Flysurfer SOUL3 Kite

The SOUL is Flysurfer's most versatile foil kite and probably the gentlest entry into the class. Closed cells, six sizes from 6m to 18m, and the manufacturer rates it beginner to advanced — unusual for a foil, which normally asks for experience first.

The canopy is triple-ripstop TX-Light at 34 g/m², with a tougher 44 g/m² DLX+ fabric along the leading edge where abrasion happens. An automatic drainage system is built into the construction: water, sand and small debris slide from the centre of the kite out to the wingtips and leave through two openings in the trailing edge. On a sandy spot like Mui Ne that detail earns its keep.

Lines are stretched spanwise across the air inlets. They hold the rigid nose foils in position and stop the inlets deforming, so the kite fills faster, you get control over the whole span sooner on launch, and when overpowered it flies further to the edge of the window before the leading edge dents.

The bridle mixes materials by job: Dyneema on the A-lines and brake, Kevlar on the B and C-lines, all UV-coated. The point is that the lines hold their length, which means fewer re-trims over the kite's life.

Tuning it yourself. A knot ladder — the Performance Tuner — sits in the C-pulley line and changes the profile camber. Shorten it for more low-end power and heavier steering; lengthen it for the opposite. You set it for the day's wind and your own taste rather than living with one factory compromise.

Who it is not for. If you specifically want big air and hangtime, Flysurfer themselves point you at the SONIC: it sits higher in the window and is built around jump performance. The SOUL sits lower — better for first jumps, water starts, unhooked tricks and learning hydrofoil manoeuvres, but with a lower ceiling for height. In gusty spots and on snow the SOUL is the safer bet.

Picking a size. Six sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 18. Aspect ratio runs 4.9 on the small sizes, 5.0 mid-range and 5.8 on the big ones; cell count is 39 and 43. Canopy weight with full bridle and mixer goes from 1.49 kg on the 6 to 3.08 kg on the 18. For a 70-80 kg rider Flysurfer suggest a 6 / 10 / 15 quiver on an M bar with 20 m lines.

One thing about the first hours. A foil kite is thousands of hand-sewn parts. Over the first five to ten hours the lines stretch and the seams settle, so load it evenly: relaxed freeride passes both ways, jumps in both directions. One-sided loading in that window is the main cause of a kite going out of trim.

We import Flysurfer directly and we know how a foil behaves in Mui Ne and on snow. Tell us your weight and conditions and we will match the size and the bar. Worldwide shipping.