Two things are worth your attention this season: a new tool that stopped being an experiment, and a shared direction across inflatable wings. Neither changes how you learn to fly — but the first changes what you carry, and the second changes light days.
Until recently the parawing — a soft wing with no inflatable structure, held in shape by the wind and its lines — was a fringe object. The current industry comparison now lines up seventeen models from ten brands: BRM, Ozone, F-One, GONG, Duotone, Ensis, Flow, Flysurfer, North and Aeryn.
The point is not power, it is bulk. They pack into a waist pouch, come out when you want them and stow away when you don’t; the lightest model in the comparison is quoted at 464 grams in the 4.0. An inflatable wing, with its leading edge and its pump, simply cannot do that.
| Brand and model | Sizes | Stated use |
|---|---|---|
| BRM Kanaha | 2.5 – 6.2 m² (6) | All-round, upwind and downwind |
| BRM Maliko 2 | 2.2 – 5.3 m² (4) | Downwind specialist |
| Ozone Pocket Rocket | 1.9 – 5.0 m² (6) | All-round, best upwind |
| F-One Frigate | 1.9 – 6.5 m² (8) | All-rounder |
| Duotone Stash V2 | 2.2 – 5.6 m² (6) | Stability |
| North Ranger | 2.2 – 5.2 m² (4) | Downwind specialist |
| Flysurfer POW | 1.7 – 5.0 m² (4) | Wind range, low-end power |
| GONG Lowkite Plus V2 | 2.0 – 5.0 m² (4) | Entry level |
Do not read these numbers the way you read wing sizes: the brands describe different uses (downwind above all) and the ranges start lower. Same unit, different thing.
The Foiling Magazine’s group test — sixteen wings ridden in June — reads as a shared direction rather than a contest: frame materials aimed at stiffness without weight (Aluula, N-Weave45, UPE structures), and high-tension canopies in mixed yarns chasing the same trade-off.
The change you feel most is elsewhere: ranges now stretch upward into light-wind sizes of 7.0-8.2 m², and most lines offer between five and ten steps. On a lake where the thermal fills in slowly and builds, having a genuinely big size — not the "big" of three seasons ago — is what decides whether you launch at two or at four.
Around the edges: modular booms and handles, removable battens, reinforced trailing edges and attention to packed size. Small things that do not change a session, but that you notice across a season.
Of the period’s announcements, GONG’s is the most legible technically: on the 2026 wings dihedral is cut to a minimum and baseline twist is gone, so the draft stays where it is and twist appears only dynamically at the tips. On the water: a crisper, more predictable pull and less spring when you load it.
The boards follow the same logic: recessed decks to sit closer to the foil, footstrap inserts flush with the pad for strapless riding, and a semi-rigid tail rail that helps the board release.
Not the way the brands present it: several models are described as downwind specialists, and the trait every one of them leads with is packability — it stows in a pouch while you ride. It is an extra tool, not a replacement.
Not directly. The ranges start smaller (from 1.7-2.5 m²) and the stated use is different. Buying a parawing "the same size" as your wing will not give you the same power on the water.