Helly Hansen Daybreaker Fleece Jacket

High quality fleece that fits like a glove and does exactly what you want it to. It also clings to fuzz, dog fur, and scent.

This is a high-quality fleece from HH, and although it's a basic piece it does exactly what you want it to. It's thin yet warm, layers great over a base layer and under another insulating layer, and dries quickly.

I've used it for a full skiing season as a mid-weight base layer and around town on wet, 40-60 degree days under a shell. It fits like a glove and has a quality zipper. It performed great and layered well while skiing, but the biggest downside is that it collects all the fuzz it can and it holds funk like nothing else.

It's freshly washed and still has down feathers, dog fur from visiting a friend's dog a month ago, and general laundry fuzz on it. I have painstakingly used a lint roller on it before, and that helps substantially, but this is supposed to be a wash and go piece. And every time I sweat a little in it, it brings back the funk from prior excursions in full force. I am disappointed because this will require frequent washing, which will ruin the soft finish.

The pockets are also mesh—it uses the jacket as one half of the pocket, and a mesh liner as the other half. I haven't ripped it yet, but that's mostly because I'm hyper-aware of just how delicate it is—and that once I ruin it repair will be a headache. The mesh is not reinforced and one broken line will result in a large hole that my keys, chapstick, etc will fly through.

That said, if you don't expect to wear it hard (or just want to use it to ski) it could be a great piece. 

Background

I've worn this for a full ski season and in-town in 40-60 degree weather in the fall, winter, and spring of one year.