Duotone Evo D/LAB 2027 — The Ultimate Allround Freeride Kite

The Duotone Evo D/LAB 2027 is now available to order — the flagship of the Evo range and, on paper, one of the most capable all-round Freeride kites Duotone has built. It sits above the SLS and Original Evo in the range, built on Aluula D/TX construction with a three-strut frame designed to shave weight without giving up stiffness.

Duotone's own line on it: Freeride, Big Air, Freestyle, Wave and loops all in one kite, rather than one built for a single discipline. It's arriving in eight sizes, from a 6m through to a 13m, in the single turquoise C11 colourway.

Aluula D/TX — the lightest frame Duotone has built

The headline change is the frame. Aluula D/TX is the lightest and most advanced material Duotone has put into a production kite, and it's paired here with a three-strut layout. The idea is a kite that reacts faster to input — sharper steering, more direct power delivery, and a frame stiff enough to hold its shape when it's loaded up.

Duotone are pitching it hardest at Big Air and high-performance Freeride: explosive lift, a longer hang time, and a controlled, predictable drop back down rather than a sudden one. The wind range and top-end stability are the other big claims — refined canopy tension and the stiffer frame are meant to keep things calm well into overpowered conditions, while the efficient airframe is designed to get you planing early at the light end too.

Built for more than one discipline

Duotone haven't built this around one discipline. It's positioned across Freeride, Big Air, Freestyle and Wave, with upwind performance called out specifically — a cleaner canopy profile and forward flight characteristics aimed at holding speed and line tension while tracking upwind.

First rides: Jake's take

Jake Scrace, one of our local shop riders, has been out on it and confirms it's a different animal to last year's D/LAB. The silver-toned Aluula leading edge under that canopy changes how it looks on the beach as much as how it flies — Jake reckons it makes the kite feel smaller than it is. Where the old D/LAB was docile and forgiving, this one feels more refined and more powerful, with noticeably heavier bar pressure that gives it a more direct feel. It also doesn't drop out and depower in quite the same way as the old Evo — you always know exactly where the kite is, for better or worse depending on what you're used to.

On the water, Jake rates the low-end power and upwind ability highly, and it's clearly a strong boosting kite — plenty of hang time once you're up there. The stand-out for him, though, is the looping: predictable enough for someone just learning to loop, but with enough range to satisfy someone right at the top of their game.