Got my 2.4m and 3.1m today. Very nice. Lines are short, with the 2.4m lines being a touch shorter than the Pocket Rocket v1 1.9 lines. Canopy shimmers and is super slippery. Everything that you can touch is reinforced and stitched which I love. The only raw lazer cut edges are inside of the double skin section. Lines are softer and more pliable than PRv2 but a bit stiffer than PRv1. 3.1 fits with zero issues in the ozone v2 stash belt.

I'll need some time to fully test and review them but am happy to target any questions people have and would also be stoked to discuss other sizes with anyone who has snatched them up as well!

Nice one fellas. Definitely interested to hear your feedback on the LTX thinking of a 5.5 as my biggest pwing. It would be interesting to know how much extra wind range and upwind you get from the LTX when compared to a good single skin like the PRV2. Also how good is the stashing, is it in the realm of something like the ozone power pack but with better top end and upwind?


We’ve got a bit of an onslaught of hybrids and double skins shaking things up a bit now with pt hybrid getting really good reviews, LTX and Altis hybrid looking very promising and the PPC orbit possibly a bit of a gamechanger. Crazy how fast it’s all moving.

Rode the 2.4 in psycho conditions today. Even sailed through a spray tornado. Rainbows everywhere! Ridiculous how stable that thing is.

If I were to venture a guess... I think that people who have put the time in to learn double skins and 50/50 hybrids will develop a specific style of riding that will make single skins and 1/4 hybrids like this less exciting. Especially in the large sizes that he rides.

BWalnut said..
Rode the 2.4 in psycho conditions today. Even sailed through a spray tornado. Rainbows everywhere! Ridiculous how stable that thing is.

I was out on my 2.4 Ozone Flow. Awesome day. My smallest is a Power Pack 3.0 and I’m looking for a 2.4. Did you get enough time in that you can recommend the LTX in the small sizes? If I went with 2.4 and 3.1 does that remove my Power Pack 3.0?

Thank you. In 2.4 wind and strong 3.1, friendly is exactly what I’m looking for. The Power Packs go upwind just fine for me at The Hatchery and Rufus. Current helps a ton. But they need to be powered. Once overpowered, they stop going upwind so well. I’m going to give the LTX a try for the windy days.

BWalnut said..
If I were to venture a guess... I think that people who have put the time in to learn double skins and 50/50 hybrids will develop a specific style of riding that will make single skins and 1/4 hybrids like this less exciting. Especially in the large sizes that he rides.

And just wang performance & handling in Hood conditions and current assist vs ocean swell with light holey wind.
Am watching all these developments in wind range closely tho, cos A. I cant afford a quiver of latest model wangs, and B. 7 metre wangs are just not in my wheelhouse 😜

Got my first session on the LTX 5.5 yesterday in super marginal wind—starting just under 10 knots and dropping to around 5 by the end. Big swim back home coming!
Setup was an 8'0" × 16 3/4" (103 L) downwind board with a 1130S. One thing that really surprised me was the low end. I expected to lose a couple of knots compared to the Skin, but that honestly didn't seem to be the case. What did change dramatically was the handling. In marginal wind you really have to change the way you fly the wing. You can't really get away with flying it on the A-lines like you can with a single skin—you need to keep tension through all the lines. If you let it fly on the A-lines while underpowered, it'll do that characteristic downloop that most hybrids seem prone to. The sea was a complete mess, with leftover swell and tiny wind chop coming from different directions. I was honestly surprised I could keep it flying at all. I had assumed that 10 knots was about the bare minimum for this wing, so it exceeded my expectations. Eventually the wind kept fading. I fell during a jibe, the wing got wet, and with what I'd guess was around 6–8 knots left there was simply no way to relaunch it. That meant a long swim back to shore with the parawing packed in the pouch. It was definitely a tough session—I probably wouldn't even have gone out if I hadn't had a new toy to test—but it taught me quite a bit. My first impression is that hybrids, especially in this size and when underpowered, demand a different level of bar handling. They don't tolerate distractions the way a single skin does. The more I ride it, the more I think that if you decide to go the "hybrid route," it probably makes sense to build your whole quiver around them. The steering inputs are different enough that I think muscle memory becomes a big advantage. Now I just need this stubborn high-pressure system over Spain to disappear so we can get our normal thermal winds back. I'm really looking forward to trying it in proper conditions.

I think the bigger the size, the more LTX-like it should be, while the smaller sizes can move progressively closer to a full double-skin design. I honestly struggle to believe that a fully double-skin 4 m wing would still fly properly once wet in 10–12 knots, as the PPC guys claim. Maybe it can fly in that range when completely dry, but once wet, there is simply too much canopy area for water to stick and adding weight. My guess would be something like: 5 m and above: 1/4 double skin, around 4 m: 1/2 double skin and in the 3 m range, potentially fully double skin. But that is just a guess cause I never tried a full double skin....

BWalnut said..
Yesterday was my first day on the LTX 2.4m, did a 4 hour session, here's the wind gauge:
Note, this wind gauge tends to read low. There was little spray tornados flying across the river at times.




Here's the tracks from the first part of the session:



I then switched for a short go on the Pocket Rocket v1 1.9m (it did not go well).

Here's the second part of the session back on the 2.4m LTX.



After ONE session on the 3.1 (17-31 knots on the gauge) and ONE session on the 2.4 I wouldn't call it the top choice if all you want to do is DW/UW. However, after just those first sessions it's changed the way I view the parawing. This is the most user friendly sail I've had. Awesome for rapid stow/redeploy, sufficient for upwinding short distances, ideal if you are comfortable with more frequent interactions with your parawing. Biggest benefit has to be the comfort in a huge wind range without paying the hybrid/double skin penalty. Comes with the added bonus that this will be the baby step towards teaching people about double skin tech with almost zero pain in the learning process.

I never flew the Power Pack but I've been thinking this might be described as a power pack killer by someone like yourself.

Hi Brian,
correct me if I am wrong but those angle are a little poor when compared to others I have seen you post and considering very favorable current?
Maybe you could post some comparisons with the hybrid, Brm and pocket rockets
thanks for the reviews.

BWalnut said..

AnyBoard said..

Hi Brian,
correct me if I am wrong but those angle are a little poor when compared to others I have seen you post and considering very favorable current?
Maybe you could post some comparisons with the hybrid, Brm and pocket rockets
thanks for the reviews.

Astute observation. It's on my mind as well. I've mentioned at least once that I wasn't sure if the LTX was the #1 choice for upwind but I'm still collecting data. My internal notes have me looking at it pretty closely. Interestingly, I went head to head with a buddy on the 777 Hybrid today and was keeping up with him perfectly which made me scratch my head.

Here's a couple tracks from today:


I feel like the s3 and LTX look exactly the same with the same 710cm^2 foil shown above.



My worst tracks, are always on the Code 720s. My best tracks, have always been on a foil I haven't ridden recently. The Silk 1050 v1.

So, there's a missing data point here. Are these new parawings, really not as good at going upwind? Or is there a tipping point with foil size where a 90kg wet rider on a 720 and smaller sized foil going to be forced to yield upwind angles? I hope to test this theory Saturday with my 1050 to find out.

Thanks


I do wonder if designers are all focused on the pw's sitting further back in the window to make it easier to get on foil. The bar pressure on the pr v2's is crazy compared to the v1 because of this I think. The V1 went up wind just as well but with no fuss.

I scrounged back in time and found a session, miserably overpowered, really horrible. I was on the 2.4m PT Skin with my Silk 1050 with ultra glide 39 tail but look at the upwind angles:


They are really nice, despite being in super strong winds and having a bad time. This isn't conclusive, but it does make me think what's happening below the water may be more impactful than whats happening with the sail in some circumstances.

So then I pulled up this session, same exact spot in the river, perfectly powered, but on a different foil, and look how terrible the upwind lines are:


Again, hard to be conclusive here, but I think two variables need to be addressed. #1 is foil size and #2 is tail. Today I'll be doing a bunch of riding and testing and TBH I'd like to just have some straight up FUN but I'll see if I can get a lap or two in with different gear to very specifically recreate these lines all on the LTX sails.

Yes, the S's aren't the best foils upwind. The 960R is pretty similar to the 850S in terms of upwind performance, but there's no comparison once you point the board downwind. On another note, I tested the LTX 5.5 today in 20+ knots, and what a fun wing it is... It's still stable, easy to ride, and the performance is really impressive. I compared it back-to-back with the Hybrid 5.7 and, although the Hybrid is a bit more stable and has a slight edge upwind, I actually prefer the LTX in this bigger size. The shorter lines make transitions easier and stowing the wing is much quicker and more intuitive. Really happy with the purchase so far!

Something clicked on the 3.1m LTX today. We have a lot of nasty wind, gusty, holes, here in the gorge. I finally got some cleaner sections and was able to play with the sheeting a bit more. I started to feel it "lock in" a few times going upwind and the speed boost was impressive. There's definitely some finesse to it but I was feeling it best on port tack and it cut about 15% off of my standard upwind time.

This was on the 720s with flex 110 tail.

I second Raffig’s points. The 5.7 hybrid does not like being underpowered at all. Unlike single skins, there is a wind range where this is enough wind to fill it but not enough wind to control it. That with added annoyance of the inflated tips and having to drain it every time it goes in the water while waiting for a gust to get up I won’t use it until 15knots. But then at that wind speed I can be on smaller more nimble single skin. Maybe these Hybrids and Dual Skins just don’t make much sense in larger sizes and should be kept for higher end conditions?

Based on Kiting experience the single skin is surely your best chance of the most power and control in light wing. For parawing you wouldn't fly a dual or hybrid unless you need it and when you need it is when the wind is cranking. Stronger wind means bigger gap between average and gusts and it is in this area I think the benefits of a hybrid and dual skin can outweigh their negatives like weight and control. I think 5.7 meter hybrids are best used by heavy guys in moderate to strong wind as opposed to light guys in light wind.