Founded in 2000 and now owned by the Acushnet Co., Kjus is known for the premium technical apparel it makes for skiing and golf. Stretch has long been the key to all its offerings, so the individuals enjoying those sports had groundbreaking freedom of movement as well as protection in all kinds of weather.
“We were the first company to bring stretch to skiing,” says Brooke Mackenzie, worldwide president for the company, which is based in Boulder, Colorado. “And we determined we could make that transition to golf quite seamlessly. We had the know-how, and we had the materials.”
The latest release from the company – which takes its name from a Norwegian alpine skier and Olympic medalist named Lasse Kjus (pronounced “shoos,” as in moose) – is an insulated hybrid vest series for golfers. There are four pieces in this line and each comes with high heat-to-weight ratio insulation paired with breathability in the non-insulated areas (hence use of the word “hybrid”).
There’s the Pike, which is designed to handle the coldest conditions and endowed with 120 grams of insulation on the front. The back is made of thick brushed fleece and both the pockets and collar are lined, to keep hands and necks warm.
As for the Radiation, it is made to handle the next coldest conditions. This model features 50 grams of insulation on the front and back as well as stretch panels on the sides and down the middle of the back. It is also water repellent.
The third item is the Release, which has 80 grams of insulation on the front and a soft, brushed fleece back.
Next comes the Retention, with 50 grams of insulation on the front and a “light, stretchy fabric on the back” to keep golfers “perfectly regulated in mild-to-cold temperatures while providing full freedom of movement.”