2015 Cabrinha Chaos Review

Rider: 87kgs, Advanced
Style: Wakestyle, Freestyle, Surf
Sizes Tested: 7, 9, 11, and 13
Weather: 13-40 knots
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 10/10
Disclosure: Cabrinha Team and Shop Manager. I'm honest about what I like and don't like but of course take my comments with a grain of salt


My Comments:


I first tried these kites at the Cabrinha conference in Mauritius this past July. The winds on this trip were very strong and meant that most of my time was spent on the smaller sizes, in chop, flat water, and waves. When I got back to Sydney, I received my full quiver of kites and have gotten to extensively test the larger sizes so I now have a good idea of what each size is like and how it is different.

The Chaos for me was a kite that I came around very slowly to. I rode the 2013 model a couple of times while I wasn't on the Cabrinha team and I did like it but it didn't tick all the boxes for me coming from the Best GP (very hardcore wakestyle kite). Once I was with Cabrinha for the 2014 season I started riding the kites full time and got a feel for them. At first I felt that they were trying too hard to work for everyone and that they weren't hardcore enough. As I continued on to the 2014 and now the 2015 I realised that the the great freeride characteristics ended up being great for wakestyle. My only issue with the 2014 was that when you were very powered, the kite didn't slack as much as I'd like. This has been addressed on the 2015. Slack in the high end has improved a TON but the kite still retains it's great low end.

Particular sizes:

I really enjoyed the 7m from last year for looping but found it a bit too quick for wakestyle. The first one I rode in Mauritius was the 7m and I felt the difference straight away. The kite was slightly less responsive (a great thing for small kites) and it gave me a lot more height on my tricks. I found that I got punished quite a bit on last years while doing wakestyle tricks because it was hard to get a ton of height after the pop. This years is far better in feel and still loops like a beast! Most improved size in my mind.

The 9 and 11 were my go-to kites last year and I didn't feel like there was much to improve on here. The range of these two sizes is insane. I am comfortably powered on the 11m for passes at 18 knots and can go upwind in 15/16. I'm happy doing bigger passes on it up until 23 knots and that's when the 9m comes alive. The 9 works up until 28/29 for passes and then turns into a loop machine at 30 and above. The 11m is such a perfect speed for 2015. I found it nimble enough to work around and get up some great speed for popping but also found it never to move around on me during my trick. This is both an indication of better slack, and good turning speed for freestyle. Most mid weight riders could get away with a 9 and 11 two kite quiver as they really cover a great range. I found the 9m to have a lot more slack in the higher end of the wind range this year which I am really stoked about. I love to go super fast into my tricks and having that extra slack is key.

The 13m is a new addition to my quiver this year. I have had brief runs on both the 2013 and 2014 13m and I really liked them but the 2015 is a massive step up. Slack, speed, and power are all perfect on this kite. The feel of the kite has improved a lot from last season and I can't put my finger on the word for it exactly but there is just something magic about this kite now. I recommend it highly for riders over 75kgs in the 15-20 knots range. You can go absolutely huge on it and really dial in your tech freestyle as the kite won't move much, if at all. This kite has a lot of range and massive amounts of slack. Just a joy to ride.

Uses:
The kite is designed as a freestyle beast and it definitely delivers. Slack, speed, and looping are all beyond expectations. As with any bridled C, you need to go into your tricks faster to maximise your slack. It takes some getting used to but it definitely lets you go big. Kites should do what they're designed to do - that's a given especially from a company like Cabrinha. What you don't expect to get but do get is a ton of freeride and wave performance. I used these kites at the Merimbula wave comp last year and that was the first time I realised they actually went well in the waves. This year in Mauritius I really got to test them. Yes you have to adjust your technique and move the kite a little more while on the wave and loop a bit more but you can really have some fun sessions on this. I often take a strapless surfboard down with my wakestyle board and ride waves in between going massive off kickers. For freeriding, the kite is forgiving for such a high performance machine and boosts really well. Downloops won't kill you and you'll appreciate the low end and park and ride ability of the Chaos. Set it up on B setting for wake/freestyle and A for waves/freeride.

Build:
2DR double ripstop makes the kite feel crisp and makes it extremely durable. After an unplanned landing into a tree last season I really found out how strong this material is. You can tamahawk this kite session and session and you'll be laughing at how well it holds up (though I don't recommend this!). My kites from last season still look new and they have probably 150-200 sessions between them. You can't fault Cab's build quality - it's insane.

Bar:
You have two options this season - a fixed bar in 40, 45, or 55cm or the Overdrive 47-56cm adjustable bar. I've been riding both of these and really love the simplicity of them. Covered depower line, soft bar ends, strong lines, simple chicken loop, and easy pull pull sheeting are all great features. If you like to ride freestyle you can get a bigger (26cm) chicken loop for easier hooking/unhooking. If you want to run one bar the Overdrive is really nice. It feels solid in the hands and the kites are slow enough on them. If you're a wakestyle freak maybe go for the 45 or 40cm fixed bars.

Conclusion:
I'm stoked with the year to year improvements of this kite. If you want a freestyle specific kite with heaps of performance and slack that will deal with crossing over to freeriding and waves too then the Chaos is definitely worth looking at. With improved slack, feel, and speed (smaller sizes slower, large sizes faster) I really think Cabrinha has stepped it up another level this season. Stop by Kitepower in Sydney or Brisbane if you'd like to demo this awesome kite.

I ride B on every size. It's much much better for wakestyle. Makes a huge difference in performance I found. I ride second knot all the time except at the very top end occasionally. Alby told me I was generally flying it a bit oversheeted and that he likes to pull just a tiny bit of trim but he is also very small compared to me. Cheers Glendog!

a really nice review!
i am really interested in the kite not moving after the pop because when learning to pass you always pull wrong
and the kite crashes really good or goes to zenith and you lose the bar
and if its so stable as last year's model (but not heavy bar) this is great...

i dont see in Cabrinha's site the 40cm fixed bar? 45cm the smaller
in 9m what is the windrange in 85kg rider from good upwind-passes till easy handling passes?
thanks !!!