Behind the Design: 2026 Evo D/LAB

Manuel Zwinz: The Evo D/LAB is the most anticipated kite right now. The development took us two years, because we didn’t just want to give you a new Evo D/LAB; we were really working hard to give you a better Evo D/LAB. As you all know, the last Evo D/LAB was, and still is, the benchmark kite for three-strut Aluula kites. So we really put in the extra effort to make a kite worthy of being its successor.

It’s always important to have a kite that works for the team riders—Andrea, Edgar, Liam, who are really pushing the limits in 50 knots. But we also want to have a kite that works for the every rider at any level who’s pushing their own limits. And therefore, it’s great to have Reno on board helping with the development, because he’s coming from the competition scene, has been competing at the King of the Air, and now has really developed a good feel and a good eye for what a kite needs in order to work both for the competition side and the consumer side.

Reno Romeu: Thanks, Manu. It was a pleasure to work on this project. It’s been a long, long time I have been working on this kite, and I’m super stoked. I get happier every time I get on the water with this kite, because this kite is such a machine. As Manu said, we didn’t work just to bring a new Evo D/LAB; we worked really hard to have a better Evo D/LAB. And I’m sure when all of you guys get on the water, especially if you have the previous kite to test back-to-back, you’re going to see a really crazy improvement in this kite.

Manu Zwinz: So before we jump into further details, I have to talk about the Duotone laboratory. The amount of work that Malte and Julia are putting in at the laboratory is amazing. Over the last few years, the data they’ve collected from material breaking tests, the new seam construction, and all the knowledge we’ve gained is really showing its benefits now. It really has a true influence on kite design right now.

And that brings me to the very first change on the Evo D/LAB, which is the small leading edge. With the knowledge we’ve gained about materials and seam construction, we can now pump the kites to 10 psi, and that means I can reduce the leading edge diameter while keeping the rigidity and stiffness of the kite. A smaller leading edge allows me to play around and find and use more efficient profiles. And these profiles have a lot of benefits for the kite overall.

A more efficient profile means that the profile creates more lift while generating less drag, and that has two main benefits. One is on the low end: the kite can fly further forward in the window and still create enough lift to pull you upwind, so your upwind angle and the low-end performance of the kite get much better. And on the top end, with the smaller leading edge and better profiles, when you sheet out and depower, the low drag really allows the kite to shoot forward and depower quickly. So the small leading edge basically gives you better low-end performance and better depower on the top end.

Reno Romeu: This is something that I noticed straight away from the very first prototypes, because it was something that bothered me with the last one—that you had power all the time. You were always really stressed on your legs, putting a lot of power on your legs to be able to ride. Especially if you’re going for a big air session, you have to be tense all the time with power and have a lot of power in your legs, always needing to hold the power of the kite. And this kite is so much more comfortable because you have way more depower.

Because when you sheet in more, the kite goes further into the window. This is amazing for everything. I can go way better upwind without straining my legs, and I can jump way more vertical because the kite flies more on the edge of the wind window. I can have better vertical lift, and this is all that we want—performance. If the kite has less drag and more performance, it’s perfect for everybody—for beginners and for pros.

Manu Zwinz: With the new kite, when a gust hits, it just accelerates upwind. You go faster and go more upwind, and you can use this gust very efficiently, either to go upwind or to take off and jump.

I love the agility of the kite, because it feels really fast and sharp. In light wind conditions, we are able to move the kite really fast and make it work. But for me, what makes the biggest difference compared to the last kite is when you’re riding overpowered. With the other kite, if you went from mid power to overpowered, it felt a little too extreme. And this kite is way easier to control, especially for the end consumer—for every rider.

So one big thing about the Evo D/LAB is the agility and playfulness. And one construction detail that helps with that is the extra leading edge segment on the tip. The previous version used to be very square at the tip, and that created a kind of hinge point. Now, with the new seam construction, I added an additional segment in the leading edge, and this just helps me to transfer the load from your back lines better into the frame of the kite. And that improves the kite in two ways. It helps create a better response from the kite, with no delay when you steer, and it also gives you great feedback from the kite back to the bar.

Reno Romeu: I think the feeling on the bar is amazing. Sometimes you can get a kite where the bar has lighter pressure and it’s nicer for the end consumer, but it’s a little bit hard to have the feeling of where the kite is in the sky. When you are in the middle of a loop or spinning and aren’t looking at your kite, you need to have this feeling to know where the kite is. The balance on this kite, having the perfect bar pressure, is amazing. I can kite all day, full sessions, like three-hour sessions twice a day, and I don’t get tired from heavy bar pressure, but I always know exactly where my kite is.