Waterfallproof Jacket

Name: Waterfallproof Jacket. Half-zip edition
Brand: Vollebak
SKU: JKT037KHKXSM
Price: 795.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Engineered with self-drying nanotechnology to combat the megastorms of the future.

$795.00

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XS

S

M

L

XL

XXL

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

Highly waterproof to over 40,000mm
Material mimics the surface of a lotus leaf using nanotechnology
Fitted with a watertight chest pocket

As we face life on Earth with new categories of weather, we’re going to need new categories of clothing. With extreme weather events on the rise for the last 40 years, and floods and fires sweeping across cities and states, “waterproof” is not enough.

The megastorms are coming. Describing it as raining doesn’t quite cut it when you see houses and cars floating down the road. So we’ve started working on clothing designed for a world of ultraviolent weather – a world where the sky starts acting more like the ocean, and atmospheric rivers dump tidal waves of water down on towns, cities and villages.

The Waterfallproof Jacket is designed to combat the megastorms of the future, where crazily intense rainfall becomes the norm. Highly waterproof, windproof and breathable, it’s constructed with an advanced 3 layer Swiss material with an intelligent membrane that opens and closes in the heat, and self-drying nanotechnology that mimics a lotus leaf. Fully seam sealed, it comes with a watertight chest pocket that can withstand total immersion in water up to your neck.

Technical Details

3 layer outer material made in Switzerland

Outer material engineered with Schoeller c_change® membrane and nanosphere® technology

Highly waterproof to over 40,000mm

Fully seam-sealed for waterproofness

Highly windproof

Highly breathable

Chest pocket fitted with watertight zipper

2 side pockets with waterproof zippers

Waterproof half zipper at collar protected by external and internal storm flaps

Elasticated cord tightening on each side of the hood with internal adjusters

Elasticated cord tightening at the back of the hood

Velcro cuff adjusters

Velcro adjusters at hem

Jacket weighs 680 grams

The fabric is Bluesign approved – a system for environmentally friendly production

Machine wash 40°C

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Water rolls off the outside like a lotus leaf

The outside of the Waterfallproof Jacket mimics one of nature’s most brilliant pieces of engineering – the lotus leaf. Over millions of years the lotus leaf has adapted to life constantly surrounded by water. Although the surface of each leaf looks completely flat, it’s covered with a complex landscape of microscopic bumps which helps it stay clean and dry.

Nanotechnology means water can’t stick to it

When a water droplet lands on a normal flat surface, it sticks easily and quickly begins to absorb. But when water hits the surface of the lotus leaf, it can only balance on the peaks of the tiny bumps, meaning any movement or a breeze will cause the liquid to simply roll away. The outside layer of the jacket replicates the leaf’s microscale bumps using Schoeller’s nanosphere® technology. The bumps are completely imperceptible to the naked eye, but allow the jacket to resist water, oil and dirt.

Waterproof to over 40,000mm

Water is strong enough to carve rock over time, so it’s certainly strong enough to get through most jackets eventually. Downpours that last for days, or a heavy bag on your shoulders pressing the water through the fabric, will all help water find a way in. The Waterfallproof Jacket is designed to combat the megastorms of the future, where crazily intense rainfall becomes the norm. So it’s built with an advanced Swiss membrane that’s still completely waterproof under a 40 metre column of water – which makes its waterproofness 40,000mm+.
How waterproofness is measured

Waterproofness is simply the amount of pressure a material can withstand before water goes through it. A rating of 10,000mm for a material is considered waterproof, as it means that if you stood a 10 metre high column of water on that material, the water wouldn’t go through. The higher the score, the less chance rain has of getting you wet. Measuring waterproofness has become something of an arms race in outdoor gear over the last few decades. And it’s an arms race the Waterfallproof Jacket wins.

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Built with a Swiss supermaterial

The Waterfallproof Jacket is designed to combat the megastorms of the future, where crazily intense rainfall becomes the norm. Highly waterproof, windproof and breathable, it’s constructed with an advanced 3 layer Swiss material from Schoeller, with an intelligent membrane that opens and closes in the heat, and self-drying nanotechnology borrowed from plants. Building the material alone requires a total of 28 separate construction processes.

Highly waterproof and highly breathable at the same time

The issue with creating something crazily waterproof is breathability. The more water can’t come through one way, the harder it is to let it come out the other. A rubber wetsuit for instance would never let any rain through, but if you tried to go for a run in one you might pass out as it won’t let heat or sweat escape efficiently. So the middle layer of the jacket uses Schoeller’s c_change® membrane. Instead of remaining static, the membrane can open and close to respond to different weather conditions as they happen, while remaining permanently waterproof and windproof.
How the membrane works in the cold

This c_change® membrane mimics natural structures like flowers and pinecones, opening and closing in response to changes in temperature, humidity and sweat. It’s designed to keep you at a consistent temperature by combining really high breathability with heat retention. While it can open up like a series of microscopic vents to let heat escape, in the cold it closes itself like a protective barrier to stop heat leaving. So as soon as the temperature drops, or you stop moving, the membrane contracts to insulate you and retain heat close to the body.
How the membrane works in the heat and wet

As the air temperature rises, the membrane opens up so that excess sweat and heat can escape through the jacket. But while the membrane’s polymer structure opens up to become extremely permeable to water vapour leaving the body, it remains completely waterproof on the outside. It means that even if you held a jacket under a downpour in extreme heat, the jacket will only ever let the water through one way, while still letting heat pass through it.

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Fitted with a watertight chest pocket

While every zipper on the Waterfallproof Jacket is built to cope with extreme volumes of rain, we’ve fitted the jacket with a chest pocket that can survive total immersion in water. Even if you’re wading in chest deep water, anything inside it will stay dry. It’s built with an incredibly heavy-duty waterproof zipper that looks a bit like a rubber anchor and is normally only found in scuba diving gear. Just as no water could get in, no water could get out. So if you’ve always wanted to take your pet goldfish out for a walk, fill up the pocket and now you can.

Waterproof detailing throughout

Every detail of the jacket is built for extreme waterproofness. Layered below the watertight chest pocket you’ll find two side pockets fitted with waterproof zippers. All the seams are fully sealed, and we’ve engineered out seams at the shoulders to eliminate the chance of water finding its way in. And we’ve reinforced typical failure points with giant bartacks which have been bonded then stitched for strength.
A peaked hood built for protection

When the weather turns hostile you’ll find an internal fastening system either side of the hood and another adjuster at the back, so you can tighten it fast. The jacket comes with a waterproof half zip at the collar to protect you in the harshest conditions. The zipper is protected by a storm flap which fastens securely with a metal snap button.
Adjusters that work like a Velcro belt

You can tighten the cuffs as hard as you want thanks to a simple Velcro belt. The Velcro slides through a loop that you can then pull tight to create a seal around your wrists or gloves to protect you from the elements. And we’ve added the same adjusters at the hem, so you can tighten the jacket around your waist to stop the rain and cold getting in.
Engineered for movement

The jacket will stretch with you whatever you’re doing. But instead of relying on elastane, we use an advanced weaving process which creates mechanical stretch to achieve the same effect. And articulated sleeves follow the natural shape of your arm so you never feel restricted.

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Regular storms are turning into megastorms

The number of extreme weather events has been rising for the last 40 years and that trend is set to continue. Higher global temperatures create more evaporation, which leads to more moisture in the atmosphere, creating heavier and more intense rainfall. So while the risk of the next megastorm increases with every year, regular storms are intensifying around the world at the same time. Every year we see more Category 5 hurricanes – the most severe and destructive you can get.