Size tested: 7m
The most versatile kite in the Slingshot line, the Rally returns for 2015 with some minor tweaks, including two new sizes (5 and 11) and new bridle connection points that offer more tuning options. The 2014 model was praised for, well, pretty much everything… more specifically for its incredible wide range of performance that offered quick pivotal turning suitable for waveriding while still offering surprisingly good hooked-in style jumping. All this remains to be the case for 2015. As usual Slingshot’s construction comes through as bomber Gorge/Pacific Northwest tested. Slingshot’s time-proven inflation system featuring double redundancy security is certainly bombproof, but in a time when almost all brands have rolled out some type of oversized high-volume inflation system, this part of the kite does look a little dated.
On the water, first impressions are of a kite that offers perhaps the easiest sheet-in-and-go power combined with a high level of easily accessed depower. As with last year’s model, the Rally pivots on a corner and offers a nice, smooth turn without yanking a rider off their edge. The instant sheet-in power combined with the pivotal turning makes this kite super easy to jump, send the kite, sheet in, and up you go. Overall, the Rally offers a great level of performance and offers a little something for everyone.
The Trade-off
The Rally is pretty good at everything, and it’s difficult to find any real faults. Riders looking for more “all power all the time” might find the Rally to have a slightly soft feel and gravitate towards the RPM or, for even a higher level of unhooked performance, the Fuel. But overall, the Rally is an exceptional high-performance do-anything kite that’s hard to pin any specific faults on.
Best For
Riders looking for an accessible, powerful kite, that will work with a variety of board and riding styles.
