We were warmly welcome by the smiling team at Kjet, arriving down there on a brisk winter morning during the school holidays and it was great to see how busy they were without the large international tourist numbers you would usually expect to be on the boat pre-Covid-19. We were lucky enough to jump in on one of the jetboat trips, taking us up the Kawarau River at high speeds and performing all sorts of manoeuvres in tight spaces made for an exhilarating ride. But man do you feel the cold on the boat... Queenstown, New Zealand has some of the most spectacular alpine scenery in the world, in addition to the wonderful alpine views it has extremely cold weather. Snow, ice, sleet, hail, rain - you name it, they get it.

The KJet team operate outside in most weather conditions, many parts of the river often don’t see the sun and driving a jetboat at high speeds in cold, wet conditions makes them require a jacket that’s going to be tough, provide warmth and adequate water resistance on those harsh winter days. Their jacket of choice is the Bushbuck Polar X Down Puffer Jacket. The Bushbuck Polar X Down Puffer Jacket is made from tough water-resistant and windproof outer canvas which is treated with DWR. It’s filled with 800 fill power duck down which provides insane insulation, and it’s lined with microfleece on the neck and pockets, which all together make this one of the toughest and warmest jackets on the market. KJet employs many staff who are constantly in the elements and having a jacket that will not let them down when the going gets tough is particularly important in their industry.

One of the Kjet drivers, Jake Mcewan, summed up the performance of the Polar X in classic Kiwi fashion:

"Oh, mate it gets me through the cold days and the icy mornings. Yeah, I love the Bushbuck jacket, yea nah, she does well."

Update: Since writing this article, Kjet have updated their staff uniform and upgraded to the Bushbuck Igloo Waterproof Down Jacket. The Igloo is a 10,000mm waterproof puffer jacket, which is well-suited to wet conditions. "From the employee’s point of view it is a warm and waterproof jacket that is super comfortable. It's a perfect jacket for a jet boat company that operates in Queenstown weather," says jet boat driver Reuben Kemp. The company says Bushbuck has been great to deal with and the quality is hard to beat.

"Working with Bushbuck is great, we receive our orders quick and the team are always on hand to answer questions. Given the day in, day out thrashing we give our uniform, it’s a brand that makes reliable quality products."

Support local and head out for an experience with Kjet next time you are in Queenstown. https://www.kjet.co.nz/