Rockgardn Flak Jacket

The Flak Jacket by Rockgarn is a full coverage upper body protective suit designed for activities such as motocross and downhill mountain biking. One of the key features of the Flak Jacket is its full length spine protector

My Role

I supported Rockgardn in developing the spine protector armor portion of the Flak Jacket. Top design goals were to create a new design for a modular, repeating system of plates that could account for different jacket sizes and facilitate ventilation. The final design incorporates plates that can flex and slide over one another during flexion, but interlock during extension to help prevent spinal injury. The armor also features vents on each plate which overlap each other to provide unobstructed ventilation.

I also designed a purpose built backpack and hydration system that is designed to sit over top of the armor plates and incorporate onto the jacket without typical backpack straps, aiding rider mobility.