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Ultra High Molecular Weight Suit Jacket

Name: Ultra High Molecular Weight Suit Jacket
Brand: Vollebak
SKU: JKT109BLKXSM
Price: 1595.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

An extreme-strength suit jacket that’s rip resistant, water repellent and highly elastic.

$1,595 CAD

XS

S

M

L

XL

XXL

Model is 5ft 11 / 180cm with a 38 inch / 97cm chest, and wears size Large.

Engineered with an extreme-strength ripstop for abrasion and rip resistance
Water repellent with four-way stretch
Unstructured and unlined, with invisible snaps instead of buttons
3 concealed zipped pockets

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene is one of the toughest materials ever engineered – weight for weight many times stronger than steel, but so light it floats on water. With molecular chains 10 times longer than standard polyethylene, it’s used where failure isn’t an option – in ballistic armour, space tethers, deep-sea cables and artificial joints. That’s why UHMWPE is trusted in war zones, industrial machines, spacecraft and now our Ultra High Molecular Weight Suit Jacket.

This suit jacket is woven with a protective grid built with 2 types of UHMWPE, a material technology originally designed to protect elite cyclists against high-speed crashes on tarmac. That means it’s superlight but highly resistant to rips and abrasion, scoring up to 300% higher on tear resistance tests than similar materials.

To make the jacket as wearable as it is durable, we’ve added a forgiving dose of elastane to the material. That means it stretches in every direction and feels as comfortable as a second skin.

It also repels water using fluorocarbon-free technology and comes fitted with invisible snaps and water-repellent zips. And we’ve dyed it a deep black so it looks closer to sharp tailoring than technical gear.

Technical details

Material made in Italy: 49% polyamide, 31% elastane, 20% polyethylene

Engineered with an extreme-strength ripstop

Abrasion and rip resistant

Highly elastic with four-way stretch throughout

Water repellent and breathable

Unstructured and unlined

Closes with invisible matte black snaps instead of buttons

Hidden top snap behind the lapel lets you fasten it to the collar

Chest pocket with film-free and water-repellent concealed zip

2 side pockets with film-free and water-repellent concealed zips

Articulated elbows

Shaped sleeve panels that run onto the body for freedom of movement

Back vent

Internal seams, facing and back vent bound in a cotton and lyocell material

French-seamed pocket bags

Material weighs 165g/m2

Jacket weighs 50 grams

Cool hand wash

Material made in Italy: 49% polyamide, 31% elastane, 20% polyethylene

Engineered with an extreme-strength ripstop

Abrasion and rip resistant

Highly elastic with four-way stretch throughout

Water repellent and breathable

Unstructured and unlined

Closes with invisible matte black snaps instead of buttons

Hidden top snap behind the lapel lets you fasten it to the collar

Chest pocket with film-free and water-repellent concealed zip

2 side pockets with film-free and water-repellent concealed zips

Articulated elbows

Shaped sleeve panels that run onto the body for freedom of movement

Back vent

Internal seams, facing and back vent bound in a cotton and lyocell material

French-seamed pocket bags

Material weighs 165g/m2

Jacket weighs 50 grams

Cool hand wash

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The science behind the strength

With molecular chains 10 times longer than standard polyethylene, UHMWPE is a high-performance thermoplastic designed to take punishment in the world’s harshest environments. The secret lies in its structure. UHMWPE’s ultra-long chains create massive internal friction – more chain entanglement means more energy is needed to break it apart. The result is a material with the highest impact strength of any thermoplastic and a near-zero coefficient of friction. It’s self-lubricating, incredibly durable, and won’t corrode or degrade, even in saltwater or acid.

With molecular chains 10 times longer than standard polyethylene, UHMWPE is a high-performance thermoplastic designed to take punishment in the world’s harshest environments.

From lab accident to world-changing super material

Polyethylene was first created by accident in a British lab in 1933. Chemists working with ethylene and benzaldehyde under high pressures inadvertently added trace elements of oxygen to the mix, creating a waxy, lightweight substance that turned out to be revolutionary. During World War II, it was used to insulate radar cables on fighter planes. After the war, its potential exploded with scientists developing ultra-strong versions like UHMWPE – a fibre now used in body armour, spacecraft, deep-sea rigging and medical implants. It’s why we’ve used it to build one of the most durable and high-performance suit jackets on Earth.

Material technology designed for high-speed crashes

The material we use in the Ultra High Molecular Weight Suit Jacket starts life at a cutting-edge lab in the countryside south of Lake Como. It’s here that some of the most advanced performance materials on the planet are being developed (and where clients include Tour de France cyclists). We worked with a cutting-edge material lab that creates on ultrathin, lightweight materials that can also protect cyclists when they wipe out at high speeds. Now we’ve taken that same technology and used it to build this jacket.

We worked with a cutting-edge material lab that creates ultrathin, lightweight materials that can also protect cyclists when they wipe out at high speeds. Now we’ve taken that same technology and used it to build this jacket.

Lightweight, water repellent and woven with a fibre stronger than steel

Not only is the Ultra High Molecular Weight Suit Jacket highly elastic, lightweight, water repellent and breathable, it’s also reinforced with an extreme-strength ripstop. Highly resistant to rips and abrasion, its outer material is woven with a protective grid made from a fibre that weight for weight outpunches steel.

Reinforced with extreme-strength fibres used in anti-ballistic armour

The fibre we’ve used is an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene that combines extreme strength with very low weight. The jacket actually combines 2 different types of UHMWPE into a single yarn for a higher-density material. These fibres are so strong they’re normally used to make bulletproof vests, anti-ballistic vehicle armour for tanks, and the ropes used to tie down giant ships and deep-water oil rigs in violent, icy seas.

An advanced ripstop makes the jacket rip and abrasion resistant

The high-strength UHMWPE fibres are woven directly into a base of nylon and elastane to create a grid structure throughout the entire jacket. The grid works like an advanced ripstop, reinforcing the jacket by increasing its abrasion resistance, rip resistance and tensile strength. Tear resistance tests show the material to be 200% to 300% tougher than the same material without the ripstop. And on abrasion resistance tests it easily scores 100,000 revolutions, the same performance as our 100 Year gear designed to outlive you.

Tear resistance tests show that the ripstop makes the material 200% to 300% tougher.

Built with extreme four-way stretch to feel like a second skin

The downside of many high-strength materials is that they’re heavy and don’t stretch. But the Ultra High Molecular Weight Suit Jacket is 30% elastane, the same amount you’d normally find in high-performance compression gear. It means the jacket has extreme four-way stretch that lets you move in any direction without feeling restricted.

We fully immerse it in a water-repellent treatment

The jacket repels water with an innovative water-repellent treatment that’s completely free of toxic chemicals and also 4 times more durable than coatings in the same category. One of the challenges of PFC-free water-repellent treatments is matching the efficiency of those made with nasty chemicals. So the material is completely immersed in a water-repellent solution that soaks deep into the individual fibres, allowing water to roll off its surface while remaining breathable.

It comes in stealth black

UHMWPE fibres are famously difficult to dye, which means they tend to only come in white. But we dyed the fibre’s raw materials or ‘feedstock’ so our material, including the ripstop, is a deep black, giving the jacket the clean, sharp look of a classic black blazer.

Unstructured, unlined and built for maximum mobility

The jacket is completely unlined and stripped of the restrictive substructure of traditional tailoring. Instead, its internal seams are bound in a cotton and lyocell material, the elbows are articulated and the sleeve panels run onto the body so you can move freely in every direction. This is a jacket so light and comfortable you’ll forget you’re wearing it.

We removed the scaffolding from traditional suit jackets and replaced it with material science.

Minimalist details

The jacket’s advanced materials are matched with minimalist design details that keep its lines clean, sharp and uncluttered. Instead of buttons, the front closes with hardwearing invisible metal snaps. The lapel is pressed to break just above the 2nd snap, while a hidden snap behind the lapel means you can also fasten it right up to the collar.

Stealth pockets

We’ve replaced the traditional ‘pocket square’ chest pocket you find on suits with a minimalist zipped pocket set into the seam. Its water-repellent zip is completely concealed so only the puller is visible. There are 2 more hidden zipped pockets lower down at either side of the jacket, each reinforced with bartacks at both ends of the water-repellent zip. Inside, the pocket bags are French-seamed, the back vent is fully bound and every exposed edge is finished for long-term durability.

Made for travelling light

The jacket’s unstructured shape and low weight make it super easy to fold and pack down into a travel bag. At the other end of the journey you can simply pull it out of the bag, shake it out and throw it on, making it perfect for the times when you need to travel light.