Eleveight RS Pro V2 Kite Overview | What's New, and Who It's For

Aaron pulled Kevin Wade from Eleveight aside for a few minutes at the KoGL Test Fest to chat about the RS Pro V2. Although the RS has been Eleveight's all-around freeride kite for the company's entire 10-year history, the concept for a pro version is much more recent. So what's special about it, and who is it for?

Kevin Wade from Eleveight stands on the beach in front of the RS Pro kite.

What is the RS Pro?

The RS is a do-it-all kite that appeals to a wide range of riders, but what if you want to push the limits just a bit further? The RS Pro uses the best materials available to move the boundaries of what's possible while keeping the kite's DNA the same.

Aluula Frame... Mostly.

The entire leading edge takes advantage of the weight reduction and stiffness Aluula offers. The struts, however, use XT Light. Although this does keep the cost down a bit, that's just a side benefit. The real reason is that Aluula requires special reinforcements at the seams, and with struts this thin, the seams are too close together to have the large stretches of Aluula that can enjoy the weight savings.

The team actually made an RS with an all-Aluula frame, then one with XT Light struts, and the one with XT was lighter and just as stiff. It'd have been easy to use the Aluula and let people assume it was better, but since that wasn't the reality, the team went where the performance was.

View of the underside of the RS Pro kite, showing the leading edge and struts.

They did something similar with the WS, their wave kite. Once it was framed in Aluula, they found it was too stiff to twist the way a wave kite needs to for tight pivots. The regular one turned faster and performed better, so a WS Pro isn't in the lineup. Aluula is a high-performing fabric, but only when it's used where its qualities work.

X6 Ripstop

The RS Pro, along with the rest of the kite lineup, now uses a 6x6 ripstop called X6 in the trailing edge. The rest of the canopy uses X4, a 4x4 ripstop, but putting X6 on the trailing edge helps keep it light, durable, and reduces flutter.

Close-up view of the X6 ripstop material for the trailing edge.

What Sizes Can I Get?

The RS Pro comes in 7 - 12m sizes with a 6m on the way. The light wind RS uses XT Light in the leading edge, and that's actually a better fit for those sizes.

Who Is the RS Pro For?

It's an all-around kite, so you can foil with it and take it in the waves, but it's going to take the best advantage of the Aluula in flat water freeride. If you want to boost and do double or even triple loops, the RS Pro will make that sort of performance possible.

A kiteboarder performs a board-off maneuver with the RS Pro kite.