The Kiteboarder Magazine

The F-One Bandit, the original Delta kite, is now in its fourth generation and it has undergone a major redesign for 2011. It is now a three-strut one pump kite with square wingtips.

For 2011, the largest change to the Slingshot RPM is the addition of Spitstrut, which means that the struts are now integrated into the canopy as opposed to being attached to the bottom of it.

The Evo is a five-strut one pump kite that shows North’s usual attention to details. This is a bridled four-line kite (it can also be flown as a five-line) with a very compact and simple bridle.

Once up and riding, the F-One Trax is a fast board that feels light and responsive underfoot. As you edge harder, the Trax feels like it locks in and never gave us any signs that the edge was about to slip or chatter.

We tested the big boy of the 2011 Litewave Wings, the 161. This is a light wind specific board and it stands out when compared to other twin tips. The board features wide tips, a reverse sidecut outline, and a very deep tip to tip single concave. There are two fins on the heel edge and two near the tips of the board close to the centerline. This board has more rocker than last year’s model and is fairly flexible.

The 2011 RRD Obsession looks similar to last year’s model, but there are a few obvious differences. The trailing edge is now all Dacron and the graphics are actually made of fabric sewn onto the kite as opposed to being screened on, a feature that RRD claims adds more rigidity to the canopy.

The first thing our testers noticed was how easily driven the NHP is. It takes little power to get going and shoots upwind almost effortlessly.

The middle of the bottom of the board is actually convex in the middle (like a bubble) and flows into a double concave out the tips.

Even though the 2011 Rebel looks much like the 2010, its handling has definitely been improved.

If you want to get noticed at the beach, you might want to buy a Hydra as this kite looks like nothing else we’ve ever tested.

The Gypsy is a great all-around kite, performing equally well in the waves, unhooked, and for big air jumps.

The Religion is RRD’s surf-specific kite, and its construction details show that it’s meant to take a beating.

According to our testers, the T5 was well-behaved and never did anything unexpected.

Right out of the bag, the first thing we noticed about the Rebel was the attention to detail on the kite.

When we first started flying the Charger, we were surprised by how well it flew in light wind. It never hinted towards stalling, and even in light wind it turned with ease.