Epic Kites Renegade 4G 9m 2015
Reviews / Kites
3,843
At A Glance
The Epic Renegade has been in their line up for 4 years now, hence the 4G after its name for the latest version. It’s a popular all-round kite that is aimed at the kitesurfer looking for a do-it-all machine. It is a three-strut design with large wide wingtips and quite a deep canopy profile. Featuing an 8 point connection bridle with pulleys on the front lines allows the kite to move as you depower and power up the canopy. There are two attachment points on the front bridle this year to allow you to tune the kite. The Freeride setting enables the kite to fly closer to the edge of the window, allowing it to depower more when you pop for unhooked tricks and improving the boosting ability. The Wave setting sets the kite a little further back in the window delivering more power and allowing it to drift more as you ride down the line. The build quality on the Renegade is of a high standard with plenty of reinforcements along the leading edge and lots of Dacron and extra stitching at the stress points. One-pump features as standard and there is plenty of attention to detail on the kite with neat features such as bridle deflectors and guides for the one-pump valves.
Sizes: 6.5, 9, 11, 13m
The Bar
The 4G XTEND control bar is shipped with the Renegade when bought complete. It’s a 4-line system with a front line flag out safety. The safety system can also be used in its primary mode, or rigged as a suicide secondary safety to be activated when you release the chicken loop. The chicken loop release is a new design from Epic this year and works well under load. Kite trim is catered for with a simple pull-pull webbing system that has the words “more” and “less” inscribed on the webbing to avoid any confusion. The bar itself is comfortable and the words “wrong way” are emblazoned on one side of the bar to ensure you don’t get your lines crossed when rigging the kite. There is a large metal opening in the bar that the chicken loop line and safety lines run through. You can also adjust the outside leader lines on the bar ends to make the bar either 45 or 55cm long – a useful feature when you just want one bar for all your kites.
In The Air
The Renegade is a very easy kite to fly; it has smooth predictable nature about it that made me feel instantly at home. There are no nasty surprises or odd characteristics here; it’s pure sheet and go fun right from the start. The low end of the kite is very impressive, the deep canopy profile providing plenty of power in lighter airs. In the Wave setting this powerful feeling increases even more and the kite has a very direct and responsive nature. Drifting in the Wave mode is excellent and the kite sits in a pocket as you ride down the line allowing you to concentrate on riding the wave and not worry about the kite. Switching the bridle around to the Freeride setting makes a noticeable difference to the performance, the kite flies much further forward in the window and upwind ability is improved. Jumping on the Renegade is excellent, there is a really aggressive pull off the water as you send the kite back through the window and hangtime is very impressive. You don’t get any nasty drops when jumping with the kite. Kiteloops are fairly powered affairs, delivering plenty of pull throughout the loop. In terms of the kind of rider the Renegade will suit, that’s going to be a wide-ranging pool of kiters. It’s impressive as a freeride machine, and also performs in the waves and when unhooked.
For
A great all-round kite that offers good value for money too. The bar system is functional and intuitive and the kite is very easy and simple to fly. Forgiving and packed with performance the Renegade has a wide-ranging appeal that will excite a lot of riders.
Against
The Renegade has a huge low end with lots of power, but when the wind really picks up above the maximum wind range it can become a handful if you aren’t a skilled kiter.
Overall
If you are looking for a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ kite then the Renegade fits the bill perfectly, if you are hunting for a bargain too, then it’s perfectly poised to please both you and your wallet. We loved its easy-to-fly nature and forgiving characteristics, and as a result the Renegade will suit a wide range of kiters.
Videos
This review was in Issue 46 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Epic KitesRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
