TKB

When it comes to fit and finish on neoprene products the Manera line of harnesses and wetsuits are unparalleled in construction and comfort. This year Manera is introducing a new model of harness and a number of tech upgrades for its full line of wetsuits alongside a number of great accessories to make your kiteboarding life a little more civilized. Julien Salles gives us the scoop on Manera’s 2018 lineup.
F-One has been around since the very beginning, but for most those years it has focused extensively on the development of a single kite model—the award winning Bandit. Having mastered the art of refinement, F-One is now branching out, applying its exceptional attention to detail and performance to a wide array of models in the kite, twin tip, surf and foil categories. Charles Bertrand, Head R&D for boards and foils answers our questions on the latest and greatest F-One products for 2018.
One of the biggest features we noticed while riding the Union vs. Exo is that the Exo has a slightly raised arc in the lumbar while the Union is more rounded. While the harness stays in place vertically, this allows for the harness to easily slide horizontally around your waist (think traveling spreader bar), making kite stance more comfortable when riding waves but also allowing you to keep your hook for strapless freestyle or unhooked riding.
This year’s LINX bar is a huge upgrade for F-One’s 2018 line of kites. The team at F-One has taken all the feedback and requests from previous years, and combined this with their existing bar technology to create a safe, versatile and sleek control experience for their kite gear.
The Kiteboarder Magazine Crew (Brendan Richards and India Stephenson) Tag along with week 2 of the F-One Mitu Wave Camp at Solosports Adventure Holidays Baja! Read the full article: Baja Tagalongs
Equipped with their DIABLO V.2. and their FURTIVE V.1. kites Maxime Nocher, Axel Mazella and Titouan Galea haven’t left any room for others on the podiums.
Foils are not really a beginner kite, and don’t match the steering precision of an LEI kite, but within the niche of racing and extreme light wind kiteboarding, this kite cannot be beaten for low end pulling power. -TKB
This is the LW version of F-One’s popular Next twin tip with an all new pad/strap system and fresh graphics for 2016. The Next LW is a biaxial glass and wood construction deck with F-One’s unique reverse profile surf rail and rounded template. The Next LW comes in two sizes; we tested the larger. It takes the upside of a skim board and combines these traits with an easy-to-use kiteboard that works well in the lightest of conditions.
The Carbon Trax rockets upwind when you set your edge and delivers excellent control and pop for huge boosts and low wakestyle and freestyle maneuvers. TheKiteboarder.com Reviews the TRAX Carbon here!
The 2016 F-One Acid Carbon construction "is like a sexier and sportier version of the Trax, the Acid sports a fast and flatter rocker than the Unik and Trax with straighter rails that holds a ton of speed." TheKiteboarder.com Reviews the Acid here!
The Trax HRD Lite Tech is the state of the art freestyle board providing futuristic sensations! Offered with the new Lite Tech Technology, and available in sizes 135, 136, 137 & 140 cm, learn more about the 2016 Trax HRD Lite Tech series today!