RRD Emotion Mk4

The Emotion has been in the RRD line up for a few years now. It began life as a strut-less kite which flew beautifully but could get a bit lively when overpowered, so RRD introduced the single strut which resolved this problem and also improved the stiffness and all round performance of the kite. Jump forward a few years and the one-strut kite has become a super popular option and a competitive part of the marketplace. For 2019, RRD are on to MK4 and we had the chance to test most of the sizes from 17m down to 10.5m, so really put it through its paces. The first thing to note is that this is an incredibly light kite – reinforcements are kept to a minimum (with RRD’s unique 45 degree ‘Radial Reinforcements’ spreading the load on the canopy), the LE is relatively skinny, and the 17m folds down to the size of a 7m. The advice is to pump it up hard and RRD have tested their kites to destruction.

In the air and the Emotion sits very comfortably above you – there is no tendency for it to overfly and you can be confident that it will play-the-game in even the lightest of breezes (and we used the 17m in 6 knots!). Once you are up and riding the power delivery is smooth and progressive and – especially if you’re on a foil – you have the depower you need to get up and going without then taking off like a rocket… The smaller sizes are then surprisingly nimble and responsive. You can really throw them around and although you get some of the ‘flutter’ that you can always expect from single strut kites, the performance is good. So the Emotion MK4 is not just for lighter winds or for beginners, if you want a kite that performs well for freeriding or for riding in the surf then it is also a very good option. And if your budget is stretched, you get a lot of kite for your money.

In a sentence: A solid evolution of the Emotion: for lightwind foiling it is as good as it gets but also a responsive kite and solid option for everyday riding as well…