Let's Chat: 2018 North Rebel w/ Jake M

Jake M's 2018 North Rebel Review

We get it, you're busy, so let's start with the TL;DR. The 2018 Rebel is everything you've loved about the past iterations, but better and now 4 line compatible.

Having finally gotten the chance to ride the 2018 Rebel, I can absolutely attest that North knocked it out of the park with this year's kite. I mean, for those of us who could stomach the 5th line we always knew North had something special with the Rebel. It was truly a premium freeride kite that offered big, boosty airs, great upwind and low end, and smooth handling. But that 5th line, despite its benefits, was the one thing that felt like was really holding the Rebel back. The risk of that 5th line wrapping around the kite when inverted, and the extra maintenance and untangling of a 5th line left the Rebel feeling more 2005 than 2017. With a modernizing update of now being able to run the Rebel on 4 lines for 2018, and Rebel is back with a vengeance, and feels poised for a comeback.

Photo credit: North Kites © https://www.northkiteboarding.com/

When rigging the kite there are two knots, one for the 4 line connection and the other for the 5th, each labeled. The inflation system is the same, with the main inflation point in the center of the kite and a larger dump valve on the wing. The colors this year are great, although I’d note that the red has more of a plum red color this year. Rigging up in the four line configuration with the Click Bar, the kite launched effortlessly and once in the sky felt very natural on the new 4 line system. The Rebel has a more pronounced bridle system this year to make this possible, but despite this still felt just as responsive and fast. Jumping on my board, I drove the kite through the power zone and began to smile as I was greeted by the same gruntiness and power I’ve come to expect from the Rebel.

Photo credit: North Kites © https://www.northkiteboarding.com/

For someone looking for a great all-around kite, it doesn’t get much better than the Rebel. During my hour and a half session I did some cruising, some boosting, a few tricks, and some surfing. With each changing discipline, I felt comfortable on the Rebel. It really excelled at jumps, each time I sent that kite I seemed to go higher and float longer than I had planned on. It was smooth in the gusts, doing a great job of absorbing the turbulence. Larger downloops carried power through the turns; smaller, more precise loops had far less power and were good for direction change when on a wave. I was also surprised with the upwind drive of the kite, consistently ending further upwind than I had planned. I did fly the kite on the factory standard setting, which had light to moderate bar pressure. If you prefer more bar pressure, you can switch the setting to hard.

Photo credit: North Kites © https://www.northkiteboarding.com/

Coming off my session, there wasn’t anything I would change with the kite. I’m sure after more sessions I’ll have a small list of grievances, but for now I feel that the Rebel does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it exceedingly well – a premium freeride kite that can do a little bit of everything. If you’re after more discipline-specific riding, North offers kites that’ll do those better – the Dice for freestyle, the Neo for surf and foiling, the Evo for playful all-around. As things sit now, the Rebel is the kite of 2018.