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 If it's your first time picking out a harness (or your fifth), the age-old question always comes to light. “Do I go with a seat or waist harness?” Usually, the best answer is to come in and try it on and feel it out, but if you’re like most of our awesome customers and don't have a kite shop locally accessible, this article should point you in the right direction: upwind. Beginner Kiteboarders Will Appreciate a Seat HarnessSeat harnesses draw a lot of attention to a wide range of riders …

 Picking a harness might be one of the most important decisions of kiteboarding that many people often overlook. It’s not a cut-and-dry decision, especially with so many different brands, fits, and features. Looking at all the harnesses on the market, you’ll see two major separating factors—soft shell or hard shell. Adding to the options we now have on the market, we have hook and slider spreader bar options as well seat and shorts harness. For this blog, we’re going to focus on soft and ha …

 Everywhere I go the question comes up, “is Aluula really worth the extra cost?” Well, cost aside, let's focus on the performance and then you make the call.I got the chance to test two of my favorite kites the other day, the 14.5m Ocean Rodeo Flight. What’s that you say, “wait, he said two of his favorite kites.” To clarify I did test two kites, both were the 14.5m Ocean Rodeo Flight, but I got to pit the A-Series (Aluula) directly against its brother from the same mother, the HL Series (H …

People tend to fall into one of two different groups when it comes to kiteboarding. Those in the first group are usually interested, and excited to watch kiteboarders on the water jumping and having fun out there, but could never imagine doing it themselves. The second type is the person who gets hit right between the eyes by the hammer of stoke and immediately begins researching about how to get started. Welcome—that would be YOU, my friend! Let's get you on your way to becoming a kiteboarde …

These past 9 months, Kristen and I have had the opportunity to travel to kite spots while living out of an RV. In the spring we linked up with some old friends, and made some new ones along the way. We went hard filming and making fresh content. Best of all, we were able to learn and share more insights from the top riders in the sport. Few have the experience in so many disciplines from big air, freestyle & park to surf and foil as Ewan Jaspan of Naish kiteboarding. We sat down for an extensi …

Hey guys, Jake here from MACkite. Today I'm here to talk to you guys about packages. Next: wetsuit, booty, gloves, beanie, hood, etc. When you're kiting in cooler environments, these are really, really important. Even when you're in a warm environment it can be nice to have a wetsuit. The big reason for that is when you're learning, you're spending the most amount of time that you're going to in the water. So you're learning how to body drag, you're learning how to boardstart... that's a l …

Hey guys, Jake here from MACkite. Today I'm here to talk to you guys about packages. We got the kite covered, now let's go on to the board. Most boards are going to come with the board and the fins. From there you have to add a set of straps, and most straps are compatible with most boards. For example, we have the PKG board right here and I have Cabrinha H1 straps that will mount just perfectly to this thing. An easy way to figure out where your stance is, is to set the board in front of yo …

All-Around Kites Freeride kites, sometimes called all-around or do-it-all kites, are a popular choice, especially for new kiteboarders who do not quite know what they want out of the sport yet. They are balanced right in the middle to do most everything. They are a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.Wave Kites The thing is, with modern gear, even specialty kites are technically all-around kites that excel in one particular area. That means if you live to surf waves, a wave kite will be sig …

The small North Navigator kiteboarding control bar comes in 38 to 43 cm. As a female, I’m always on a smaller kite than all the guys out there. The reason I like a smaller bar is it slows down and gives me more control of the smaller kites I am using.  Small kite control bars slow the kite down.  This is great because it prevents accidental loops and more control in wild conditions. The other reason I like it is because the bar is plush and soft. I have used some harder and mor …

Kiteboarding stance is a subjective thing. Ultimately, it comes down to comfort. People ride a wide variety of stances from wide to narrow. You can also adjust the angle of stance. In the '90s and early 2000s, wide stance was popular. In recent years, with jibing rails becoming more popular in boardsports, narrow stances are popular. Neither is actually superior, albeit personal style comes into play. Most important is addressing your body mechanics and preventing injury or pressure points …

Should I use kiteboarding boots? This is a common question among new kitesurfers. After all, most of the pro riders use boots. Funny thing is, it's not that common on the beach. This is because shops are hesitant to recommend boots to a new rider. This is for good reason; it is best to learn in straps. That said, for some making the switch boots might actually be a fun idea. For example, Tye is a semi-pro street snowboarder and a decent wakeboarder making the crossover. I was surprised to …

Hardshell harnesses have helped a lot of people by preventing the harness from riding up or twisting into your ribs. They work for some, but not for everyone- especially the ladies! When I first tried them, I found them to be too rigid and I wasn't sold. That's when I can across the Mystic Gem. It had the right amount of stiffness and flex. It was much more comfortable and most of the time it did not ride up on me. Us ladies do have more curves and it's really easy for a harness to ride up i …

Recently I was tasked with reviewing the ocean Rodeo Flite Aluula 17m. The kite flew so different that it really got me thinking about how different size kites fly and what I’ve come to expect over the years. For this blog, I’ll break down the general characteristics of kites in a size range, conditions and the disciplines they are good for. I’ll also break down techniques for flying these kites and the best use of your time on the water. The 15m North Reach is a faster fun big kite Big k …

Kitesurfing fins come in a variety of sizes, from 10mm to 50mm or so. Fins are an often-overlooked part of gear, but they can make a huge difference in how your kiteboard responds and how it feels on the water. Small fins: 10 to 15mm These are less common now, but are arguably the most fun fins available. They loosen up the board and make for a skate feel on the water. Imagine your kiteboard feeling more like a snowboard. You can really add some style to your riding, especially on your l …

A question we get daily from new kitesurfers is if you can mix kiteboarding footstrap brands with different boards. The quick answer is most of the time, yes. However, it might not always be a perfect fit. For example the standard spacing is six inch inline inserts. Some brands like Duotone kiteboarding and North kiteboarding do offset inserts. Duotone also opts to use a track system that will hinder the range on some straps.  Kitesurfing footstraps are flexible In general, its …