Ocean Rodeo Flite Kitesurfing Kite

Awesome light wind kite. I already own the 2012 17.5m Flite. So when I saw the 15m on sale I grabbed it. These kites are session savers. I am 205lbs and I will fly my 17.5 when it is 8-10 mph on a 6'0 surfboard. Guys are on the beach while I'm catching wave after wave. You would think these kites would turn really slow in light wind, but the they don't. They are very responsive and they find the apparent wind quickly. I loop my 17.5 all the time in really light wind and whips around nicely. Ocean rodeo cracked the code on light wind kiting with the Flite. You can look it up on YouTube. This kite is legit. It really does turn like a much smaller kite. These kites have a pretty big wind range as well. I have had the wind turn on while flying this kite and did not feel like I was going to get yanked out to sea. This kite has opened up so many days of kiting for me. I feel like it has made me a better kiter. I love trying to stay up wind when it's really light. You have to concentrate on kite skills, board position, body position to find every little drop of wind. All that knowledge comes in real handy when the wind turns on and I am back on my small kite.

These kites are indeed lightweight, and that fact is felt in the quick and responsive handling, and in the surprising drift for such a forward flying kite. This gen 5 14.5m weighs 7.3 lbs which is more than 2 lbs lighter than my previous 14m from another brand- Thats a huge difference! Performance gains from that, and the overall design, are there and felt immediately. Huge windrange on both low and high end, as it also depowers very effectively. Easy relaunch. Highly Recommended.

I have flying my 2014 flite 17 meter for almost a year now, which is probably long enough to share my opinion. First, believe the hype. Once you put the extensions in, this thing works great in light wind. I ride a best breeze 156(?) and weigh somewhere around 210 lbs. As long as I've got a steady 9-10 knots, it keeps me up and moving. Last time I rode, the wind died out until only the flites where airborne even though the beach looked like a light wind kite review. The only real player not represented was flysurfer, though afterwards a speed 4 21m showed up, and flew in considerably less wind. Durability is an issue. The problem isn't build quality, just the light weight materials. So far I have popped a front line, gotten a pin hole, and two rips. The rips were from a crash on to rocks, which was more pilot error than a sign of quality. The bag is large but doesn't have pump storage or a dry bag. You also can't attach your board to it. All in all it is what it says. Turns well, flys in light winds.

Very stable kite, I can let go of the kite and it won't drop, even with varying winds, fast turning and drift great. I use it for the surf in San Diego, even though it is not a deemed as a surf kite.

Truly amazing light wind kite. It's as fast as any 14 m kite I've I've used, even some 12m kites. It loops like crazy too with smooth power delivery. Water relaunch is so easy, even as low as 5 knots. For me at 190-200 pounds I can mow the lawn at 8 knots. At 10 it's powered up.

Awesome kite, great bottom and top end, well made with all the reinforcements in the right places. Would prefer large in/out valve, but would have to purchase latest version for more $$$ to get it.

I recently tested a 10m Ocean Rodeo Flight, and wanted to drop a quick review on here. This kite is designed for light wind and i can definitely see how effective it would in the larger sizes in light winds. The first time I tested the 10m Flight, I had been riding my 14m North Rebel a few minutes before (to give you a sense of the wind strength that day)and I should have been hugely under-powered but was able to get a up and ride on the 10m. The 10m version was very quick, quicker than most 8/9m kites I have tested, but didnt sacrifice on stability in anyway. It also has a very nice pull on it and it feels like there is a sweet pocket which once I figured out was very fun to play with and i'd imagine in the larger kites would allow you to park and ride very nicely. The construction is light as weight obviously plays a part in lighter winds but still fairly durable. I didnt get to test a larger version of this but would imagine that it would open up days when everyone else is standing on the beach. The description of this kite on Ocean Rodeo's site unbelievable accurate, and when i reviewed after testing it made complete sense to me. Great kite and definitely worth having one of these in your quiver!!

At 140 lbs I picked up the 12M Flite as my light wind kite and it turned out to be so much more. I have ridden this kite in 10-12 kts of wind on a standard twin tip with plenty of power to stay upwind and to jump. I have also ridden the 12M Flite in 18-20 kts of wind which was defiantly at the upper end of the range for my weight but it was loads of fun and still under control. Jumps were huge and hang time was lengthy…I ran out of tricks and grabs to do before running out of hang time! Turns are fast (faster than some 9M kites from the competition), bar pressure is medium and relaunch is easy. The kite goes upwind very well and overall is well behaved in the air. I didn’t realize it but it comes with line extensions (which I haven’t used yet) to enhance the low wind performance. Overall a great kite and I will be sure to add the 8m & 10m to my quiver.