Cabrinha Chaos 11m 2017
Reviews / Kites
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At A Glance
The Chaos has been around for a few years now, winning world titles in the hands of Liam Whaley.
The 2017 Chaos is an out and out freestyle weapon; it’s not designed for your everyday rider. There aren't many C kites out there that are, if you’re looking at the Chaos, you’re going to be the kind of rider that is pushing your level to the max and need a kite that will do everything you need it too.
Cabrinha’s 2017 Chaos comes with features we’ve seen on the 2016 model. Pure Profile Panels give the kite a smoother arc allowing for more stability, increased flying speed and higher performance. The 6 line Arc Support set up is back again too, stabilising the front of the kite for those big moves.
The Chaos has been constructed with all of Cabrinha’s high-quality construction elements to ensure it won't give in before you do. 2DR Double Ripstop is present, the Skeletal Frame and much more.
“The Chaos is an out and out freestyle weapon.”
The Chaos comes in one colour way: Orange / Yellow and can only be flown on the Chaos 1X with the Trimlite control system, available in:
Sizes: 5.5, 7, 9, 11, 13m
The Bar
While the Chaos can only be flown on the 2017 Chaos 1X with the Trimlite control system, mainly due to the six line configuration the kite takes. Four lines come from the bar and then split to have additional Arc Support lines over the last few meters, making six attachments to the kite in all.
Sometimes simplicity is key. With the Chaos 1X with Trimlite bar, everything you see is simple, there is, however, some nifty tech used to keep important safety lines and excess clutter out of your way. You’ll notice the centre line is singular, with the safety line integrated. The trim system is cleaned up by using a bungee line, keeping the risk of a tangled line at bay.
The bar isn't likely to give you worn out hands with its super soft grip, and the bar ends not only float but are soft enough to grab when learning new moves or making slight mistakes when unhooking.
The built in swivel ensures it’s easy to untwist any centre line mayhem ensuring the single line re-ride will always slide through. The single line re-ride system allows for full depower of your kite in seconds, just push away the 1X safety release. Easy reset of the system allows you to get more time on the water.
The 26cm Quick Loop is a perfect size and remains stiff when unhooking and hooking back in. The included but not installed Quick Loop pin is handy for those gusty kite looping sessions. The pro leash is also pretty sick at 122cm, with a robust clip, which is set never to bend.
In The Air
We’re looking at one of the highest performance kites out there, so we won't be focusing on the basics like relaunch because quite frankly it’s never going to be as good as a beginners SLE kite, we all know that. In all fairness, it is about as good as it gets for a C-kite though.
Stability is always one of my main areas of concern with a C kite, when you’re out in over 45mph winds you need a kite that’s not going to collapse on you. The Chaos is ultra stable and a credit to modern C-kites. It’s hard to luff, and it always wants to drive forwards in loops with barely any stall present when unhooking.
Steering on the Chaos is very direct; it’s lighter to turn than some C-kites we see on the market, which leaves your arms with more juice for moves. If you’re a rider that likes to fly back line heavy, the Chaos suits this and front line tuning options combined with the A-B Wingtip line attachment options allow you to get a perfectly tuned kite for your style.
Boosting potential of the Chaos is huge; it’s a super fast, responsive kite and it's eager to be thrown into a loop. Popping into an unhooked move on the Chaos is somewhat effortless, the kite provides insane amounts of lift and provides a lot of slack for those passes. Due to its forwards drive it’s accelerating again earlier than some C-kites so be prepared for some quick landings!
When out in variable conditions the Chaos shows up its larger wind range, you have masses of depower, but when the wind eases off, the Chaos still flies very well providing solid amounts of pull.
For
A high quality, high-performance C-shape kite, light on the bar with very direct feedback.
Against
It would be great to see a smaller bar option for the Chaos, under 40cm for the smaller sizes.
Overall
The 2017 Chaos in my eyes is one of the top models to choose from when looking at a C-shape freestyle kites. It’s built incredibly well and will out perform most of us on the water.
Videos
This review was in Issue 63 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CabrinhaRelated
By Robin and Sukie
With years of kite sport experience combined, you can be sure you’ll be receiving the highest quality of knowledge on the best equipment the industry has to offer.
