Duotone Rebel SLS 2023 - What's the Magic Sauce?

Aaron: Do you want to learn more about the Duotone Rebel SLS? Let's join Ben from Duotone and find out what the magic sauce is.

Ben: You know the history of the Rebel: it is one of the world's best-known kites, and every single year we somehow improve it. Last year when we came out with the Rebel SLS, everything went to a whole new level for that particular kite. It used to be the best-selling kite for a number of years, but then the Neo took over because everybody started using the Neo for surfing, and the Rebel kind of petered out for a little while.

Aaron: Ken Winner designed both of those, right? So there's a little bit of common DNA in those two kites?

Ben: Yeah, it has Ken Winner's magic in both those kites. I think it's just because a lot more people were getting into foiling and surfing that the Neo gained popularity, but now with the Rebel being available in an SLS construction with the Penta TX frame, it became such an amazing jumping kite. I remember jumping on it last year for my first time in 30 mile an hour winds on an eight meter. I don't usually ride a twintip, but I was out all week on a twintip boosting on the Rebels. We get feedback from a lot of different riders, from people that work at shops like yours, and team guys that ride the Rebel SLS, and it seems to be a favored kite for boosting and it puts a smile on everybody's face.

Aaron: And quite easily, too. I feel like some kites require a bit of technical skill, like the Dice. You can get a ton of air with a Dice, but it helps to have some technical proficiency with that kite to do it, whereas the Rebel is pretty plug-and-play. You can be off on your timing and conditions don't have to be ideal, and you can still send it.

Ben: Completely true. An average kiteboarder can go out there and achieve high jumps because it is a forgiving kite, but if you know what you're doing, it'll really be able to send you out. Aaron Hadlow, our pro guy, has been using the Rebel SLS. The smaller sizes--the 7, 8 and 9 meter--are going to be the ones for the King of the Air competition in Cape Town. The 7 and 8 are going to be for double mega loops.

Aaron: It's funny to have a conversation about the Rebel and kiteloops because, historically, that wasn't a thing. That was a horrible kite for looping. It was known for low end grunt, upwind ability, easy, big jumps, and then all of a sudden you start having a conversation about looping and more aggressive freestyle, even, with that kite.

Ben: It is funny. A lot of people are also looking at it because it's in our lighter weight construction and it's a five-strut kite. People are saying, "Oh look. Now I have a jumping kite that I can go foil on because it's fairly efficient in lighter winds. It doesn't drop like a five-strut kite would and become a slow, lagging kite."

Aaron: Dustin and Pat from the shop were having a rip on that last week, and I was watching the big old grins that they had coming in off of it. I didn't expect to see that. We old guard riders know what the Rebel's about, but to have some of the newer guys riding the Rebel and getting some appreciation for it was kind of cool to see. It's coming up with a little bit more of an advanced rider profile, yet still being super user-friendly for that freeride guy who appreciates reaching for the top shelf on their kites. I feel like the Rebel still fits that bill quite well.

Ben: Yeah. Back in the day, the old school kiter learned on the Rebel and they loved the five-line Rebel. Now, with the Rebel SLS, as you said perfectly, younger people and newer kiters are going straight for that kite because they have seen the capabilities of it for jumping.

Aaron: What's the profile of your typical Rebel SLS kiter now? Because it has changed a little bit.

Ben: It's definitely going to be people who are looking to jump. There's not necessarily an age bracket. People have seen it and talk of how well it jumps. You're getting people who are into boosting, doing big airs, board-offs, and just lofting. That's the sort of rider that the Rebel is attracting right now.

Aaron: We had a sunset session just a couple nights ago and I was watching Dustin. He would send it and was just hovering. I could see that he was gliding, but there was a weird split second or two before he began slowly gliding down. It was this boosty, lofty, elevator ride of a jump, and he wasn't even really sending it hard, just bringing it and pulling in and getting these big, floaty jumps. Man, that was cool to see.

Ben: It is, yeah. As I said, it puts a smile on everybody's face.

Aaron: It is an amazing beast of a freeride machine. Are there any pros and cons?

Ben: We've been talking about the pros, but I would say for cons, it is not super efficient in light wind. It will backstall. It's a five-line kite, and because it's high aspect, you want to be powered up on it. If you are feeling lighter winds, giving it an inch or two of depower actually makes the kite open up a bit better so it has less tendency to backstall. It's marketed as a high performance freeride kite, which is basically our terminology for "boost it to the Moon and do your hooked-in tricks".

Aaron: So your all-around freerider is going to appreciate this. Does it work for foiling?

Ben: Yes. It's high aspect, so it will rush going upwind, but if you are slacking lines and chasing waves, it's not going to drift. You'll have to downloop it and keep it in front of you.

Aaron: So it's an amazing, premium, freeride kite. For anybody that is a do-it-all freerider, loves to be upwind of everybody else, and loves to send it to the Moon, the Rebel SLS is definitely the ticket. I'm a fan.

If you have any questions about the Rebel SLS, don't hesitate to give us a shout at the shop. Thank you for joining us. Ben, thank you so much, buddy. I appreciate it. Catch you next time.

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