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Naish Trip
Sizes Available: 10m
Sizes Tested: 10m

Naish Says:

The Trip is an innovative, no strut design that can be summarized in one word simplicity. It is ideal for intermediate-to-advanced riders who want one compact kite for traveling, freeriding, wave riding, and snow kiting. The Trip packs up 30% smaller than a kite with struts. This no-strut design has incredible low-end power and excellent bar feel for effortless jumping, wave riding, and cruising.

TKB Says:

For our second strutless kite review (after the BRM Cloud) we received a Naish Trip. One unique aspect of this kite is that it is only available in one size 10m. Like the Cloud the Trip is amazingly light and compact when packed compared to a traditional strutted kite. The Trip’s bag is a simple backpack with compression straps that allow you to shrink the packed kite down to a very small size. Both the Cloud and the Trip are strutless kites, but that’s where the similarities end when looking at the two on the ground.

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At first glance the Trip looks very similar to the Naish Ride, but without struts. It features a moderately swept back leading edge, a relatively compact bridle, and mesh windows in the wing tips to make relaunching easier. The rear lines are adjustable to change the kite’s turning speed and bar pressure. The Trip has a series of short, flexible battens along the leading edge of the canopy. It is inflated exactly the same way as other kites and does not require more leading edge pressure than traditional kites.

Our test kite included the 2013 Naish Universal Control System. It features a push-away quick release, above-bar swivel, adjustable stopper, below-bar trim adjuster, and adjustable ends (45-51cm). This bar is clean and comfortable to use, but you can end up with a lot of trim line hanging from the bottom of the bar if you trim the kite by a large amount.

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Launching the Trip is not done any differently than a kite with struts and we were able to successfully self launch and self land without having to use any special techniques. Once in the air the Trip feels very light and extremely stable. Turning speed is a little faster than average for a 10m kite but feels even faster as the Trip has very immediate and direct handling with medium bar pressure.

The Trip has a huge amount of low end power for a 10m kite yet it feels manageable and smooth while riding. For a kite with no struts, it’s amazing how little the canopy flutters, unless you are riding the Trip at the upper end of its range. Once you’ve depowered the kite near its maximum ability the canopy can flutter a fair amount when sheeting out in a gust and kiters who like to ride overpowered may have a difficult time getting used to this.

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Relaunching the Trip is just as easy as relaunching a traditional kite with struts. The Trip can usually relaunch simply by turning the bar instead of pulling on a back line. The testers found that relaunching is easiest if you first wait for the Trip to drift further downwind before starting the relaunch process as this causes the canopy to open more.

The Trip is easy to get upwind on and has good jumping performance. It is sensitive to kite trim, especially at the bottom of its wind range and can be prone to back stalling if you sheet in too much during a big lull. Rather than sheeting in in a big lull, the Trip generates more power if you ease off your edge, sheet out a bit, and build speed before sheeting back in.

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Overall the Naish Trip feels more like a traditional strutted kite than the BRM Cloud. Whereas the Cloud feels like something completely new and different, the Trip still feels different, but is more familiar when compared to standard kites. The fact that the Trip works well while being able to pack down into a smaller, lighter package makes this a very intriguing choice for kiters who want a simple kite that is very easy to travel with.

Pros:

  • Extremely stable in the sky with direct and predictable handling.
  • Great low end power.
  • Good all-around performance.
  • The Trip packs down incredibly small compared to a traditional kite, making it very easy to travel with.

Cons:

  • The Trip is only available as a 10m.
  • This kite must be heavily sanded or tied to a solid object to keep it from being blown off a windy beach.
  • The Trip is a little sensitive to oversheeting at the bottom of its wind range.

Tips:

  • When relaunching, it’s best if you wait for a few moments to let the kite drift further downwind until the canopy is fully open.
  • Check your line lengths before flying the Trip as it is a little sensitive to oversheeting, especially at the bottom end of its wind range. This is much more noticeable if your bar is not trimmed with all four lines even at full power.

TKB will be testing more strutless kites as they become available. Strutless kite reviews will be posted here.

Read all about who else is coming out with strutless kites and their different design philosophies in the latest issue of TKB.