The generations of Vault jumpsuits.
 | This is a lore summary, presenting intradiegetic or in-universe information about the subject. For game characteristics and similar data, consult the table on the right. |
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Vault jumpsuits or Vault suits (the terms are used interchangeably) are the iconic gear of Vault dwellers and by and large the symbol of Vault-Tec Corporation. They appear in all Fallout games. However, in Fallout and Fallout 2 they are worn by the player character by default and in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and Van Buren, they appear as actual in-game items. In Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, they are not usable by the player.
Background[]
Designed specifically for use within Vaults, jumpsuits are an inexpensive, easily produced solution to the age-old problem of clothing large numbers of people while maintaining a modicum of comfort and utility. Within the Vaults, they are also meant to reduce tension by providing every dweller with the same type of clothes, regardless of their standing. Marketed as a fashionable, comfortable design,[1] Before the War, they were an instantly recognizable symbol of both Vaults and the corporation behind them, featuring the iconic blue-and-yellow color scheme. The corporation deliberately exploited the recognizability, with the company mascot, Vault Boy, sporting a set of rubber coveralls, and introducing awards named after the jumpsuit, such as the Pressed Vault Suit Award for preparedness, all to get people used to the mandated uniformity and planned economy of a Vault.[2]
Once Vaults were activated, all dwellers that managed to enter the Vault would be expected to change into their jumpsuits as soon as possible.[3] However, delays could happen: As Vault suits are designed with biometric identification systems in addition to the big, bold Vault number on the back, and discrepancies in scans would delay issuance of a suit.[4] To accommodate the influx, Vaults had a stock of jumpsuits on hand, shipped ahead of time in vacuum-sealed packages, ten per box.[5] Worn-out or damaged suits would be replaced using existing stocks and later manufactured using jumpsuit extruders installed in every Vault (though some were designed to fail, as part of the Vault experiment).[6] Vault-Tec also supplied the design to the Enclave, for use within its civilian facilities, such as the Presidential rig.[7]
Regardless of generation, jumpsuits proved to be a rugged, durable piece of equipment that could be readily accessorized. Vault dwellers commonly wore them together with a variety of equipment according to their job: Durable lab coats with scientific equipment,[8] stripped-down versions for maintenance work,[9] and body armor and protective helmets for security personnel.[10][11] Dwellers who ventured into the wasteland commonly modified their suits with a variety of improvised armor or improved linings.[12][13]
A vacuum-sealed package with a Vault suit
Standard cardboard shipping box, 10 sealed jumpsuits per
Models[]
Extruded rubber[]
A group of Vault 13 citizens in extruded rubber jumpsuits.
A form-fitting suit model manufactured as single piece coveralls from extruded rubber, easy to keep clean and quite resilient. Compared to later models, this version of the jumpsuit is quite rudimentary.[14]
This model of the suit was used by both dwellers of early generation Vaults and citizens of the Enclave on the oil rig, though those did not include a number on the back. Similarly, the denizens of Vault City used modified models without the 8 on the back, as they were no longer denizens of a Vault.[15][16] Oddly enough, despite the rubber material, the jumpsuit could be pressed to enhance its appearance.[17]
Everyman Vault suit[]
An "everyman" uniform.
A rugged jumpsuit variant designed for heavy use among Vault-Tec machinery and infrastructure. Rather than extruded rubber, the suit uses a combination of denim - a quintessentially American material - and natural leather,[18][19][20] combined to create a particularly rugged piece of equipment. The suit is less form fitting than other jumpsuit variants, but provides a good deal of comfort. Like other versions, it's a single-piece uniform, with a zipper down the front, leather armguards, and spacious pockets on the waist and thighs. Reinforced elbows and knees give it extra durability under heavy use, with the interface port over the left breast used for a variety of purposes. Depending on the job assignment, the jumpsuit is designed to accommodate a variety of belts, including simple leather bands for children, rugged multi-purpose belts for general use, and specialized equipment for utility, lab, and security work.[21][22]
- Fallout 3 variants
- Regular Vault jumpsuits (the sole unique variant is the Vault 77 jumpsuit)
- Armored Vault 101 jumpsuit, fitted with improvised armor.
- Vault 101 security armor, worn together with a protective vest and black gloves.
- Child's Vault 101 jumpsuit, worn during character generation.
- Vault utility jumpsuit (Modified utility jumpsuit), a significantly dirtier version used in the confined spaces of a Vault's technical systems. Worn without the forearm protectors and the interface suit. Dad's wasteland outfit is a unique variant.
- Vault lab uniform, designed for scientific and medical work, worn with a white lab coat. The Surgeon's lab coat is an unique variant.
- Fallout: New Vegas variants
- Regular Vault jumpsuits
- Vault 3 utility jumpsuit, same as in Fallout 3.
- Armored Vault 13 suit, fitted with improvised armor and available as part of the Courier's Stash DLC. The base game variant, the armored Vault 21 jumpsuit, was cut.
- Boomer jumpsuits abd Boomer flightsuits are old suits patched up by the Boomers and worn together with various Air Force uniform pieces. Janet's Boomer outfit is an unique, quest-related variant.
- Vault lab uniform, same as in Fallout 3.
- Vault 34 security armor, same as in Fallout 3.
Advanced Vault suit[]
The advanced suit, as issued to Vault 111 dwellers.
The advanced Vault suit is a return to the form-fitting style that characterized the earliest jumpsuits, updated with the latest high-tech materials and technological solutions available to the Vault-Tec Corporation. It's a single-piece suit designed to hug the user's body shape. Various biometric sensors are integrated into the suit to interface with the Vault's systems, while the iconic yellow strip on the front is now made of gold foil, rather than dyed material, to act as a heat-dissipation strip and antenna for the biometric sensors integrated in the suit.[23][24]
- Fallout 4 variants
- Numbered: Vault 75 jumpsuit, Vault 81 jumpsuit, Vault 95 jumpsuit, Vault 101 jumpsuit (new), Vault 111 jumpsuit, Vault 114 jumpsuit, Vault 88 jumpsuit
- Fallout 76 variants
- Numbered: Vault 63 jumpsuit, Vault 76 Jumpsuit, Vault 94 jumpsuit, Vault 96 jumpsuit, Vault 111 jumpsuit (new)
Behind the scenes[]
Designing, or redesigning the vault suit meant adhering to canon, and updating the textures and tactile feel for the detail we can achieve now in games. I opted for a more durable denim like material, something quintessentially American and, suited to carrying out vault tasks involving heavy machinery and crawling through metal pipes.
Overall, the vault suit seems to represent an Everyman/Everywoman uniform of conformity, and a blank canvas for accessorizing once the wearer had escaped into the harsh environment of the wasteland. Preserving the retro 50’s flavor seemed to support this, and I wanted the suit to feel at home in a classic 50’s sci-fi film like Forbidden Planet. The reinforced elbows and knees seemed to introduce a bit of that flair to the otherwise oppressively Orwellian environment.
”— Adam Adamowicz on designing the suit for Fallout 3Creating a skintight costume in bright blue and yellow and not having it come across as goofy looking was a considerable design challenge. We achieved this by focusing on an interesting mix of patterns and textures for the high-tech materials and adding details that grounded the design.
For the iconic yellow stripe, we went with a metallic gold foil that serves as a heat-dissipation strip and works with the biometric sensors integrated in the suit.
”— The Art of Fallout 4 p.15- Joanne Lynette's talking head is recycled from a version of the game where she was the spokesperson for Area 51 scientists, and thus her suit has subtle differences: A very large neckline and a hood.[25]
Gallery[]
Live action[]
Fallout 4 live action trailer
Renders[]
Fallout 2[]
The holy Vault Dweller's suit
Fallout 3[]
Vault 77
Vault 87
Vault 92
Vault 101
Vault 106
Vault 108 (Gary)
Vault 108 (clean)
Vault 112
Vault 101 utility
Dad's jumpsuit
Armored
Security armor w/ helmet
Lab jumpsuit
Armored Vault suit model as displayed in Megaton.
Fallout: New Vegas[]
Vault 3
Vault 3 utility
Vault 11
Vault 19
Vault 21
Vault 21 armored (unused)
Vault 22
Vault 24
Vault 34
Vault 34 security armor
Concept art[]
Fallout[]
A man in an armored Vault 13 vault suit and a woman in an unmodified one.
Fallout Pen and Paper d20[]
A man in a vault suit and a woman in a lab jumpsuit.
Fallout 3[]
Fallout 3 concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Fallout 3 vault lab uniform concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Fallout 3 vault suit concept art
Security armor concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Vault utility jumpsuit concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art of the reinforced vault suit by Adam Adamowicz
Concept art by Adam Adamowicz
Fallout : New Vegas[]
References
- ↑ Vault-Tec scientist: "The Vault suit is designed to be fashionable as well as comfortable."
{Vault-Tec scientist's dialogue) Note: This line is spoken during the quest War Never Changes. - ↑ See respective articles for details. ie Vault Boy, Pressed Vault Suit Award
- ↑ Vault 114 terminals; Check In Terminal
- ↑ Mr. Able: "When do WE get our suits, huh? What's taking so long?"
Vault-Tec scientist: "No, no, happens all the time. We'll clean things up real quick. Don't worry."
Mrs Able: "Is something wrong?"
Vault-Tec scientist: "Mister and Missus Able. We're detecting a very small anomaly in your biometric scans. Just hold tight right there for a second."
(Mr. Able's and a Vault-Tec scientist's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 suit package and shipping box props.
- ↑ Fallout Bible 0 Vault system: "Vault 70 All jumpsuit extruders fail after 6 months."
- ↑ Enclave citizens' character description: "{100}{}{You see a person in a vault suit.}"
(QCGENCIT.MSG) - ↑ Vault lab uniform
- ↑ Vault 101 utility jumpsuit
- ↑ Vault 101 security armor
- ↑ Vault-Tec security armor and helmet.
- ↑ Armored Vault 101 jumpsuit and other modified suits.
- ↑ Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 Vault suit modifications.
- ↑ Mad scientist: "{142}{}{Who are you? And why are you wearing that suit? [to himself] I haven't seen one of those in a long time.}"
The Vault Dweller: "{146}{}{It's extruded rubber, so it's real easy to wipe your blood off after I kill you!}"
(MADSCI.MSG) - ↑ Darrow's character description: "{100}{}{You see a Citizen in a bright blue jumpsuit. It looks like the Vault Dweller's suit, but there is no number on the back.}"
(VCDARROW.MSG) - ↑ Descriptions for the various generic characters of Vault City; VCURINE.MSG, VCWRKCIT.MSG, VCGENFAM.MSG, VCBARCIT.MSG
- ↑ Wallace's character description: "{101}{}{You see a thin man with a pinched face. He is wearing a sharply pressed Vault suit.}"
(Vcwalace.msg) - ↑ The Courier: "Sarah, stop right there. Do you actually have any vault gear?"
Sarah Weintraub: "Okay, I do, but who wants a lame sensor module, or a nitrogen canister, anyway? All the popular stuff has been sold - especially the vault suits. I need to find more because people buy them like hot cakes."
(Sarah Weintraub's dialogue) - ↑ Vault 21 terminals; Vault 21 Guest Terminal, Gift Catalogue
- ↑ Vault 21 terminals; Vault 21 Reception Terminal and Sarah's Terminal, Our Influential Friends.
- ↑ Different types of belts on the jumpsuits.
- ↑ Conceptual Design: "The Vault Suit
Designing, or redesigning the vault suit meant adhering to canon, and updating the textures and tactile feel for the detail we can achieve now in games. I opted for a more durable denim like material, something quintessentially American and, suited to carrying out vault tasks involving heavy machinery and crawling through metal pipes.
Overall, the vault suit seems to represent an Everyman/Everywoman uniform of conformity, and a blank canvas for accessorizing once the wearer had escaped into the harsh environment of the wasteland. Preserving the retro 50’s flavor seemed to support this, and I wanted the suit to feel at home in a classic 50’s sci-fi film like Forbidden Planet. The reinforced elbows and knees seemed to introduce a bit of that flair to the otherwise oppressively Orwellian environment." - ↑ The Art of Fallout 4 p.15: "VAULT SUIT
Creating a skintight costume in bright blue and yellow and not having it come across as goofy looking was a considerable design challenge. We achieved this by focusing on an interesting mix of patterns and textures for the high-tech materials and adding details that grounded the design." - ↑ The Art of Fallout 4 p.16: "VAULT SUIT
For the iconic yellow stripe, we went with a metallic gold foil that serves as a heat-dissipation strip and works with the biometric sensors integrated in the suit." - ↑ Joanne Lynette as she appears in Fallout 2.
