2024 North Reach Kite Review with Kristen

Kristen chats about the 2024 North Reach: what's new, what's different, and what you can expect to feel familiar.

It's a beautiful day in Muskegon, Michigan. It was a north wind, which tends to be a little bit gustier up and down. It's about 70 degrees and the water temp is warm, and I just had a great session on the 9m North Reach. It is a really fun kite!

New Logo, New Material

On the kites you'll now see the North Sails logo being rolled out for 2024. North has also been working on their in-house material. Their newer kites have this material called N-Max, and it's a lighter, stiffer Dacron. They have reduced Dacron in areas where it's not necessary, but they reinforce it in the places that matter. This means the kites are lighter, they fly faster, and they have a lighter material, but they're still just as sturdy. They've also improved the canopy tension and the art design.

2024 Reach vs. Previous Years

I took it out for the first time at our home spot in Muskegon. My initial thoughts were that it's a fast, responsive, very fun kite. I have flown the 8 meter Reach before, and the 9m felt just like the 8m. It's a slightly bigger kite, but it was just as fast and just as responsive. I did feel like there was a lot more tension in the kite. Granted, it is a brand new kite, and those tend to be a little bit crisper fresh out of the bag.

Foiling and Waves

We've also been having a lot of light wind days here in Michigan, so I decided to break out the foil. I was happy with how the 9m Reach performed. It was about 12 - 13 knots when I first went out. I was on a Scoop 120 board and a 1050 mid-aspect front wing. Even going out in 12 to 13, I was a little bit overpowered as soon as I got on foil. I had the kite fully trimmed in, but it wasn't too much to handle. I still had fun, and it does have really good low end.

Now, I'm not the greatest foiler since I haven't been doing it that long, so that's why I haven't committed to a one-strut kite or a foil- specific kite. If you're like me, you like to do foiling occasionally but you don't want to dedicate a kite just to foiling. I think the 9m Reach or smaller is a great choice.

For waves, obviously any of the small kites will work. You want those fun, playful, fast-running kites. The Reach is that kite, and any of the small sizes will do. I would say you could even go up to a 12m if you're in a place that has light wind but good waves, like Cocoa Beach. They don't get the strongest wind, but they do get consistent waves.

I wouldn't recommend taking the Orbit foiling or in waves. You're not going to have very much fun. I do mainly freestyle and park, and I have the Pulse and I love that, but I have also unhooked on the Reach and I think it does just fine; it gets the job done. I learned my S-Bend to Blind on my 15m Reach.

Bar Pressure

The Reach has lighter bar pressure, and that hasn't changed. If you're familiar with the Reach, you can still expect that from these kites. I personally like the lighter bar pressure so my arms don't get quite as fatigued and my forearms don't start burning out. If you're someone who doesn't like a whole lot of bar pressure or your arms tend to get tired, you might like the Reach or something else in North's lineup. If you like heavier bar pressure or you have a hard time telling where the kite is at, it might not be the kite for you. The Orbit does have a little bit more bar pressure than the Reach, though. The Reach is very light and the Orbit is a little bit heavier, but compared to some other brands, North tends to have a little bit lighter bar pressure, so it might not be for everybody.

Kiteloops

If you're newer to kiteloops and you're intimidated and aren't quite sure where to start, I think the Reach is a great kite for that because it pivots so quickly and it turns so fast. That makes it less intimidating to pull a kiteloop. That, mixed with a lighter bar pressure so you don't feel like the kite's really going to yank you forward, makes kiteloops less intimidating on the Reach. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast that kite would loop around.

Now, if you already are doing kiteloops and you know how to get the height, you understand the pull, and you just want to go bigger, you might benefit more from a big air kite than the Reach.

Light Wind Performance

I have been flying a Reach for a few years now, and I really like having a 15m in my quiver. In the winters, I spend time in Florida and we get a lot of wind, but they also do have a lot of light wind days. If you want to get out in those lighter days where it's 13 knots and work on transitions, rolls, grabs, or anything else that you may not want to work on when it's stronger, gustier conditions, I think having a light wind kite like the Reach is just perfect for that.

For me and my size, about 130-135 lbs, I feel like the 15m Reach is a perfect light wind kite for me. With the Reach having lighter bar pressure, my forearms don't get fatigued. I've flown some of the bigger kites before and they feel like a truck just pulling you downwind, and in 15-20 minutes my arms are sore from holding onto the bar and steering a kite that moves really slowly.

High Wind Performance

It's also a really fun kite for high winds. It's stable, it handles the gusts well, and you can get some good, lofty hangtime on it. They say that the Reach is a do-it-all kite, and it is a really versatile kite. That is why I have one in my quiver. I always thought "do-it-all" meant it's mediocre at everything and not great at anything, but if you don't want to stick to one specific discipline in kiting or your home spot is dependent on conditions and you want to dabble in it all, I think the Reach is a great kite for that. It handles well in all of those different conditions, and you're still going to have a lot of fun.

Freestyle

Since a Reach does tend to be a faster kite, I personally wouldn't recommend going smaller than an 11 or 12m for freestyle. It is really responsive, so anywhere from 11 or 12 up to their 15m would be a perfect size for freestyle.

Summary

If you want to progressively work into big kiteloops, megaloops, or you just want as much hangtime as possible and that's it, eventually you may progress into a kite like the Orbit or another big air kite. But if you're somebody who wants to just go out and have fun every session, jump as much as possible, have a fun freeride session, and do everything else, I think having a kite like the Reach in your quiver is very advantageous and can get you those fun sessions. No matter what the wind conditions, you're always going to have a good time and you're always going to have fun. You could have your whole quiver be Reaches and then have one specific niche kite for whatever discipline you want to dabble in. I'll catch you next time!

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