The suits depicted in Outland become a hybrid of the miner's coverall and the conventional spacesuit, particularly the space helmet. The spacesuit should be robust for the actions taking place on Io. The design of the spacesuit would have to take into account the mobility of the miner while considering the level of rigidity or strength needed to prevent perforations of the spacesuit material from the rigors of such physical labour. The jumpsuit or coverall design of the spacesuits in Outland suggests that the mobility of the miner has been taken into consideration although in the typical form of industrial wear, rather than the conventional form of a spacesuit. One could speculate that super fabrics or other materials have been invented at this point to withstand the wear and tear of the space environment while still being flexible. Such materials could be similar to actual suits created and designed by NASA to apply pressure to an astronaut's body through their relative elasticity rather than a balloon design.   These suits are not used, as there is not sufficient technology to protect an astronaut completely as well the inherent difficulty in maintaining a consistent pressure at the suit and helmet connection.

The need for a continuous airtight seal is displayed in the architecture of Outland with the many failsafe airlocks and elevators, however the realities of an airtight seal in the spacesuit does not seem to be addressed. There is no evidence of a sealing mechanism between the pressurized helmet and the rather flimsy uniform. The gloves in particular appear to be quite separate from the suit and are attached with a Velcro like material. This is also in contrast with the apparent need to pressurize the suits before moving onto the airlock elevators.

The use of lights inside the helmets is an interesting film device as well as technical speculation on the space helmet. The lights illuminate the character's face; thereby identifying him in the otherwise dark environment as well their proposed function in the film is to illuminate the field of work in front of the miner. However by placing lights inside the glass of the helmet, it becomes impossible to see out. The miner would be blinded by reflected light from the curved face of the glass and the dark environment outside would cause the glass to act as a mirror, creating the same condition of looking out of a window from a light room at night.