? Watch the unboxing video here!