Ozone Pocket Rocket V2 Ultra-X Parawing Review

Testing the Ozone Pocket Rocket V2 Ultra-X

Jeff and Tucker dive into the Ozone Pocket Rocket V2 Ultra-X parawing. Breaking it down into features, benefits, and who it's for, they bring some great insights after putting these wings to the test. They've had sessions testing the 6.5m in lighter winds, down to the 3.6m in stronger conditions. Getting water time on both ends of the size spectrum gave them a good feel for the wind range and overall performance this wing delivers.

Key Features of the Ultra-X

There are some distinct design choices that make the Ultra-X unique in the Ozone lineup, blending characteristics of other wings while keeping the weight incredibly low.

• The Bar: If you're familiar with the Ozone lineup, you'll recognize the bar is very similar to the Afterburner. It features a narrower diameter, a carbon construction, and A-lines that are offset from the front of the bar. It also utilizes the same thumb attachment with the indentation. However, the bar angle is a bit different. It's more ergonomic and neutral, making it easier to hold lightly in your hand without needing a death grip.
• Bag and Harness Line: It uses a similar bag to the Afterburner, but a great added value is that it comes included with a bungee-style harness line, unlike the fixed version found on the Afterburner.

• Lighter Canopy: True to the Ultra-X ethos of lighter weight and higher performance, Ozone uses a finer, premium material in the canopy and ribs. This helps the wing pack down significantly smaller than the standard Pocket Rocket.
• Bridle Lines: The rear lines are thinner to reduce drag. Since riders are mostly stowing off the A-lines these days, Ozone kept the beefy, smooth lines on the A-lines, but thinned out the rest. This makes the wing highly efficient.
• Skeletonized Ribs: Ozone utilized laser-cut ribs, removing sections where the wing isn't carrying a load. This allows it to pack down smaller, equalizes the pressure across the wing more easily by letting air pass through the ribs, and results in a much cleaner-flying, lighter package.

Performance Benefits on the Water

The combination of lighter materials and a refined bar gives this parawing a totally distinct feel on the water.

A Nimble, Playful Feel

Right out of the gate, you notice that while the pull and power are there, the energy is more dispersed. It feels incredibly light and nimble. If you come from a kite background, it feels like having lighter bar pressure. It is a very playful wing, but because of that, it's slightly less stable than the standard Pocket Rocket V2. It requires a bit more piloting and steering experience to extract its full performance and drive.

Feedback and Steering

Riding the Ultra-X feels like upgrading to a carbon bike or a sports car. You get more feedback and more control, but you have to dial in that feedback. Because of the equalized pressure and thinner bridles, it slices through the wind efficiently, feeling like fishing lines cutting through the air. This feedback actually makes it easier to find your perfect power zone compared to the standard Pocket Rocket, which takes a bit more finesse to feel out.

Flight Characteristics

This wing flies off the front a little more. You don't need as much backhand pressure; in fact, if you pull too much on the back hand, it can feel like it wants to backstall or fall back. During jibes and turns, especially when driving upwind and carrying speed, you have to be aggressive. You need to make an exaggerated turn and steer the wing before putting your board speed toward it. If you aren't proactive, you can easily outrun this wing and slack the lines because it is so fast and light. On the larger sizes, pulling the back line helps bring it around efficiently.

Stowing and Re-deploying

Because it's so light, it wants to stay up in the air and doesn't want to fall back when flagged out. You have to be mindful of your board speed when stowing, as Jeff found out when he got "spider-webbed" carrying too much speed into a transition.

Perhaps the biggest benefit is the pack-down size. A 6.5m Ultra-X packs down at least half a meter smaller than standard wings—it feels like holding a 5m or 4.3m in your hand. This is a massive advantage when you need to hold it in one hand while riding swell. The catch? It requires a methodical pack job. If you just wad it up like a trash bag, those thin lines and skeletonized ribs can easily get twisted. A clean, careful pack-away ensures a smooth re-deployment when you need it.

Who is the Ultra-X For?

The Ultra-X rewards aggressive handling and high-performance riding. It's ideal for experienced parawing riders looking to take their speed, upwind drive, wind range, and packability to the next level. It's a dream for downwinding, especially for riders in lighter wind areas who need the grunt of a 6.5m but want it to pack down small enough to easily manage in one hand while surfing.

While it's not something that would completely scare a beginner away, someone on a progression path might just need a few extra sessions to get used to the active piloting it requires compared to a highly stable, beginner-focused wing.

Comparing the Ozone Lineup

If you're trying to figure out where this fits into your quiver, here is how the Ultra-X bridges the gap across Ozone's three main parawing models:

• Afterburner: Best for upwind ability and wind range. Great for gusty conditions or if you're riding 10 miles upwind just to ride 10 miles downwind. The downside is that it's heavier and has a larger pack-down size, making it a bit more cumbersome in your hand.
• Pocket Rocket V2: The ultimate easy-to-use, pull-and-go wing. It's very consistent, reliable, and perfect for a mellow stall and turn. The downside is that it is heavier, has a larger pack-down, and offers less upwind drive.
• Pocket Rocket V2 Ultra-X: This wing bridges the gap perfectly. It offers upwind ability and wind range that is incredibly close to the Afterburner, but with far better stowability than both other models.

If you have the budget and you are looking for the ultimate one-wing quiver for broad, high-performance applications, the Ozone Pocket Rocket V2 Ultra-X is the one you want to grab.

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