Treasure Hunt: Brand Hides ‘Gear for Life’ Discount Card

Treasure hunters, pack your bags. Some of the world’s most extreme outdoor gear can be yours if you’re willing to tackle an ‘extreme’ journey to claim it.

The folks at Vollebak are … unusual. Launched by twin brothers Nick and Steve Tidball, the two-year-old London-based apparel manufacturer specializes in over-the-top claims of durability and unheard-of features.

Take, for example, the 100 Year Hoodie, a sweatshirt made with Kevlar that comes with a “multi-planet guarantee” (it will last on Mars or Mercury). Or the Solar Charged Jacket that absorbs light and glows in the dark.

Now it wants to test its customers. Announced today, Vollebak has hidden an “Extreme Discount Card.” It’s a wallet-size chunk of ornately carved Bocote Rosewood that entitles the holder to one free piece of everything Vollebak makes for the rest of their life.

In The Spotlight: Vollebak Brand Profile

Pants stained with fake blood, a hoodie that's guaranteed to survive on Mars, and base layers "designed to increase your life expectancy." Vollebak creates gear that performs in ways most companies don't even consider. Read more…

“It’s like Willy Wonka’s golden ticket, only better,” said Nick Tidball. “Instead of heart attack-inducing amounts of chocolate, you’ll win enough gear to break your closet.”

But Vollebak warns finding the ticket will be extremely physically challenging.

Gear for Life: Vollebak ‘Extreme Discount Card‘

The brand claims it hid the card 18 months ago. But it just dropped the lone clue, a video below, today.

“We designed and made our own treasure from scratch, then got adventurers and former elite military operatives Jason Fox and Aldo Kane to bury it in one of the most remote locations on the planet,” said Vollebak founders Steve and Nick Tidball.

“While other brands choose to spend their time and money chasing you around the internet with banner advertising, we’d rather send you out into the world to look for hand-carved wooden sculptures buried underwater.”

The film shows shaky pinhole shots from the perspective of the card. It’s tough to discern where on Earth it is. The video shows men carrying it across the tundra and over cliffs. They plunge underwater and perch it on a submarine outcropping of rock.

Watch the full video here to see what you can glean:

Extreme Discount Card: Extraordinary Hiding Spot

To hide this particular treasure, Vollebak tapped record-holding adventurers and former elite British military operatives Jason Fox and Aldo Kane.

Between them, the duo set the record for being the fastest team to row from mainland Europe to South America (3,677 nautical miles), abseiled the 3,000-foot-high Angel Falls (the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall), and found Captain Kidd’s treasure 320 years after it was lost.

Just how hard will the Extreme Discount Card be to find? Vollebak said hiding it required both men to work together. And if you’re thinking of carving your own forgery, the brand says not to bother. The unique wood grain and a special un-photographed marking make forgery effectively impossible.

“Adventure has always involved an element of insanity and the unexpected,” said Steve Tidball. “It requires bravery, experimentation, and heading into the unknown because that looks like the most exciting place to go.”