Kite Model Years: Is Last Season Worth Buying, and How Much Cheaper Is It?

The question we hear more than any other. And it has a concrete answer — not "it depends" but a point-by-point breakdown with figures from our own catalogue.

The numbers first

Take North, where we hold three or four seasons of the same model.

• Orbit: 2024 from 750 €, 2025 from 1 177 €, 2026 from 1 729 €.
• Reach: 2024 from 877 €, 2025 from 1 099 €, 2026 from 1 499 €.
• Prime (board): 2024 at 347 €, 2025 at 449 €, 2026 at 619 €.

One pattern: each season back is roughly a quarter off the price. Two seasons back is nearly half.

What actually changes between seasons

Honestly, in descending order of significance.

Sometimes construction. A change in strut count, a new profile, a different bridle layout. This happens every three or four years and usually comes with a name change or a new suffix.

More often materials. Lighter cloth, different reinforcement. Here a real weight gain is possible, and it is noticeable.

Almost always panel layout and finish. Valves, loops, seam quality. Details affecting convenience and durability.

Always graphics. And you pay for those too.

The practical conclusion: between adjacent years the difference is usually in the third and fourth items. Between 2024 and 2026 it may reach the second.

Where last season is clearly the better buy

Boards. The clearest case. Shape and flex last for years; graphics and finish change. A Prime 2024 at 347 € against the 2026 at 619 € means paying 272 € for a colourway.

All-round kites. They are valued for predictability, and that does not improve year to year. A previous-season Reach is a sound choice.

A first kite and a first board. They get hit, scratched and dropped. Paying for the current season on equipment that will not survive the learning phase in pristine condition is a doubtful idea.

Teaching and rental gear. Here model year means nothing at all.

Where paying for the current season is justified

Equally honestly.

When the construction changed between versions. Easy to check: if the model's generation number changed or a suffix appeared, the changes are substantial.

Lightweight lines. Ultra, Ultra-X, ALUULA — there the weight genuinely changes between versions, and your hands notice. We covered that in the ALUULA article.

If you compete. The last few percent of performance matter there.

If you need a specific size. Not every size survives into last season's stock, and chasing a saving onto the wrong size is a poor trade.

What not to worry about

Three common fears, all three overstated.

"The cloth ages in storage." A kite in its bag, in the dark, at room temperature does not age noticeably. UV and salt kill cloth — that is riding, not storage.

"There will be no spare parts." Bladders, valves and lines are compatible across generations at most brands. Problems start on gear older than seven or eight years.

"It did not sell, so it must be bad." Last season sits there because a new one came out, not because the kite is poor. Market logic, not quality.

What to worry about

A kite that sat unpacked on a shop floor. A year by a window does more to the cloth than a season of riding.

Equipment older than five years. There you should be looking at the state of the lines and valves rather than at the model year.

Too large a discount. Seventy percent off the current season is a reason to ask why.

How to check a kite's age

Useful when buying second-hand.

• The canopy label. Most brands print a serial number encoding the year.
• Graphics. Colourways change every season, and the manufacturer's site pins the year exactly.
• Valves and loops. The small hardware changes more often than the canopy and reveals the generation.
• Condition over year. Cloth translucency against the light, stiffness by hand, chafe near the bridle. A two-year-old kite in good condition beats a one-year-old that has been abused.

Deciding in under a minute

First kite or first board → last season, without question.

An all-rounder → last season.

Any board → last season.

You need a size the old stock lacks → current.

You compete → current.

The generation changed between versions → current.

A lightweight line → go by the stated weight rather than the year.

Common questions

How much cheaper is last season?

In our catalogue, roughly a quarter per year back. Two seasons gives you nearly half.

Does a kite age in storage?

Bagged and in the dark, barely. UV and salt kill cloth — that is riding, not storage.

How do I identify the model year?

By the serial number label on the canopy and by the colourway: graphics change every season.

What matters more, year or condition?

Condition. A well-kept two-year-old kite beats a one-year-old that was dried in the sun.

When is last season a bad idea?

When the model generation changed, when the size you need is missing from old stock, and when you are buying a lightweight line specifically for its weight.

What to read next

Our North review — the brand with the greatest depth by season. How to store equipment — what really kills cloth. Sizing — so the saving does not backfire.