Matt Nuzzo: Oh man, what a fun session. This Ultra is really crisp, very fun, very user friendly.
Orbit Ultra. Orbit Ultra. The long awaited updated Orbit Ultra. What's up everybody? Matt Nuzzo hanging out here in beautiful Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. We got REAL over here, Waterman's Retreat over there. Bunch of kites, bunch of wings, and some sick sessions out there. So, Mark and I are going to take out the Orbit Standard 2027 and the Orbit Ultra, this new kite, and try them out, see which ones we like better, give you a first impression on this new Ultra.
Before we hit the water, let's go and talk about what makes this Orbit special. So, let's get in here and check this out. This new material here, this is their newest material to replace Aluula. So, previously the Ultra was Aluula. Great material, super lightweight, super stiff, and really strong until it's not. That was a laminate material, which means that all the strength comes from the outer layers that are squeezed and laminated on there. As soon as that laminate starts bending, flexing, breaking down, and then what we'd see in the school after a long period of time, that Aluula would break down where the laminate separates. Then you're losing all the strength, all the benefit of that material.
With this UPE, it's kind of like a material that North Technology Group or North Sails has worked to develop. The internal structures with all the threads and the material, it does look similar to what you're seeing on like the F-One Trigger or the Armstrong X-Wing, but they've assured us that this is their own proprietary different material. So, it should be lighter, faster, stronger, and what we're most interested in is the performance—is the cost increase worth it going to this new material?
So, we're going to grab Mark from the rental shop. He knows a ton about kites. We're going to try them out, try them back to back, tell you guys what we think. Oh, there's Mark. What's up, Mark? Ready to go sesh?
Mark: Oh, yeah. We got the 2026 Orbit Ultra and we got the 2027 regular Orbit. Should be fun.
Matt Nuzzo: So exciting. And this is a 2026 kite that is releasing late in 2026 because they have been testing this material throughout the entirety of the year. They wanted to really make sure this Orbit Ultra is right. So, let's get on the water. Have you ridden this other Orbit, Mark?
Mark: So, I did take these out back to back last night. It was like a 12 in the standard Orbit and then the 9 in the Orbit Ultra. Super fun. A little bit underpowered on the Ultra last night, but we got plenty of wind today. Should be good. The Orbit has been the big air offering in North's line for a while now. It wins at competitions all the time. The proof is literally printed on the center strut under there. So it should be good. We'll see if it lives up to the hype, if it lives up to the King of the Air titles.
Matt Nuzzo: All right, who's going to be king of the air? Matt or Mark? Let's go.
Mark: Feeling juicy. Get out there. Feels fast. Should be fun. Oh yeah.
Matt Nuzzo: 27 Orbit. Very stable. Ready to go. Here goes nothing. Orbit 27. Like this kite already.
I love that you can just feel where this kite is at all times. Totally controlled, super comfortable. I'd say with this Orbit, you could use it for any level rider because it has such positive bar feel. Like, you know, it's not like heavy bar feel, but sheet in feel the power, sheet out still feel the bar in the kite. That's really important for any level rider.
I am not a kite looper, but this thing light loops with purpose. I'm not doing mega loops anymore and that stuff, but this kite just looping it in the wind window, you can feel the kite the whole area and it doesn't just spin and not pull. That's nice for the people that are doing those big mega loops. Time to switch up. I want to try that Ultra.
Yeah, really impressed. Mark was telling me earlier that the Orbit was never really accessible to a wide range of riders. It was kind of only that super overpowered top tier. And this Orbit 27, very accessible. It is a little slower, more controlled. Feel the power everywhere. Feel the bar pressure everywhere. Those are all really good things. I'm super interested to see with the smaller leading edge and the UPE and the super stiff material, how it goes with the Ultra. Just chunk it to me. I got it. Yo, how's that Ultra going?
Mark: Awesome. Super fast, super smooth, pretty boosty. Probably still a little underpowered, but it's flying super nice. Good power delivery. Super stiff up the plate so far.
Matt Nuzzo: Awesome. Well, let's switch it up. I've been impressed with how controllable this one is, the standard Orbit Dacron. Let me do the switch and try not to cook out. Locked and loaded.
I will say these are two very well-behaved kites. Both of them have just sat parked at the side of the window. Like just absolutely parked and not falling backwards, forwards, or anything. It's just literally sitting there ready to relaunch. It kind of just did that on its own.
Oh yeah. Right off the bat, I still have feel in the bar. Turning speed feels kind of similar, but it feels like less power and kind of less run. Very stable. Really nice to get this high performance kite that's just going to sit there and do this. I mean, that's like all the way sheeted in, over-sheeted. Look, it does not fall out of the sky. A lot of kites that do that will fall out of the sky.
Spicy. Okay, first pass. I can already tell this thing needs a lot more wind. It's definitely not by any means underpowered, but I've got a lot more range. So, that skinnier leading edge could take a lot more juice. Very controlled, very easy. I like that. Performance kites that are easy.
Oh man, what a fun session. This Ultra is really crisp, very fun, very user friendly. It definitely wants a little more breeze. It's like blowing 18 to 22, which felt pretty good on the standard 9m, but this one, I kind of want 25 with it. That rigid leading edge and smaller leading edge will require some more power to get this thing really maximized. Hang time is good, turning is amazing, but not too quick, not out of control. So easy. Really surprising that this is this easy to ride. That's what I'm really liking about this Ultra.
Before we get Mark's impression, my two cents on this: the juice is worth the squeeze if you are an advanced level rider. If you are a top tier rider that is wanting max performance, max stiffness, max lightweight, or even a lighter weight rider, have a juicy overpowered kite because the Ultra did not feel as powered as the standard.
That being said, I had more control, lighter weight bar feel, and knew where the kite was all the time. Very similar flying characteristics of stability and user friendliness. Standard Orbit was actually way easier than I thought. I love the predictability. The little bit heavier bar pressure might not be my favorite long-term—that's why I would probably go with the Ultra. I would just ride it in a little higher power range. So, let me go over here and talk to Mark and see what he thinks. Mark, what's up? Ultra, give me the review.
Mark: Good sesh. I actually had more fun, I think, on the standard Dacron Orbit today just for the conditions. I bet that the high end of this kite is really, really good. But for the slight light underpowered conditions that we had today, that felt more controlled, more intuitive. I think I jumped a little higher, honestly.
Matt Nuzzo: Yeah, I was kind of saying the same thing. That one felt like perfectly powered. It's 18 to 22. The standard Dacron Orbit felt powered. You feel it has a heavier bar feel.
Mark: The Ultra just felt like it was kind of just getting started.
Matt Nuzzo: Like it felt like in 18 to 22, the 9m was just getting warmed up. So if you're sizing these Ultras and you're used to the regular, you might want to size up for the bigger boost or just get it for the max high wind. I'm thinking 25 to 30 is going to be insane and we're just going to fly forever. It's going to hold it down. It just rockets up good, but it has that same characteristic of knowing where the kite is, just a lighter bar feel.
Mark: North has done a really good job, especially after the redesign of these kites and making them very user friendly. The earlier Orbits were big air boosting looping machines, but they weren't necessarily approachable to the average rider. This kite is super approachable. Honestly, the Ultra for a performance big air kite, I think is fairly approachable to the average rider as well. The bar feel doesn't cook your forearms like a lot of other performance kites do. It's very comfortable. You could fly it overpowered and it wouldn't feel super overpowered. But for me today, I think I'd go with the standard Dacron Orbit personally.
Matt Nuzzo: Heard it here. First impressions, Mark the rental shop manager, Matt from REAL. Want to come and join us? Come and join us out here at REAL Watersports. Stay at Waterman's Retreat and go ride the slick flat water all out there. Reach out online at realwatersports.com or give us a call at the shop: 252-987-6000. See you guys on the water.
