COLD TESTED

I’ ve been successfully losing so much weight in the last year that sometimes I feel like I could just float away. Now imagine the extra danger of wearing gear called“ Helium.” It’ s a wonder I didn’ t end up tangled in the overhead power lines at some point over the winter.

But seriously, the FXR Helium Pro 3-in-1 jacket and matching Helium X pants were mine to test last winter, and I put them through the ringer as best I could.

Upon unpacking the gear, first impressions were good. It is a two-piece set – an inner liner that can be worn as a stand-alone jacket and an uninsulated outer shell. The liner can zip into the shell as an insulation layer – thus the 3-in-1 nomenclature.

That inner layer is a classy looking puffer jacket. It is stylish and current, so I often wore it for casual wear. In fact, I received many compliments on it. It features a synthetic down material for insulation and has a soft texture inside and out.

The outer jacket, meanwhile, is made of a nylon and spandex four-way Omni- Stretch material that flexes a bit while I move back and forth across the sled when riding.

It also has an amazing look – black in the arms and over the shoulders, with dark-gray / asphalt in the body and subtle touches of burnt orange in the zippers and logos. Trying to find a helmet to match it was a bit of a challenge, though.

For three reasons, I rarely rode with the inner layer zipped in. First, I always wear a TekVest safety vest, which traps heat. Second, I generally work up a sweat while riding. Third, the FXR outerlayer did a good job of knocking down the wind.

In fact, wind and water resistance from FXR’ s Dry Venter system, Vision AquaGuard front zipper, sealed seams

and waterproof pocket and vent zippers proved to be top-notch. I wore the jacket and pants about eight times out west for mountain riding and about six times in Minnesota for trail riding in varying conditions, and I didn’ t have one complaint about warmth, dryness or wind resistance.

Details matter, and this jacket has them covered, with a removable hood, an

INFO

Men’ s Helium Pro 3-In-One Jacket – $ 544.99 Men’ s Helium X Pant – $ 344.99 FXR Oak Bluff, Manitoba FXRracing. com

QUALITY From the materials used to the careful attention to detail in the build, plus the overall look of the gear, it all seems well chosen.

COZY: FXR’ s ownown 1 to 10 rating scale rates the jacket with liner at an 8, but without the liner as a 1. That seems low to me, as I rarely used the liner but stayed comfortable.

SPENDY: Despite how much I liked the gear and the 3-in-1 concept, $ 890 for a jacket and bibs seems rather steep to me.

adjustable inner windskirt, a microfiber chamois inside a chest pocket and more.

Frankly, the Helium X Pants didn’ t make quite as positive of a first impression. At first it appeared like they might’ ve been too heavily insulated and I worried that they would feel bulky.

But they turned out to be comfortable, not bulky and just the right fit for me. They have 120-gram ThermalFlex fill insulation and an M-Series Omni- Stretch 450D polyester shell. I never wore anything under them other than just light sweatpants or a base layer, whether mountain riding or trail riding.

Overall, I was impressed with the gear. It kept me comfortable all season, looked good and was highly adaptable.

- Jeff Oberg FEBRUARY 2026 / SNOWGOER. COM / 47