Race to Zero Puffer Vest

Name: Race to Zero Puffer Vest. Khaki edition
Brand: Vollebak
SKU: VST004GRNXSM
Price: 45 GBP
Availability: InStock

Repels water and wind, and weighs just 196 grams.

£225 £45

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Model is 6ft 1 / 185cm with a 37 inch / 94cm chest, and wears size Medium.

Ultra-lightweight weighing 196 grams
Constructed with super-compact insulation
Water repellent and wind resistant

Race to Zero is an ultralight packable system built for running 5km or 5 days straight. There are six pieces in the system – a short and long sleeve t shirt, shorts, jacket, puffer and vest. Each piece is built with advanced materials, packs down into itself and fits into the palm of your hand.

With super-compact synthetic insulation that’s compressed down to a third of its normal size, and massive zipped side vents that cool you down, the Race to Zero Puffer Vest is a highly versatile layer built for any adventure. While insulated vests are normally constructed with big puffy baffles to keep the insulation in place, the vest is constructed with continuous sheets of insulation anchored down with stitched bartacks to reduce weight, bulk and the potential for cold spots. The outer shell and inner lining are made from an ultra-lightweight, recycled nylon engineered to be the same thickness as silk. The vest repels water and wind, and it weighs just 196 grams.

Technical Details

Outer material made in Italy: 100% recycled nylon

Outer material weighs 50g/m2

Synthetic insulation made in Italy: 50% recycled PET bottles, 50% polyester

Vest weighs 196 grams

Integrated packable mesh pocket with bungee hanging loop

Breathable

Water repellent

Wind resistant

2 zipped side pockets with lockable zippers

2 zipped side vents with lockable zippers

Bungee hanging loop at back neck

Machine wash 30°C

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What is the race to zero?

There are some very simple rules of running. Rule one: lighter is nearly always better. Your gear should feel weightless. So our Race to Zero gear is the lightest running system in the world. The mission is to get as close to zero as we can on the weighing scales, so once you put it on you forget it’s there.

Every piece packs into itself

Every piece in the Race to Zero system packs down into itself in exactly the same way. At the bottom of the vest you’ll find a black, zero-shaped pocket. It’s the same black, zero-shaped pocket you’ll find on every piece in the system. To pack the vest up you turn the pocket inside out and push the vest into it until you’re left with a pouch that fits into the palm of your hand. Once it’s packed down you can stuff it into your race bag, or clip it on using the elastic hanging loop.

Ultra-lightweight and comfortable

Weighing just 196 grams, the Race to Zero Puffer Vest is super lightweight for an insulated vest. Whether it’s on your back or in your backpack you’ll never notice it’s there. The vest’s outer shell and inner lining are both made from an ultra-lightweight and 100% recycled nylon which is engineered to be the same thickness as silk. So it will always keep you warm and comfortable.

Constructed with super-compact insulation

The vest is built with super-compact synthetic insulation which keeps you as warm as much heavier and thicker puffer vests. That’s because we compress the insulation down to less than a third of its original size before it’s stitched into the vest. And while the insulation takes up 70% less space, it retains 80% of its thermal properties.
Built with continuous sheets of insulation

Most insulated vests are built with baffles. These are the long puffy strips or squares you see all over puffer vests which are designed to keep the insulation in place. For the Race to Zero Puffer Vest we’ve done something completely new. It’s built with continuous sheets of insulation anchored down with stitched bartacks to reduce weight, bulk and the potential for cold spots.

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Our insulation is made from recycled plastic

Instead of pulling feathers out of ducks, we pull plastic out of used plastic bottles and turn them into insulating synthetic fibres. Every single jacket uses 5 half-litre recycled plastic bottles. Staying warm is all about trapping as many pockets of air next to your body as possible, so these synthetic fibres are built to be hollow, which means you’ll automatically have millions of air pockets trapped next to your skin. And as the curl of the fibres traps more air than straight fibres, the microscopic texture of the fibre itself also retains heat.
How the insulation performs against down

While down traps heat well, it doesn’t breathe well. So it’s not the ideal option if you’re working hard. If you’re running our insulation will do a better job of regulating your body temperature, as it will breathe better and won’t hold onto sweat. It’s also made from a blend of different fibres each with their own ‘multi-shape’ structure. Some are designed for puffiness, others for resilience or thermal efficiency. By making each fibre a different shape, we stop them linking together and clumping like down does when it gets wet.
How plastic is turned into insulation

To turn recycled plastic bottles into insulation we work with pioneers in thermal insulation based in Milan. They’ve been working on recycled fibres and using plastic bottles in their technology since the 1980s, well before it was the cool or right thing to do. They use a process called mechanical recycling to blend the bottles, eliminating the need for hazardous chemicals and creating synthetic fibres that have the highest loft for the lowest weight, just like down.
Why we don’t use down for the insulation

Over 80% of the down in jackets worldwide comes from ducks kept in industrial farms in China. Practises include ducks being plucked alive and feathers being harvested from force-fed ducks bred to produce foie gras. With complex international supply chains that cross cultures and borders that are hard to police, the best anyone can guarantee is that the ducks they used were already dead when they plucked them. So the only real way to ensure you don’t harm ducks, is by not using them.

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Repels wind and water

As well as keeping you warm, we’ve also built the vest to be wind and water repellent. The nylon fibres on the outside of the material are mechanically closed during the production process which makes the puffer highly wind resistant. And it comes with a water repellent coating so that light rain will simply roll off the vest’s surface, keeping you drier for longer.

Massive side vents let you cool off

Two massive zipped side vents help to cool you down if you get hot. They run all the way from the bottom hem of the vest and almost up to your armpits. So you can open up the vest like a sleeping bag on both sides if you need to cool down rapidly.
Side pockets for carrying your gear

You’ll find two large zipped pockets on either side of the vest. They’re big enough to hold gels, water bottles, or maps. Both pockets come with lockable zip pulls that fasten in position.

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