A password will be e-mailed to you.

Sizes Available: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14m
Sizes Tested: 7, 9, 12m

Naish Says:

The new Triad, is much more than an evolution of the Ride, it’s been redesigned and re-engineered. We’ve taken the original iconic user-friendly design and developed it further to be even more versatile and provide a whole new riding experience.

This new, three-strut frame provides greater stability. The center luff strut creates great low end power, allowing the kite to drift and providing great sheet-in-and-go. The stiffer center also increases the Triad’s wind range, providing improved handling in stronger winds and gusty conditions. It also allows us to move the two outer struts lower for a more direct bar feel and improved turning ability.

Its low aspect ratio and gradual curve in the wingtip produce smooth turns and very predictable flying. This is perfect for anyone who prefers steady movements over a more punchy kite.

Mistakes are minimal with the Triad, so no need to worry if you oversheet it, dive it too hard, or overfly your kite. It also has great wing stability when resting on the water””so you have plenty of time to make adjustments before relaunching.

Smooth-flying, stable and forgiving, the Triad gives riders plenty of time to react and plenty of room to grow, so you’re in complete control at all times. From complete beginners, to kiters looking to improve, to those seeking an easy-riding experience, anyone looking for an easy to control kite will enjoy the Triad.

Visit for more info: www.naishkites.com/product/triad/

TKB Says:

The Triad is a brand new release for 2019 and targets the beginner freeride segment with its 3-strut medium to low aspect canopy with sweptback wingtips. The Triad features a high flow Boston valve that requires the larger inflation nozzle on standard pump hoses and Naish’s proprietary internal check valve for easy inflation of the struts without the clunky distribution hoses. This system does require that you open the 9mm check valves on the struts when deflating the kite, and you will have to remember to close this valve once again upon inflation. The Triad uses a fairly simple medium length front bridle which offers a single setting (no tuning needed) and a single sliding pulley to change the kite’s angle of attack. There’s three settings on the wingtip for adjusting bar pressure with nifty arm muscle icons to guide you, and the stock setting in the middle. The front bridle attachment points end in a knot while the wingtip attachment points end in a larkshead. The overall build quality of Naish’s new Triad kite are solid, with small items like drain holes in the wingtips, super clean strut to leading edge attachments and ample protection where needed””all items that indicate excellent attention to details. The Triad also features Naish’s Quad-Tex fabric which feels incredibly crisp and results a fairly light build of the kite. In the air, the Triad features nice light to medium bar pressure on the stock setting (we tested the heavier outboard bar pressure setting for BP and for handling, we preferred the smoothness and comfort of the stock setting) and is  fairly responsive with good direct steering response and middle of the road steering speed;  it has solid turning speed that is predictable, intuitive and very usable. The kite steers with a medium pivot and has a slightly larger turning arc with the standout highlight of the kite being it’s smooth power delivery along the sheeting in/out of the bar; there’s this very nice progressive power along the bar stroke that feels ”˜sheet in and go’ and yet has a ton of depower at the very end of the stroke. One of the design goals behind this kite was to maintain a little more power along the bottom part of the stroke without sacrificing the range of depower at its top end.  This is more conducive to beginner and casual kiters that have haven’t mastered power control issues and we think that is one of the performance aspects that made this kite very comfortable and easy to fly. One of our sessions was in extremely gusty wind in which the Triad’s depower ability was incredibly important, as well as the sheet in and go power delivery for navigating the gusts which required less aggressive kite flying. The Triad was great for mowing upwind and it features a good amount of lift for the beginner/intermediate just getting started with jumping. The intuitive steering and power control are ideal for those mastering small to medium sized airs, but if you’re thinking of challenging Kevin Langeree, King of the Air champion, you might think about upgrading to a high lift kite like the Pivot. The Triad felt incredibly stable in the air, passing all of our load and slack line tests even in the extra punchy wind session. In terms of water relaunch, we dropped the Triad in the water a couple of times and the sweptback LE helped the kite rotate quickly from the bottom of the window and the wingtips cleared really easily for a nice reliable relaunch in the red triangle every time. The Triad feels like it sits just a little deeper in the window, but offers steady, reliable and comfortable performance on everything from going upwind to fun-sized (not scary)  jumping and all-around cruising. The clear target audience for the Triad is entry-level and progressing kiters, but we’d also recommend this kite to capable but generalist kiters that are looking for all-around cruising comfort, relaunch reliability and general all-around freeride cruising fun.

Our Triad came with Naish’s Torque ATB 55 (Above the Bar power adjustment) control bar which features new color coding with blue on the right and red on the left. This bar features a dual adjustable length bar (45-51cm) with a single center-line safety depower, low V, spectra sheeting/throw line, replaceable insert, no sliding stopper, and above the bar clam cleat power adjustment with an easy adjustable length throw. The quick release integrates a below the bar swivel which keeps the rigging above the bar refreshingly simple and doubles as a quick release guard. The quick release handle cocks in an upward position when released, yet it is worth noting that reassembly requires the rider put the end of the loop back in to the mechanism, raise the release the handle and then drop it back into place””its clean, functional and easy to use with two hands for reset. The Torque’s center lines end in loops and the outside lines end in knots with clear line and pigtail color coding (center lines are grey, left is red, right is blue). Shipped stock with 24m non-extension lines, the bar’s  molded foam floats are integrated into the bar ends and are flexible enough to fold down quickly and easily for a painless wrap job. Retractable bungees have an easy to grab tab and a solid clip to ensure your lines stay on the bar between sessions while the Torque’s adjustable bar ends make it easy to adjust the effective length of the bar and also allow you to tune the outside lines for length in the event of line stretch. Rounding out the design, the chicken finger is a rigid material that ensures against foul hooks and can be rotated out of position for easy hook and unhooking for the more aggressive freestyle riders out there. The grip has a nice rubber feel with a solid texture and an ergonomic shape that accommodates both riders with wide and narrow grip stances (smaller bar diameter in the center for narrow grip stance riders). Overall, the Torque has the unique distinction of packing a ton of useful features into a light to medium weight and well designed package.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.naishkites.com/product/torque-atb-55/


With the help of 14 testers from all walks of kiteboarding, Tkb’s staff assembled detailed gear reviews with objective performance criteria of the latest 2019 kites, twin tips and foilboards all packed into one neat and tidy 180-page digital package. Get all the reviews in convenient digital guide here: https://www.thekiteboarder.com/product/2019-freeride-gear-review-guide/