Apocalypse Jacket

Name: Apocalypse Jacket. Lightweight edition
Brand: Vollebak
SKU: TPS023GLDXSM
Price: 995.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Built with a material invented for NASA’s Apollo Program.

$995.00

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XXL

Model is 6ft 4 / 193cm with a 40 inch / 100cm chest, and wears size XL.

Outer material withstands black lava, flash fires, and chemical erosion
Integrated system of 16 hidden pockets
Based on the original workwear jackets

The Doomsday Clock is a symbol of global catastrophe. For the last 50 years scientists have used it to show how close we are to midnight, or Doomsday. In 1947 its original setting was seven minutes to midnight. In 2021 we had just 100 seconds to go.

As threats to humanity expand to include bioterrorism, ecological collapse – as well as the obvious zombie apocalypse – the world is taking the possibility of a catastrophic global event more seriously than ever. While we can’t predict the future, we can prepare for it.

As a 2021 report by America’s CDC put it: “If you’re prepared for a zombie apocalypse, you’re prepared for pretty much anything”. It’s why we’ve built the outside of our Apocalypse Jacket from a material originally invented by a Dr Marvel for NASA’s Apollo Program, that can withstand black lava, flash fires, and chemical erosion. And it’s why we’ve lined the outside of the jacket with 16 hidden pockets that let you carry everything you need to survive.

Technical Details

Outer material made in the UK: 58% para-aramid, 40% polybenzimidazole, 2% antistatic

Cordura lining

Outer material is fire and heat resistant

Outer material is highly abrasion resistant and tear resistant

Outer material is water repellent

Outer material is chemical and stain resistant

Integrated system of 16 pockets

4 chest pockets

2 large front side pockets

4 upper back pockets

6 lower back pockets

All pockets fasten shut with metal snap fasteners

Cuffs with metal snap fasteners

Jacket fastens with metal snap fasteners

Pointed collar

Articulated sleeves

Jacket weighs 943 grams

Machine wash 40°C

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The Apocalypse Jacket is insanely fireproof

In the late 1960s NASA needed something insanely fireproof. As the Cold War and the Apollo program gripped the world, the Department of Defence called up a scientist named Dr Marvel – we’re not making this up – and gave him an apparently impossible brief. Invent a fibre with no melting point. Marvel’s response was polybenzimidazole (PBI), a fibre of exceptional thermal and chemical stability. PBI retains its integrity after it is exposed to high heat, chemicals and abrasion – it won’t stiffen and crack, unlike other fire-retardant materials.
The fabric is incredibly strong

All fabrics have a tensile strength, which is the force required to snap their fibres. Firefighter uniforms are required to have a tensile strength of 450 Newtons/55mm. PBI has 5x that. Plus 10x the required tear-strength. We knew our Apocalypse Jacket needed to be annihilation-proof. So we worked with a cutting-edge lab on the south coast of England – where its team of technicians and engineers helped us create the jacket’s outer-shell using a combination of PBI and para-aramid, the stuff used to make ballistic-rated body armour. Our Apocalypse Jacket offers incredible protection against heat, flash fire and arc flash, while retaining its flexibility and strength.
It repels chemicals

The Apocalypse Jacket is a soft, breathable shield that thrives in hostile environments. It's chemical splash resistant, so will repel oil, petrol, sulphuric acid, nitric acid and caustic soda. It's also antimicrobial, UV resistant and high wicking. In short, it provides you with the highest level of protection you’ll find anywhere on Earth. That’s true whether you’re wandering a scorched version of it in 2047, or its current iteration in 2022. Zombies will hate it.

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The material is tough enough to survive in space

PBI was so revolutionary it wasn’t just used to replace cotton in the Apollo cabin crew’s clothing and sleeping bags. It was used to coat its spacecraft too. When Skylab fell to Earth in 1979 the part that survived re-entry was the part coated in PBI. That’s because it can withstand at least 2,370°F, the same temperature as black lava. NASA still uses PBI today. As does the US Army, the aerospace industry and firefighting crews in America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. It’s what enables them to walk through burning buildings. It’s just never been used in civilian clothing before. Until now.

We’ve added enough pockets to store your life

You can never be too prepared for the unexpected, and it’s easier to keep track of your gear if it’s attached to you. Clothes, maps, spare batteries, a compass, duct tape, a sleeping bag, first-aid kit, crossbow, mosquito shelter, matches, a hatchet, soap, rope, a shovel, toothpaste, four litres of water and a signal mirror are just some of the items recommended by official apocalypse guidelines. You might also want to carry “gift” items for any unfriendly faces you meet along the way, plus your birth certificate, passport and a good book. That’s why the entire outer body of the jacket is covered with pockets.

The outside of the jacket is lined with 16 pockets

You won’t see it at first, but the outside of the jacket isn’t built like any jacket you’ve seen before. Almost every square centimetre – which is about 5,700cm² in total – is lined with an integrated pocket system. There are 16 pockets altogether, with 10 down the back and 6 at the front. And every one fastens securely with metal snap fasteners.
The pockets are built to blend in

The pockets are so hard to see because of the minimalist way we’ve sewn them in, as well as the special snap fasteners they open and close with. These ‘ring snaps’ are engineered so that only a thin circle of metal is exposed, while the rest of the fastener is hidden. It makes the pockets hard to spot unless you know they’re there, and it also increases the surface area of the jacket protected by zombie-proof fabric.
How the hidden pocket system works

Starting on the front of the jacket you’ll find 4 chest pockets. These are the quickest to get into, so anything you need close to hand can be stored here. Underneath them you’ll find 2 large side pockets which are double the size. These are good for storing bigger items or keeping your hands warm. Down the back of the jacket there are 10 more pockets running from the collar to the bottom hem and structured in rows. The top 2 open from the centre, while the bottom 3 open from the outside. Together they use all the available space on the back of the jacket to help you carry as much stuff as possible.
You can use the pockets to stay warm

More pockets give you more options. So if your main problem is keeping warm, you can stuff all the pockets with extra insulation. What you use depends on how much of the world has been reduced to rubble. If you’re still in your house, the cladding around the boiler is the best bet. Cushions, bedding, sofas, and your bed itself can all be cut open to rip out the insulation. If you’re already on the run, old newspapers work to trap multiple layers of air. Out in nature you’ll find straw and moss are both good insulators.
Or turn the jacket into a sleeping bag

If it’s sleep you’re struggling with, you can use the pockets to convert the jacket into a sleeping bag. All of the pockets on the back of the jacket are tubular – just like the sections on an airbed. Which means you can stuff them with anything soft, like insulation you’ve stolen from your house, clothing, or the feathers from the pillows.

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What if there’s no zombie apocalypse?

In the event that there is no zombie apocalypse, this is still one of the strongest and most fireproof jackets ever built. We don’t know of any other commercial pieces of clothing where the main material can survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and black lava. So you can either keep it in perfect condition in your bunker or under your bed while you wait for the end of the world to arrive, or you can break it in pre-apocalypse.
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Based on the original workwear jackets

The shape and construction of the jacket is based on utilitarian workwear jackets that have existed for over a century. There’s a pointed collar to keep your neck covered in harsh weather. The jacket fastens down the centre with the same low-profile snaps as the pockets. The sleeves are articulated for added freedom of movement. And the cuffs close with snap fasteners.
How it compares to our first Apocalypse Jacket

At the start of 2022 we launched our first Apocalypse Jacket. Built from the same high-strength fireproof material, it comes with a long fit, a snorkel hood and storm flaps that protect you from the worst of the weather, as well as the undead. The Lightweight edition is its little brother. Because once you’ve settled into the apocalypse you’re probably going to want jacket options – like something to throw on when you’re popping out to raid the supermarket at the end of the street. There might even still be seasons, like nuclear winter and nuclear autumn.
What it feels like to wear

Walk down the street wearing the Apocalypse Jacket and you might look like you’re on your way to take on an army of the undead, but you’ll feel like you’re wearing a regular soft, comfortable jacket. Because you are. The problem with most protective clothing is that it naturally retains water, even if it feels dry. Once water heats up it vaporises. That’s why one of the most common and nastiest injuries for firefighters is steam burns. But the ‘moisture regain ability’ of the Apocalypse Jacket is extremely low, which makes it incredibly comfortable to wear. And on the inside, the inner lining is a hard-wearing but soft Cordura.
It won’t show the dirt

The mix of PBI and para-aramid gives the Apocalypse Jacket its colour. Neutral colours like this are great for blending in with a devastated landscape, making it easier for you to stay out of sight. It also works well with dirt. Some things look awful after living in the elements. The Apocalypse Jacket won’t. Because even if everything else around you has gone to shit, there’s no need to let your standards drop.