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I’m not a tiny person, coming in wet at around 120lbs after kiting, small might be a better word. But when the guys that are double my size start rigging their 6m’s, I know it’s going to be a rough day on the water.

When I started kiteboarding in Hatteras I never thought I’d need a size 4 kite, except for those crazy post hurricane sessions when it was even questionable whether one should be kiting the aftermath of a storm. Now that I kite at one of the windiest stretches of coast, having the right size is kite is critical.

The industry hasn’t paid much attention to the needs of smaller people, but there’s plenty of places, Capetown for example, where the winds reach the mid-30s and the smaller people spend a lot more time on the beach and a lot less time kiting. It’s a bummer watching as the heavier guys shred the best part of the day while you can’t even seem to hold down your smallest kite, which for most riders in my weight range is a 6m.

The wind here in central California is pretty consistent, 18-25 on a normal day, but when a surge comes through like it did this summer, I spent a solid 3 weeks overpowered and getting yanked off every wave I turned on. Some days I’d go early, or I’d go late to avoid the mid-day blowing smoke, but either way I was exasperated by the powerful winds and was disappointed that I didn’t have a small enough kite to go out and ride when I wanted; that is until I got my hands on Airush’s 2017 DNA 4m.

img_9577The day after big brown dropped off a box on my doorstep it was blowing 35 knots and there I was pumping up what looked like a children’s kite or quite possibly an inflatable trainer kite. But after taking what looked like a toy kite out of its bag, after closer examination, Airush’s 2017 DNA seemed like anything but. While the kite is incredibly small, it’s got a solid construction. Increased Dacron (an extremely durable material) around the leading and back edges make it extremely sturdy, durable and capable of maintaining its shape in strong, relentless winds. It’s new single pump inflation system (SPS or One Pump) made for a incredibly fast setup, let’s say 10-20 pumps; a feature on the the latest model that’s a much more user-friendly compared to the multi-strut inflation system on the older versions of the DNA.

While Airush markets the DNA as an entry level kite, don’t let them fool you, it’s really just a sized down version of their ever popular Lithium. A super fun kite to ride in high winds, the DNA 4m was responsive with a fast turning radius. In the air, the kite flew steadily, in control and was quick; performing responsively to rider input, I could easily whip it back and forth getting me from top turn to bottom turn and allowing me to be right where I wanted to be on the wave.

So for all of you smaller people (ladies and gentlemen included) that are tired of sitting on the beach when the winds pick up to much, grab yourself a smaller kite like Airush’s DNA 4. It’ll keep you out there and shredding even on the windiest of days.