We found the most insane item on SkyMall

By Fusion Staff  |  January 23, 2015 | 5:22pm
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Today, SkyMall filed for bankruptcy.

The real news is that they were actually still around in the first place — and that they’ve only filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, which means they could still be reborn at some point.

We wanted to find the most insane item in their catalogue.

There’s a clear winner: SkySaver.

Created by former Israeli security officials, SkySaver is a backpack that contains equipment that will allegedly allow you to rappel down the side of a building in the event of a fire or some other emergency.

There is an amazing video showing how this works. We summarize it here:

“You’ve made it to the top,” it begins.

“Life is good” because you’re pouring an unidentified liquid into a pot.

But your idiot neighbor left his heated massage chair on, and now there’s a fire.

But you’re prepared with SkySaver.

STRAP UP.

Hook yourself into a wall (preferably one that is fireproof).

JUMP OUT OF A WINDOW AND RAPPEL TO SAFETY.

The price depends on how much cable you need to hit the ground alive; $649 gets you 80 feet-worth, while $1,149 gets you 260 feet.

SkyMall says it could still emerge from bankruptcy, though it has cited some obvious structural market changes — “With the increased use of electronic devices on planes, fewer people browsed the SkyMall in-flight catalog” — that make this idea far from guaranteed.

Hopefully they weren’t SkySaver’s lone retailer.

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.

 
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