Most people know the Rebel as Duotone’s ultimate 5-strut freeride kite, built for boosting and big air. I headed out on the 9 and 7m, in around 18-40 knots down at The Beach in Littlehampton. Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on this iconic kite, including first impressions, how it responds in a range of winds, how I found looping, and whether I would recommend this kite based on your kitesurfing ability. For reference, my kiting ability is, comfortable doing 10m kite loops with basic some rotations.
First Impressions of the Duotone Rebel SLS
The first thing I noticed before launching was that the leading edge looked relatively small in diameter compared to other kites of a similar size. It also appeared flatter and more high aspect. When launching the kite, the bar pressure felt slightly more compared to the EVO SLS, which feels fairly light feeling. Whilst steering the kite on the beach, it felt smooth and responsive.
How Did the 9m Rebel Feel in My First Session at 18–22 Knots?
During my first session, the wind was fairly light at around 18–22 knots, so I headed out on the 9m. The first thing I noticed was that ‘sheet-and-go’ feeling! I’ve never experienced this before, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. As soon as I sheeted in, I felt the power and accelerated. As you can imagine, I was pretty buzzing about this kite from the outset, as it also felt like my general riding speed was slightly faster than usual.
I found I was consistently jumping around the same height, whereas on some kites like the Evo D/Lab, I notice there can be more variability. I put it down to the Rebel having a larger sweet spot to sheet the bar in on takeoff.
Takeoffs were nice and vertical, and it felt like I had good hangtime for the conditions. The kite just felt easy to use and predictable, with good feedback in the bar, so I always knew where the kite was.
When I got a few bigger gusts, I felt comfortable trying loops around 5–6m. The kite went around surprisingly quickly, as I thought it would be fairly slow due to the shape. I just about got caught coming in with lots of speed.
How does the Duotone Rebel SLS Perform in Stronger
Winds (9m in 25+ Knots)?
A few days later, I took the 9m out in 25+ knots, and this is where the kite really shined for me. With higher loops (around 8–10m), I noticed the kite flew quite far behind me after looping which was a really nice feeling as it provided some of the slowest and smoothest landings after kite loops I've ever had. The loops felt great, though at times, it was harder to sense exactly where the kite was during the loop, but I think after some more time on the kite I would get a better feel for this. For general boosting, the Rebel was super fun and once again, delivering consistent jump heights.
First Session on the 7m (Gusting 40 Knots)
On my first session with the 7m, it was gusting around 40 knots. I felt pretty powered when launching but not so much that I thought a smaller kite was needed. My first jump was around 13m, which felt really good, with great hang time and a soft landing on the heli-loop.
Feeling confident, I decided to go for a loop. I found a good takeoff spot on the inside, where the water was flat between the waves, and lined up for a solid vertical launch. As I took off, I felt a huge, fast vertical lift (I think I took off just as a big gust hit). I braced and pulled the loop, but I think I looped slightly too early and wasn’t quite at the peak of the jump. The yank was quite extreme, and the kite felt much further in front of me than usual.
As the loop finished, the lines suddenly went slack, which was a pretty nerve-wracking moment. Eventually, they tightened again as the kite climbed above and behind me. My timing was off, so I had a big butt-check landing, but my watch showed 14.4m - my highest Woo height to date. I was buzzing after that but also a little shocked!
Shortly after, I had a chat with James who had seen the loop and he said that during the loop, the kite was still pulling me up, even though it was more in front of me. I’m not sure how that works, but it was fun! I didn’t do any more loops after that, it felt like it was probably enough adrenaline for 8:00 in the morning after two coffees at the club.
Final Session on the 7m (25–32 Knots)
My last session on the Rebel 7m was in around 25–32 knots, where I did lots of comfortable loops. This gave me the confidence to try back rolls and inverted backroll kite loops, as I was feeling much more used to the kite. As far as smaller kites go, this 7m has been my favourite to use so far as it feels like it has a lot of potential to get some decent height.
Overall Impressions
Overall, I’m a big fan of the Rebel SLS. I’m yet to try some of Duotone’s other kites in different sizes, but for easy boosting, this has been one of my favourites so far. It’s incredibly predictable when boosting, and I’d love to test an 11m or 12m for those classic UK summer seabreeze days. I think they could be epic for holding more power and getting solid hangtime to learn board-off variations and other tricks.
I’d really recommend the Rebel SLS to just about anyone to be honest. It’s an easy kite to fly, so I don’t think it would hold back beginners, although the Evo might be a better option in lighter conditions. For anyone into loops, boosting or Woo-sting, I’d highly recommend it, as that’s where this kite really shines. In terms of looping progression, it performed better than I expected, despite hearing that it could be aggressive in loops. My only intense experience was in 40 knots, and that was more down to pilot error from looping too early.
The Rebel SLS definitely gets a thumbs-up from me, and I think it’s going to be one of our go-to kites for boosting this season. If you have any more questions just drop us an email at thebeachwatersports@gmail.com and we will be happy to have a chat about kit with you!
Where Can I Buy the Rebel?
If you're ready to bite the bullet or just want to check out more of the kites specifications, check out Worthing Watersports here.
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