Kiteboarding

I've been using this Vaikobi V4 Ocean Racing vest for Parawing downwinders for almost a year now and can say this is a great flotation vest. The style is perfect for providing you some safety flotation but without being large and bulky and in the way. When I am on the water its never in my way where I am even reminded that I have it on. The pockets in the front are the perfect size where I can put my phone in one side in a waterproof case, then something else in the other side. Also having the spot for the Hydration Bladder on the back is really nice. I've used that a few times for longer runs, but have also used it to stuff a spare parawing in the back in case the wind changes. The high VIS colors are great. I am using the Green one and I've had multiple times where I get to the beach and someone said they could see just a green speck on the horizon. Great vest. 5 stars.

I've had a few sessions now on the Power Pack, and have definitely been impressed by the quality of this wing. I have been riding the Pocket Rocket for the past year and loving them, but moving to the Power Pack has been a nice upgrade for how I am using them. I am just doing downwind runs and don't care about upwind performance at all. Pros: It is a little easier on the starts especially when under powered. The wind stays in the right spot and generates power. The shorter lines makes it easier to run your hand up the lines. Having the center lines on the A bridle grouped together makes it super easy to pull the wing out of the sky especially when overpowered. I am getting waaaaaay fewer tangles on this parawing than any others I've tried during re-deploys. Not sure how or why but definitely much appreciated. Cons: Upwind performance definitely is not as good as the Pocket Rocket. It still goes upwind of course but not at the level that the Pocket Rocket does. If you are mainly focused on downwind runs and you don't spot ride, that's not a issue at all though.

After taking an efoil wing to my ribs and bruising the hell out of them, I now understand why impact vests are a thing. I bought another French brands XXL, it fit my 5’4” wife not even close on this 6’4” 240 dude. Josh here recommended the vest, got it wet the day after I got it. Very comfortable, no impingement of movement, perfect under my Jet Pilot Navigator CGA vest. Having it on added a little confidence back.

I was very happy this helmet hit my 7-7/8 melon. A tiny twist of the knob adjusted it perfectly around my entire head. After wearing it for a couple hours and a bunch of 20mph bailouts on my efoil, my head was warm and the helmet was still comfortable.

Just wanted to do an update after 170 sessions in the rash guard this year. I live in warmer water so I wear this almost every surf. The material has held up excellently. I think I snipped two tiny little strings off the stitching but it was nothing to be concerned about. The fit feels almost the same as the first day I put it on. There is a little bit of pilling in two areas where my ribs hit the board but I also use Tour series or Super Sticky wax. I stand by my statement that I am not switching to another brand for my rash guards. Excellent product!

This kite does work great in light wind. If that is what you are buying it for then go with the 17m and it will work fine in the lighter conditions. But, what I have found is that the best use of this kite is to fly the 15m in conditions where you would normally fly a 13.5m, especially if you are a larger rider. Like most Aluula kites, the Air Pro is both fast for its size and has a higher top end than its dacron version, meaning that you can hold this kite down in higher winds without feeling overpowered. For me at 135-140lbs that means that in 16-17mph winds when I would normally fly a 13.5m kite, I can fly the 15m Air Pro just fine and have a fun jumping session. Because this kite performs so well in the larger size it means that you can send bigger jumps than you would normally get out a 15m and get MEGA hang time. Boards offs are so easy when you have 3-5 business days to get the board back on and you can throw in an extra rotation (or two) to any trick. If you are a bigger rider in the 200lbs+ weight range and struggling to maximize sessions in the 18-20mph range then the 15m could be your ticket to some really fun sessions.

I have had the Sensor 4 bar for over a year and really like it. I've tried a ton of control bars from all brands and this is still my favorite. It feels very light and direct in your hands. The grip is comfortable. The center line swivel feature is so nice, its really hard to use a bar without that feature once you get used to the Sensor bar. Whatever Core is using for the line material is fantastic, it really holds up to a ton of use really well. I've used my bar a lot and give it no special treatment other than the occasional rinse, and my bar still looks nearly new.

Best in class control bar!!

I have had the Sensor 4 bar for over a year and really like it. I've tried a ton of control bars from all brands and this is still my favorite. It feels very light and direct in your hands. The grip is comfortable. The center line swivel feature is so nice, its really hard to use a bar without that feature once you get used to the Sensor bar. Whatever Core is using for the line material is fantastic, it really holds up to a ton of use really well. I've used my bar a lot and give it no special treatment other than the occasional rinse, and my bar still looks nearly new.

Best in class control bar!!

I've been using this bar for about a year and a half now, with probably 70–100 sessions, and have really enjoyed it. Coming from the Sensor 3, I've noticed a huge improvement with the flag-out system and have enjoyed the ability to fly it with more kites thanks to the universal pigtails and adjustable splitter.

I've heard others have experienced issues with the lines snagging on the splitter adjuster, but I can't say I've had that problem—and others I kite with also haven't had issues. This might be caused by running the lines incorrectly, as they’re more complicated than most bars. I lent my bar to a friend, and he did struggle with the line configuration coming off the bar since it goes up to the splitter and back down. This is the improvement CORE made to the flag-out system, and once you run the lines once, it really isn't that hard. In my opinion, it's worth it to have a reliable safety system.

The quick release is also really nice. I use it with a rope slider, so I'm releasing and engaging it every session. I have had a few instances where it doesn't click as easily as it should, so I need to lift the release to get it to engage. That isn't ideal, but it doesn't happen very often.

Overall, the bar is great! The sleek design, minimal floaters, and well-designed handle feel high quality. I'm really happy with the improvements.

I was introduced to BN3th by REAL.

The Agua shorts just arrived, so they'll be under my wetsult tomorrow. They feel well designed for under board shorts or as general-use underwear, too. My current board short size is 33 (34 is OK for Katin and Vissla), and the new Aguas are size M. A bit compressive, and L might work as a looser fit. I hope they keep up this line. And continue to offer lined boardshorts.

I've been bothered by slow-drying undershorts. Old fashioned slippery nylon board shorts dry fast and so do many others with durable water resistance. Swimwear of the swimming pool sort seems determined to stay soggy.

Got out on the Armstrong mast today in marginal conditions. First impression-
Got up easy on HA 780 and dart 140. Minimal to no drag. Def don’t want the pod any closer to the board. I found it perfect height if not a tad difficult to keep the pod submerged. Barely needed any throttle and ran board pretty flat until ready to pop pod out of the water completely.

Felt about like my 12 cm despite being at 18cm. Really nice that it bolts onto FD and really nice not thinking about taping at all. I went to the 980 in the front just to see how it felt and it was effortless. Felt like I could’ve been out there all day on a sport battery. I think I came in after 40 min of tooling around and had about 50% battery. High quality build for sure.

Looking forward to pairing with a couple MA’s when finds free up in the next month or two.

Board shorts with liners have a small and dismal history. BN3TH, from Vancouver, B.C., is an underwear specialist and has an unusual design for the front sides of its men's underwear--explained at their website. Nut pouch. The water's been too chill for me to try this pair in the water, but it's certainly comfortable onshore and this is looking as serious as most boardshorts. Maybe not quite at Florence Marine level, but quite good.

Sizing may be a bit small by boardshort standards. After ordering, I noticed that most of my 34 waist shorts had become too big; this one looks good for normal days. Something else for wash machine conditions. So it looks likely to get good use come next summer.

The fly has Velcro, better than the loose flies that have become common--useful to hold the shorts to the hips.

The 690 has been my go-to for kite foiling lately. I used to ride the 780 HA with the speed 180 tail and it was fine. But I tried the 790, 690, and 590 and haven’t touched any of the HA foils since. The new MA foils have a much lower take off and stall speed than the previous generation of MA foils which doesn’t matter quite as much for kite foiling but is still nice and makes them fun to wing in lighter conditions. The high end is where the MA foils really shine though. I have tried my best to find the top end limit of the 690 and 590 and so far, on flat water, I haven’t even come close. These things just lock in no matter how much speed and power to put into them. Very stable, don’t feel like they want to jump out of the water on you, just fantastic at speed. Turning performance and recovery is great. You can aerate almost an entire half of the wing and it won’t stall. The HA foils still have much better pump and glide as well as a lower take off and stall speed (size for size). The 690 has (literally) taken my kite foiling to new heights.

I have to admit at first I held off on giving the Foil Drive a chance..... ( you know the whole non motor stay pure talk ). Bah Humbug!! Let's just say I gave it a chance and I'm TOTALLY hooked! It really is a session saver. My wing foiling sessions have gotten way better due to the amount of time I get on the water with the Foil Drive. It's such a COOL feeling heading out to sea under power and picking the best wave of a set, turning around on a SWELL, cutting the power and then gliding all the way back in and turning around and doing it AGAIN!! Add friends to the session and it's even more magical! Foil Drive is a top notch product and Company!

This is my first suit from Volcom, but I’ve been very happy with it so far! I find it to be very stretchy and comfortable, and I have worn it surfing for 8 hours with no issues. I love the internal jersey material, which combined with the glued & taped seams got me a ton of days in this suit. I wore it between my spring suit and my 4/3, skipping a 3/2 entirely. I think it’s an awesome choice if your home spot has many days that are too cold for the short arms or legs, but too warm for the 4/3. This suit fills a lot of gaps for sure! Dries super fast as well. I’m very satisfied with my purchase.