Indestructible Hoodie

Name: Indestructible Hoodie. Black edition
Brand: Vollebak
SKU: SWH020BLKXSM
Price: 795.00 USD
Availability: InStock

A lightweight, stretchy hoodie that can withstand 75kmph falls.

$795.00

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XXL

Model is 6ft 2 / 189cm with a 40 inch / 101cm chest, and wears size Large.

Built with high strength Dyneema and Cordura
Highly abrasion and rip resistant
Extreme four way stretch

Since 2019 we’ve been rebuilding ordinary clothes with the strongest fibre in the world – Dyneema. Having already rebuilt jackets, puffers, hats, vests and jeans with it, we’ve now brought the same technology to hoodies. On a weight for weight basis Dyneema is up to 15x stronger than steel, which means that the Indestructible Hoodie is designed for one thing – pure strength.

While the hoodie is just 1 millimetre thick, it’s highly resistant to abrasion and tearing and can withstand a 75kmph fall and drag on concrete. It’s also got extreme 4 way stretch. So it’s not really like any hoodie that’s been made before. Engineered with concealed side pockets, a two-way front zipper and reinforced heavy-duty stitching, you can also wear it as one of the toughest jackets on Earth.

Technical Details

Material made in Italy: 76% polyamide (Cordura), 14% Dyneema, 10% Lycra

Highly abrasion resistant

Rip resistant

Critical seams reinforced with heavy duty stitching and tape

2 side pockets with hidden lockable zippers

Four way stretch

Breathable

Wind resistant

Two-way reverse coil front zipper

Low profile elasticated cord adjusters at the hood

Articulated 3 piece sleeves

Material weighs 440gsm

Hoodie weighs 860 grams

Machine wash cold, or hand wash

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How we tested the hoodie

To figure out just how tough the Indestructible Hoodie is, we took it into the lab and beat the crap out of it in a variety of different ways. The tests we put it through were looking for one thing above everything else – strength. So they recreated real-world conditions which would quickly destroy most hoodies. From blunt force trauma and sudden impact from high speed falls, to the steady grinding down of materials caused by daily wear and tear.

Recreating a high speed fall and drag on concrete

The Darmstadt abrasion resistance test is normally used to assess the durability of motorcycle gear by recreating high speed falls onto concrete. We attach three samples of the hoodie’s material onto a machine with mechanical rotating arms which hover over a slab of rough concrete. The arms then start spinning as they approach the slab, simulating a high speed fall and 30 metre drag, by slamming the material into the concrete. It’s not a subtle test.
Highly durable against regular wear and tear

While the Darmstadt test demonstrates how the hoodie performs under stress at speed, it’s important to see how it stands up against wear and tear over time. So we use the Martindale abrasion resistance test to determine how quickly clothes will break down. A mechanical thumb rubs the fabric repeatedly until the fibres break. The test goes to 100,000 revolutions, the equivalent of a lifetime’s wear. A normal polyester fabric survives 25,000 revolutions. The Indestructible Hoodie easily passes 100,000 cycles.

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Tough enough to survive at 75kmph

We started testing the Indestructible Hoodie with the machine rotating at 265rpm, which is equivalent to a 45kmph fall and drag. It passed with barely a scratch. So we increased the speed until we got all the way up to 412rpm, which is the equivalent of 75kmph. At this point, the impact and friction caused the first small hole in one sample that was 1cm across. The other two samples were completely intact. This is without reinforced panels or multiple layers. Our hoodie is a single layer that’s just one millimetre thick.

The Indestructible Hoodie vs the 100 Year Hoodie

The first question we know we’re going to get asked is what’s the difference between the Indestructible Hoodie and our 100 Year Hoodie. And the answer comes down to their performance. Whereas the 100 Year Hoodie is designed to protect you from a range of most elements – including fire, rain, heat, cold and wind – the Indestructible Hoodie is designed for pure strength.

It's part of our Indestructible range

In 2019 we took the puffer jacket – traditionally one of the weakest and most delicate pieces of clothing you can buy – and rebuilt it from Dyneema, so that every fibre on the outside of the jacket was up to 15x stronger than steel. Since then, we’ve used the same technology to build our Indestructible Jacket, Indestructible Puffer Vest and Indestructible Hat. So when we went to build the strongest hoodie ever made, there was only ever one material we could use.
Why you find Dyneema in survival situations

To understand just how tough Dyneema is, you have to look at how it’s being deployed in the world today. It’s used to make bullet resistant vests, armour and helmets. It’s used in panels on tanks to protect against stronger ballistic threats like anti-tank projectiles. And you’ll find it in bulletproof cockpit doors in most commercial planes in the US. Unlike other high-strength materials it’s so light it floats on water, and it’s resistant to the long-term effects of moisture, UV light and chemicals, which is why it’s now also being used in artificial limbs.

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Built with an Italian mill who specialise in ‘tough’

No one’s ever attempted to make an Indestructible Hoodie before. So we worked with a specialist Italian mill outside Florence who produce fire-proof clothing for the armed forces, full body suits for pro motorbike riders, chainsaw-proof boots, and a material called Shark Skin that’s impervious to hypodermic needles. Their biggest customers are the Italian army and the Swedish police, so they sounded like our guys.

Reinforced, articulated construction

Every critical seam on the hoodie has been stitched with double lines of heavy duty thread which are reinforced with woven tape on the underside. And we’ve constructed articulated three piece sleeves which work with the material to follow the natural shape of your arms whatever way you stretch.

The hoodie is crazily stretchy

The reality of most materials this strong is that they’re heavy and don’t stretch at all. But we’ve completely rewritten the normal rules with the Indestructible Hoodie. We’ve blended 10% elastane into the hoodie which creates a material unlike anything you’re likely to have worn before. It’s more like a superhero outfit. It not only feels light, but it comes with extreme 4 way stretch, so whatever move you pull the hoodie will simply go with you.

How we made our Indestructible Hoodie

While we’ve used 100% Dyneema to build the other pieces in the Indestructible range, that just doesn’t work for a hoodie where you need things like stretch and softness. So we’ve used a blend of Dyneema and Cordura to create a balance of extreme strength and comfort. Cordura is a high tenacity nylon that’s densely woven and ultra strong. That’s why you’ll normally find it in hiking boots and on motorcycle gear thanks to its high abrasion resistance.
What the hoodie looks and feels like

While the Indestructible Hoodie looks like a normal hoodie, it isn’t built from the regular materials hoodies are built from, so it will feel a bit different to the other hoodies in your wardrobe. It feels more like a highly elastic softshell, with a really technical and slightly textured face. And that’s why we say it doubles as a jacket.
Dyneema is tough to work with

Working with a material that’s never been used to build a hoodie before comes with its own set of challenges. Dyneema is so tough that it’s hard to do basic things with it, like cut it and sew it. On top of that, it tries to resist being woven into a soft, stretchy fabric. So strands of the fibre will always try to break free. As a result you’re likely to find a few imperfections – often small white marks – on the surface of the material on each hoodie. But this doesn’t affect its toughness.

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Two hidden side pockets

All the detailing on the hoodie is built to be streamlined, durable and practical. So you’ll find two large side pockets constructed with concealed zippers which lock into place. Concealing the zippers behind the same high-strength material as the rest of the hoodie, means they’re just as protected as you are.
A durable two-way zipper

The hoodie is fitted with a central zipper so you can wear it like a jacket. We chose a YKK reverse coil as it has a lot of teeth, which increases durability. The zipper is protected by a matt black tape. And it’s a two-way zipper so you can quickly and easily adjust the hoodie from either the collar or the hem.
The hood tightens fast

The hood is engineered with a minimalist tightening system that lets you quickly tighten it around your head when you need to. You pull the elasticated cords out to make the hood as tight as you want it, then bring the cord back towards your head to fix them in place. All the engineering is done inside the hood, so there are no toggles on the outside.