OUR EXPECTATIONS

Why we chose the Bandit S2? Well after almost a decade and a half as one of the most celebrated all round kites F-ONE decided to split the Bandit range going forward with the Bandit and the Bandit S. The split has been received well with the S2 being the second version of new range. We were keen to try the S2 as not just a surf kite but an all around kite. Our hope? a kite that is fun in waves, great for foiling and hopefully still good on a twin tip when the wind picks up. Did the S2 deliver? You bet!!! Read on to find out just how.

THE SPIEL

This year we present the second edition of the Bandit S, with major improvements to take wave riding, strapless freestyle or even foiling to the next level.

The Bandit S provides exceptional stability and control with total direct control of the steering anywhere on the bar throw. The Bandit S offers firm, precise and ultra-light bar pressure along with super smooth power delivery. Homogenous traction and amazing agility the Bandit S has been redesigned for extended wind range.

The Bandit S2 is reactive, light and drivey making it the ideal kite for foiling. The stability of the S2 during the drift is a great comfort on a foil especially when your lines are slack during turns or carves.

Visit for more info: https://www.f-one.com.au/product-page/bandit-s-v2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Out of the bag the build quality is clear. Everything is refined as you would expect with a kite coming from a line of 14 iterations. Every element of the kite says quality and simplicity. A clean panel layout and a clean bridal with direct rear line connection gives instant confidence as you rig up. The kite utilizes a hybrid 135g fabric on the trailing edge that is noticeably stronger than ripstop yet lighter than dacron. The panel layout is clean and again looks solid and utilizes Teijin Technoforce fabric, a light crisp feeling fabric. Again quality is the overwhelming impression out of the bag. It’s clear this is a kite that will give many seasons of performance and take a beating if need be. Inflation is super simple with the Reactor valve is super quick, easy for both high flow inflation and deflation. A velcro cover keeps it out of sight, out of mind once the kite is inflated.

In the air the kite is everything F-ONE promised. Scroll back up and read the F-ONE claims and once you try this kite we’re certain you’ll be nodding along as you read. The kite is surprisingly drivey, one of the things we thought may have been compromised in the hunt for a perfect surf specific kite was low end grunt but the S2 is firm, quite powerful and direct. Even on a twin-tip we could get going early due to the firm pull and the kites maneuverability. As F-ONE mention repeatedly, one of the S2’s standout performance areas is direct control throughout the bar throw. We found this the stand out feature of the kite, always able to precisely control the kite.

Drift is a word always thrown around when wave kites are mentioned and predominately foiling we found that the S2 excelled in this space. Mindlessly carving towards the kite, following swells the kite patiently sits at the edge of the window. Again the great part was that as soon as you want to get going upwind again the kite is solid, relatively powerful and always responsive.

As mentioned above we were hoping the S2 would provide an all around experience beyond just surf. Foiling was a dream with the kite but one of the big surprises was the performance on a twin tip, sharp direct solid power delivery got us up and going even earlier than we expected yet the solid direct control through the bar throw means the kite is well behaved even as the wind picked up. The direct steering also allowed for impressive boost, decent height and reasonable hang time and again, a direct connection enabling intuitive kite control whilst in flight. For sure this is a kite that can do it all and exceed expectations while doing it!

The bar, the LYNX Bar, continues the clean yet premium experience . Our test kite was paired with the 52/45cm convertible size. In our opinion at this size (9m) the 45/38cm bar would be more than sufficient as the kite is quick and easy to steer. The lines are noticeably stiff to handle and this makes them easy to manage on the beach with tangles hard to create and F-ONE mention they help stiffen up the responsive feeling of the kite, something we noticed immediately in flight. We preferred the 45cm inner setting. In your hands the grip has a great feel, the chicken loop/safety system and below the bar swivel are clean and effective. The kite’s fantastic behavior meant we never needed to utilize the safety but we did a few test runs just to see and it performed impeccably. We did find it a bit of a challenge to pull the flag out safety line back through the chicken loop when testing the safety but with a solid pull could get it back through, it could potentially be hard out of your depth or other complicated situations but if there was ever tension in the lines (kite somehow relaunching) it would simply pull back into place under that pressure so not really anything to worry about.

WHO WILL LOVE IT?

The Bandit S2 truly is one of the most usable kites we’ve ever ridden. Beyond pure surf performance it has plenty of use cases. We did use it in some small waves and it’s surf performance is beyond doubt with the drift combined with responsive control at all times. We predominately rode the S2 on a foil and found it to be everything you could hope for in this discipline. The most impressive trait was the sharp performance on a twin tip meaning the S2 is a great choice for a smaller all round kite. Given the S2 is available 1 metre increments from 4m through to 10m it’s possible to pair it with a bigger Bandit and have a all wind quiver that will not disappoint.

WHO WON’T LOVE IT?

Honestly – no-one… This is one of the most usable kites on the market without doubt. You will not ever feel lacking. It seems to us that the main use case for the original Bandit over the S2 could be pure boosting performance. Unless you’re aiming for the moon (doesn’t mean you cant send it when the wind gets up) then the S2 will be a great choice.

If your looking for info, pics and tips on the best Australian Kitesurfing locations, and who the best kitesurfers are in Australia, then you have come to the right place!

Freedom Kitesurfing Magazine now humbly named #AUSTRALIANKITERS is into its 10’th print Issue, and you can get all the print issues right here via the website and trusty snail mail.

Or if speed is your thing get it instantly via the Apple App store.

Or ONE STEP BETTER visit you trusty local News agency to grab a copy and a scratchy while your at it.

To win a free copy of the print magazine please fill out the form below!
We will pick several weekly winners at random.

Once upon a time in a land before selfies, jogger tights, annoying acronyms like FML, and where only clocks would tiktok, there was a glorious neighborhood nook of printed information, photography albums, books, newspapers galore.. and of course the trusty magazine. These were called NEWSAGENTS… oh wait they still exist!… Just – thanks to our in-grained addictive gambling habits you can buy a lotto ticket and a pack of smokes there… and yes our magazine SHOULD be somewhere in that back dusty section called the magazine isle… If it isn’t please ask them to try and get it in… failing that – yes you can order the mag online here, but that’s just not as much fun!
Help keep the Aussie newsagent alive – pop down to your local and get one now! (And a few scratchies for good measure too!)
The list below shows all the newsagents that should have a few copies there – phone ahead if it is a bit of a drive!

The easiest way to use this table is scroll down untill you see your post code (or one nearby).

All the best on your nostalgic quest!

Day 2 Pics. What a great comp!

These pics are free to use for social for personal use – please tag:
Instagram @freedomkitesurf
Facebook @freedomkitemag

For high-res print images and full sequences (most tricks landed pictured here have sequences) please email us here.

So we have started busting through the pics from the last 2 days of competition. Here is Day 01… Day 02 to follow soon!

These pics are free to use for social for personal use – please tag:
Instagram @freedomkitesurf
Facebook @freedomkitemag

For high-res print images and full sequences please email us here.

Apologies we misses most of the first heat as editor was busy being a kite caddy!

• This week from 28-31^st January Cotton Tree Maroochydore hosts Australia’s National Kiteboarding Titles.
•  Held just off the Cotton Tree Sandbags in the Maroochy river mouth, it is a free to attend event where spectators can have a great view from the Sandbags and sand dunes.
• At this stage preliminary heats will be Thursday and Friday with the Finals being on Saturday and Sunday. For up to date information and starting times please view the facebook event page here https://www.facebook.com/events/701227307154344
• Spectators can park at the beach end of ‘Cotton Tree Parade’ and walk North via the beach about 300 metres to get to the river.

Once a year the Kiteboarding Freestyle National Titles are held at a windy location in Australia. This year from 28-31 January, with thanks to the Sunshine Coast Council they will be held in beautiful Maroochydore Qld in the Cotton Tree river mouth, where competitors from all over Australia will be busting out their best freestyle tricks in aim to take out the prestigious National Championship for Juniors, Men, Women and Masters.

“I am excited to be heading back to the Sunshine Coast to defend my Australian title at one of the best national locations for kiteboarding, Cotton Tree.”
Ewan Jaspan (Current National Kiteboarding Champion)

Cotton Tree river mouth has been a popular spot for kiteboarders since the early 2000’s. It is a perfect setup for Kiteboarders and is also a great spot for spectators to watch all the action.

From Thursday the 28^th January spectators will be able to watch the best of the best, including many of our own local heroes battle it out on the aquatic playground. This is a Freestyle competition where the aim is to ‘throw’ as many ‘unhooked’ handle passes, grabs, and aerial tricks as possible. Similar to that of wakeboarding… minus the boat of course! There will also be an Expression session for social members, which is a more fun and relaxed event, boasting some great prizes  and gives intermediate riders the chance to get their photo taken by several professional photographers. National Kiteboarding Magazine ‘Freedom Kitesurfing’ will be there taking photos so competitors may even find themselves in a magazine!

“Cotton Tree is my local and favourite kiteboarding location in Australia. All we need is some great wind and this will be a fantastic competition.”
Ollie Jacobs – Editor Freedom Kitesurfing Magazine

Kiteboarding has come a long way since it began in the late 90’s, and now the equipment and sport is very safe. It is a fantastic sport to get fit, have fun and make lots of new friends who are passionate about living life to it’s fullest. If you are interested in this exciting sport please come down to watch, have a chat with some of the riders or various volunteers – there is FREE learn to kite intro lessons on Saturday and Sunday for the general public from local shop KITETHRILLS, please visit https://www.kiteboardingaus.com.au/classes/16509/ to register your interest, plus many other great activities. Bring you eskis, and beach chairs and make a day or 2 of it!

The finals of the competition will be held (wind dependent) over the Saturday and Sunday.
If the trees are swaying it’s windy, and that means it’s on! Hope to see you there.

The event is proudly sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Council.
“The Naturally Refreshing Sunshine Coast, official destination partner for the event”

For more information please go to:

https://www.kiteboardingaus.com.au/events/67657

Ok, you have all heard the gossip, perhaps listened to the lads at your kite beach talking about this revolutionary new material ALUULA Ocean Rodeo are using that is going to change kite design and performance permanently. Game changer they say, revolutionary like the bow kite as they say? Well, is it true? Yes. No B*llshit!

You can google what the ALUULA material is, but I can summarise this review, with its main point of focus in one sentence:

The 14.5m Flite weighs just 2.2 kgs.
There you go. Yes, that is lighter than your 9 metre.

I could end this review here, I mean, is not the main aim of every large kite designed for light wind to try and be as lightweight as possible, so it easily stays in the air?

Ok, so lightweight material is NOT everything. Yes, your old classic Slingshot 15m fuel still pulls like a truck on roids; but if you combine lightweight material, with something more robust and much stiffer than dacron used on the leading edge (the big blowy up bit for the newbies :D) how would that equate to better performance?

WELCOME TO THE NEW ERA OF KITE DESIGN:
‘THE MATERIALS RACE.’

JAJA DING DONG, Your leading edge is firm and strong…

Ocean Rodeo 14.5m Flite Aluula

The perfect C shape arc of the kite is what helps generate so much speed, and overall smoothness.
When it flattens out (or over sheets) in a gust, it might pull you onto your toes or stall, and then there is the opposite warp of the kite where the C shape deepens which can also make the pull of the kite inconsistent. So if you can minimise this warping, this creates a very smooth ride and consistent power pull throughout the whole wind window.

Brett from Windswell who also tried this kite out said something interesting “It feels like it’s got a dead spot in the middle of the power zone. That’s not a bad thing, just have to get used to it”

Brett had a good point. And yes it might take you a few rides to get used to it because it is different. The thing is, it’s not a dead spot – it just distributes power more evenly, over the whole wind window. Where your traditional kites might have the apex of power at 10-15% which is smack bang straight downwind, the Ocean Rodeo Aluula Flites increase this to something like 30% of the window. So for those that like the intense kick of this smaller power apex zone, it will take some adjustment to your riding.

Relaunching the Ocean Rodeo 14.5 Flite Aluula

THE RELAUNCH
Having a stiffer LE also means your relaunches are super easy. The kite does not warp easily, even in the water, meaning it will stand up without going soggy or collapsing even in the lightest of winds.

THE RANGE
A stiffer LE means you can depower these kites to the maximum your bar allows, without the kite flapping and becoming unresponsive.
To begin with, we tested this kite in light winds (12-15 knots on a twin-tip) which it excels in as is to be expected; but then the winds picked up out of nowhere; with this improved performance when fully depowered, it handled high winds surprisingly very well.
Once we got used to it, it was a pleasure to use right up to 23-25 knots. So that is a MASSIVE range! We enjoyed riding this kite so much that even on these windy days, we would bypass the smaller kites and opt for a BIG AIR session on the 14.5 flite. Woooooo hang time PLUS!

TURNING SPEED AND PULL
The stiffness of the LE equates into a much quicker and far more responsive turning ability.  This 14.5 metre turns like that of a traditional 12. And surprisingly when depowered outperforms a 12; I would say similar to a depowered 10m!
Pull wise it is similar to that of a 15m, but with an increased ability on the edge of the window means this will replace many peoples’ 17-18 metre kites.

THE TREE TEST
Yes, we did put this kite into the trees, twice actually! We don’t have photos to show this as we were freaking out as you do… But on both times the LE actually hit some sharp branches, and both the LE and sailcloth came out unscathed! THAT’S A DOUBLE PASS!

THE PLAYGROUND TEST
Yes, we also put it into a kids playground. BEWARE this kite is so light when you put it on the ground at the end of your session put something on top of it. Or it will blow away with a mere puff! And so that is how it ended up wrapped around a kids playground. Little Tommy wasn’t too happy, haha! But in the end, all were unscathed both Tommy and the kite.
PASS!

Ryan Parsons from Queensland

THE DRIFT
For both foiling and surfing this kite is a pleasure to use. Personally, I found it a little too cumbersome for a foil (the 12m Flite would be better suited), although Jonno from the Sunshine Coast did send me videos of himself foiling in 5 knots on this. Ryan Parsons from Qld loves it also (pictured)… and he rips on the foil with it!

Surfing, I had a ball on this kite. I would never normally go surf kiting on something this size, as generally a 13m plus size kite is just too slow in the waves. But this is a whole new game! It is so lightweight in the air that in light wind and medium-sized swell days it will keep up with you as your slashing away at the face. Even with the kite dead high at 12 it keeps up with you! And being able to go out into waves when it is only 12-15 knots is a special thing because the waves are still clean.
BIG PASS!

ANY CONS
We did snag the wingtip in the bridle twice, over the four weeks we tried it out. But to be fair, a kite this size with this much range in power and performance; it’s going to happen occasionally.
It’s just one of those things that you need to be careful of mostly if you’re self-launching off the beach in strong winds. To help avoid this pump your kite up super hard (like 9 PSI) – And don’t be in a rush to launch, take your time, position the bridle the right way. Also, know what to do if this tangle does ever happen. Every kiter should study and learn the steps into recovering from a tangled bridle mid-flight.
For this reason, we say this kite is not for beginners. But for any intermediate to advanced kiters, you will love every aspect of this kite.

OVERALL NOTES
This has quite quickly become my favourite kite in the quiver.
Getting this much power and pull, with such fast turning and high performance is a real treat.
With the huge range in de-power, a 2 kite quiver is very possible to suit most conditions, and for travelling that is a
BIG PASS!

Well done to Ocean Rodeo and Aluula on creating such a magnificent kite. We can’t wait to see the next round of advancements!  ~ Ed