Abacus Sportswear, the Swedish technical clothing brand and pioneer of high-performance stretch waterproof fabrics, has introduced two new StretchLite™ jackets, its most stretchable waterproof technology ever.
The Barton StretchLite™ jacket is believed to be the most stretchable lightweight waterproof jacket in golf, while the Pitch StretchLite™ is the ultimate soft, feather weight waterproof worn next to the skin.
In independent laboratory tests, a 25cm strip of the Barton StretchLite™ fabric was expanded to 66cm – more than two-and-a-half times its normal length – underlining the technology’s remarkable elasticity and freedom of motion benefits.
Importantly, both jackets are unlined, making them extremely lightweight and easy to play in, like a second skin.
Abacus Sportswear was among the first companies to introduce lightweight stretch waterproof fabrics to golf 10 years ago. Now, according to the business’ head of design, Chris Mattsson, the latest StretchLite™ technology represents a major step forward for golf weatherwear.
“When you demonstrate to golfers just how much the Barton StretchLite™ jacket can stretch, they can’t believe it – the level of elasticity is extraordinary. Once on, it’s like wearing a thin waterproof skin that simply moves and stretches without resistance to the twists and turns of the golf swing.
“At just 99 grams per square metre, it is also incredibly light, highly breathable and packs conveniently into its own pocket.”
Standard scientific tests already measure a waterproof fabric’s water resistance (Water Pillar or WP test) and breathability (Moisture Vapor Pillar or MVP test). Now, Abacus Sportswear has introduced a new measurement for freedom of motion, the Coefficient of Stretch(CoS).
Independently tested at the Textiles & Leather Laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden, in accordance with European standards for the ‘Determination of elasticity of fabrics’, strips of Barton StretchLite™ were machine-stretched at a force of 15 Newton.
The results found that a 25cm strip of Barton StretchLite™ fabric would stretch to 66cm, a factor of more than two-and-a-half, ora CoS of 2.64 (66¸ 25 = 2.64).
The new Pitch StretchLite™, Abacus Sportswear’s top-of-the-range waterproof jacket, also has a high degree of elasticity and stretches by almost double (CoS: 1.90).
According to Chris Mattsson, what makes the Pitch StretchLite™ the complete performance rain jacket is its unique combination of extreme lightweight, stretch and softness, enabling it to be worn comfortably next to the skin.
“The Pitch StretchLite™ jacket is the ultimate all-round waterproof,” said Mattsson. “It’s a two-layer, unlined, high-performance stretch fabric that is both featherweight and feather-soft, making it quiet and supremely comfortable.
“Many waterproofs have stretch panels built in, but abacus ®StretchLite™ jackets are lighter and more stretchable all over, and represent a complete new performance standard in technical golf wear.”
StretchLite™ is one of three stretch waterproof technology lines by abacus®. New products are also available in the OPT stretch™ 15 000(Pitch 59 jacket, Pitch Nordic jacket and Pitch trousers) and StretchDry™ ranges (Gorey jacket, Gorey trousers, Putter stretch trousers).
Pitch OPT stretch™ 15 000trousers are designed to complement both StretchLite™ and OPT stretch™ 15 000jackets and pullover anoraks.
Abacus Sportswear is an Official Supplier to The European Tour and The European Solheim Cup Team, as well as an Official Licensee of The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
It also supplies elite amateur golfers and national teams, and is a partner of England Golf, Deutscher Golf Verband, Dansk Golf Union and Norges Golfforbund.
Abacus Sportswear www.abacussportswear.com