Finally the new North Rebel 2018 has arrived and this year is loaded with updates!
The Rebel is the high-end kite North offers to riders who want to do freeride, jump very high and with a lot of hangtime. It is the North kite that offers best wind range, besides being the highest and longest jump of its entire range of kites.
Once we open the kite, we find the typical construction that North has being using in recent years.
We find Dacron on the trailing edge, tips, beginnings of the struts and everything is connected together.
As a novelty that is included in all North kites for 2018 we have the material "Trinity TX", which is a fabric that has 3x2 in each square, making the construction more resistant and durable to time and crashes. They have also changed the one-pump valves making them wider to inflate and deflate the kite a little faster.
Where we find the most significant change of the new North Rebel 2018 is that this year can also be used with 4 lines bars. New bridles system makes the new Rebel to rotate more smoothly, quickly and in a somewhat rounder way (on itself).
Pigtails includes the classic options of North kites, that is, you can choose between the soft-setting, which provides a kite with lower bar pressure and smoother and slightly less powerful turns. Less input is required on the bar to make it turn and the kiteloops are more closed.
With the hard setting you will find more bar pressure, a more reactive kite and more aggressive kiteloops.
We went to test the new 2018 North Rebel 10m with the new Trust Bar 2018 and our famous Levante (was light and gusty). The kite has a very good low-end, in fact we were with the smallest kite and we had no problem to go upwind. In what most amazes the new Rebel 2018, is its lift but above all, the massive hangtime and glide when you compare it with a Neo or Vegas.
Works great, delivers the power in a very progressive way and with very short strokes in the bar get a lot of power and depower.
But the million dollar question is, Does the new North Rebel 2018 keep the same bar feeling as the previous years? Remember that in 2017 Rebels could only be used in 5 lines... And the answer is yes. Still has that way of moving in the window and the same feeling on the air.. So if you come from earlier models, you'll not get surprised.
The new North Rebel is a kite to keep in mind if you are looking for a kite to jump high and fly as much as possible!
Remember that if you are looking for second hand North Kiteboarding material you have our website with some opportunities!
Carla and Rodri, combined experience flying kites of more than 30 years. And a Kitesurf World Championship...🔥