Bulwark FR or simply Bulwark as folks know them most commonly, may span the greatest degree of temperatures when it comes to workwear that gets the job done.
For the Bulwark brand, it’s not only a matter of producing clothes that range from t-shirts to coveralls. They produce clothes that will keep you comfortable against the coldest nature can dish out, and clothes that will protect you from the hottest environments too.
In some cases, a single piece of clothing from Bulwark does both while keeping you dry at the same time.
We’ll get into specifics in a second, but on its face, that’s an impressive an astronomic endeavor. It’s literally the closest you can get to space-wear without joining NASA.
But there are many brands that do something similar, Carhartt, Dickies, Union Line, Berne. We know. We carry those brands too. But, the brand that people trust for reliable safety from electrical or fire hazards, there is no compromise.
Bulwark rises to the top. Every. Single. Time.
That’s what our customers want so that’s what we sell. You can find cheaper alternatives, but it’s doubtful you’ll want to be wearing them on when it matters most.
Bulwark FR’s Background
To pronounce the name it either sounds like some wark you have to do or work only a bull could do. According to dictionary.com, a bulwark is “a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart.”
The idea of a bulwark, like the message of the brand’s founder, is something that protects you. As the brand that started in 1990 figured out, most people don’t use bulwark as a word.
Thus, the young brand quickly added “to fortify and protect” as a slogan, which gave them the definition they needed, even if their fans still thought Bulwark was someone’s last name. It didn’t matter if the clothes sold.
What Bulwark lacked at first, what other brands brought to the workwear table, was generations of hardworking fans. Some might have considered that a mark on their rap sheet. Others considered that such a brand was going to work that much harder to catch up.
That’s what Bulwark has done.
Within three years of their launch, Bulwark was selling $50-million a year, staffing 400 employees. Three years later, Red Kap acquired the Bulwark brand because they saw the opportunity ahead for such a sturdy brand.
Red Kap itself is a corner of a larger company called VP Corporation. They’re the folks behind more pedestrian, but popular brands like Jansport, Eastpak, Timberland, and North Face.
Since then, Bulwark has only dominated, especially in the flame resistance department. Most brands make some FR clothing, but Bulwark makes the FR clothing more workers trust.
Bulwark FR means flame resistant apparel
If you’ve been in the field working for industries like the utilities or in petrochemicals, you’re familiar with Bulwark for one reason: arc ratings.
You’re also likely familiar with the National Fire and Protection Agency (NFPA), the governing body that oversees the implementation of those ratings. As it related to this blog, you probably also know that many of the apparel items by Bulwark come with arc ratings even if they look like regular workwear.
A good example is the Nomex IIIA Deluxe Parka, which not only comes with reflective trim, but is insulated and waterproof, plus has an arc rating of 59 calories/cm².
That means the same garment will not only keep you warm and dry, but it will also protect you from flash fires. It doesn’t do a pretty good job. It does a great job.
What’s great about these garments from Bulwark is you might expect you’d have to have them dry cleaned, but that same parka just mentioned is a wash-at-home garment.
Because who has the time or money to send out workwear garments for laundering?
Bulwark offers more than parkas with superhero qualities. Here are some top picks…
The best of Bulwark FR pants
Most people think first of their hands and face when it comes to hazards, but the legs are just as vulnerable as any body part. If your legs are fried, you can’t work no matter how you protect your pretty face.
A simple lightweight solution that comes with hefty protection for 7-ounces (11 calories/cm²) are Bulwark’s CoolTouch 2 pants. They’re a fully synthetic textile, but you’ll never notice they’re so comfortable.
In them, you’ll be safe from flash fire and you’ll have minimal protection from an electric arc. And, yes they come in a women’s cuts too.
If your job allows you to wear denim, and it likely does, denim makes a great choice for all the reasons denim has made a great choice for over a hundred years.
Denim is comfortable. It takes washing after washing, and in the case with Bulwark’s 12.5-ounce pre-wash, straight-cut denim, they don’t have to fit like you’re hiding a shotgun in the leg.
And, you can forget about them being skinny-anything. These are work pants, for serious working folks. Yes, ladies too.
If you do have one of those clipboard jobs and can’t wear denim, take a look are Bulwark’s Excel FR work pants. They come in a handful of colors to match your tie collection, and you get 11 calories/cm² of protection for your 9 ounces of twill.
Again, all of these pants you take home at the end of the day and throw them in the laundry like normal.
Easy. Safe. Done.
Bulwark FR jackets that don’t play around
Most people these days prefer a jacket, like Bulwark’s hooded duck jacket, over a coat like their Excel ComfortTouch lineman’s coat.
When it comes to protection over fashion trends, you can’t go wrong with the coat made for the people who’ve been doing one of the highest risk jobs since the invention of electricity: Linemen.
The hooded jacket will give you plenty of protection at 46 calories/cm², but the coat adds a flap of extra protection extending below your waist. That leaves no space for error between your belt and your jacket.
Whichever way you go, you’ll get a mostly or all duck exterior, and flame-resistant insulated liner that’ll keep you toasty so you don’t have another distraction.
Fewer distractions means fewer chances for mistakes. It’s that simple.
Bulwark FR coveralls for covering all of you
For the fullest coverage you can get, to protect you in the most treacherous situations, you can’t go wrong with coveralls.
If you don’t need high visibility, go straight to Bulwark’s Excel FR ComforTouch premium insulated coveralls. You’ll get 43.3 calories/cm² of protection in a seven-ounce twill shell, quilted and insulated for super-cozy comfort.
These coveralls are the Swiss Army knife of workwear because they do so many things in one garment, cover, protect, warm, and carry. Yup, carry.
There are seven pockets, one for each ounce of the shell if that helps you remember them, which you can use to stuff cell phones, tools, business cards, and whatever else you can cram in there.
Go ahead and crawl around on your knees if you have to. Bulwark reinforced the knees in these coveralls so you don’t have to worry about wearing them down to get the job done.
And, like every piece of Bulwark workwear on this blog so far, when the day is done and your clothes are ready for washing, into the normal laundry they will go. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho.
Bulwark also makes lighter clothing like collared shirts, henleys, and such, but these are the clothing items that will cover you so you can make your money in comfort.
They also make labwear for folks who work with chemicals, and headwear for those who like to a cozy melon, but the article that does the heaviest lifting of the bunch are the ones we covered above.
You can try other brands for FR gear — we carry a few of them — but when you talk to the men and women who stand most in harm’s way every day, Bulwark is the brand they choose.
We know because we’re the folks those hard-working Americans buy ‘em from.
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.