Towfoiling Portugal’s Atlantic swell with Towtrips
Jet ski, driver, board and foil, two hours at a time. Towtrips tow foilers into Atlantic swell on Portugal’s Alentejo coast, and their 2026/27 swell season opens this month.
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Foiling Magazine's pick of the best inflatable wings on the market, every one ridden and tested by our team. Each wing carries a “Recommended for” tag so you can see at a glance where it shines, plus our tester’s honest notes from the water.
Cabrinha
FM Tested – Issue 27
Now in its sixth version, the Mantis has quietly become a benchmark all-rounder. Cabrinha has shelved the twin-handle option in favour of a compact, self-indexing boom that saves weight and gives easy one-handed control, while a refined, lightly segmented leading edge holds its structure even when heavily loaded.
Tester notes
“Six versions in and it shows – the Mantis just feels sorted. The new boom is comfy and gives easy one-handed control, and there's so much stability baked in that it sits dead still when you flag it on a wave. A proper benchmark all-rounder that doesn't ask anything of you.”
Duotone
FM Tested – Issue 28
The Unit is Duotone's all-rounder, and the SLS slots into the sweet spot of the range – a step up from standard Dacron with a garnish of stiff Aluula in the centre of the leading edge where it matters most, for a relatively modest price bump. An angled strut sewn straight to the canopy gives a direct, locked-in feel and angles the handles towards you.
Tester notes
“The smoothest, most balanced Duotone wing I've flown. Power builds evenly across a genuinely wide range with no front-stall to catch you out. Flagged out on a wave it sits quietly overhead with none of the sideways rocking some wings give you. Add the boom-or-handles choice and that comfy oval grip and it's hard to fault.”
Naish
Naish bills the ADX as an all-day, every-session wing – easy to trust, fun to fly, confident in swell and fast across the flats. It's the do-a-bit-of-everything wing in the range: balanced and powerful by design, with steady drive and effortless handling that accelerates with ease and stays composed through every transition. Naish pitches it right across the spectrum, from linking your very first rides through to laid-back carving and a touch of freestyle, which makes it a natural one-wing quiver for the majority of riders who just want to get on the water and go.
North
FM Tested – Issue 28
A long-standing team favourite, and the latest Nova Pro builds on a design we already loved. A sophisticated frame uses stiff N-Weave45 through the strut and centre leading edge, transitioning to Dacron at the tips, with a high-tension Matrix canopy near the leading edge – the result feels exceptionally robust and stiff in the hands.
Tester notes
“Still one of my favourite wings to fly. The compact span makes waterstarts off a sinker effortless, and the wind range is huge – it keeps pulling in the lulls then stays composed when the wind jumps 15 knots. Seriously robust and stiff without being a handful.”
CORE
FM Tested – Issue 26
CORE has reverse-engineered last year's high-end, full-Aluula Halo Pro back to a smarter Dacron build to make it both performant and more affordable. Three grades of performance Dacron combine in an intricate airframe that keeps the front-tube diameter only slightly larger than its Aluula sibling.
Tester notes
“Clever bit of engineering – they've got most of the Aluula Halo Pro's stiffness out of three grades of Dacron, for a lot less money. Versatile, balanced and genuinely easy to ride, with that kinked Bionic boom falling nicely to hand. A lot of wing for the price.”
Armstrong
FM Tested – Issue 26
The original A-Wing XPS sparked a market-wide revolution in canopy tension – pump it up and it's preloaded drum-tight, giving a super-wide wind range and smooth, stable handling. The MkII keeps everything that made it a hit and quietly sharpens it, with slightly reduced spans and the same proven DLE airframe and Teijin D3 canopy.
Tester notes
“Pump it up and it's drum-tight straight away – that preloaded canopy tension is the whole trick, and it's what gives the A-Wing its enormous wind range and that lovely smooth, stable feel. I never felt like I was wrestling it; it just sits where you put it and lets you get on with riding. It drives upwind better than almost anything I've had in my hands, and sits beautifully in the waves where that stability really pays off. The removable carbon trailing-edge battens keep the top end vibration-free, so even fully maxed out it stays composed rather than getting flappy and nervous. The MkII doesn't reinvent a winning formula – it just quietly sharpens it – and the result is one of the most confidence-inspiring wings out there, whatever your level.”
Gaastra
FM Tested – Issue 28
A team favourite that consistently delivers, the Pure Team chases performance in every detail. Its standout is the 80X UPE laminated material used throughout the frame – ultra-stiff and exceptionally light – paired with a 2×2 ripstop canopy and a tougher 3×3 panel at the trailing edge.
Tester notes
“One of my favourites again. The 80X UPE frame is stiff and light, and the two-piece carbon grip means it packs down tiny – a big deal when you travel. Loads of performance in every detail.”
Starboard
FM Tested – Issue 27
Starboard pitches the Viva as a true do-it-all that balances durability, purpose, features and cost – a lightweight, playful wing built to cover waves, freeride, freestyle and big air. A medium-aspect outline with a straight central leading edge and fuller tips delivers strong low-end and a wide range.
Tester notes
“A proper do-it-all that punches above its price. Easy to make power when you're underpowered, hauls downwind, and spills power cleanly when you're maxed. It can push back if you drive hard upwind, but for most riders it just makes everything easy. Brilliant value.”
Reedin
Reedin's do-everything wing is built to carry you the whole way – from your first wingfoiling sessions through to riding waves, boosting, pulling tricks and going for speed runs. For 2026 it gains new boom sizing, and a Short Span Design (SSD) option opens up serious light-wind riding.
Tester notes (previous V2)
“We rode the previous V2 and loved it – super-stiff and noticeably lighter, with a brilliant low-end that made waterstarts off a small board easy. The speed, instant response and explosive lift had me nailing tricks in the first session, and the shaped strut and pistol-grip carbon handles kept arm fatigue right down. Neutral and drifty in the waves, with excellent upwind too – a wing that genuinely works with you, from after-lessons all the way up to pro level.”
AFS
FM Tested – Issue 28
Where most new wings chase lighter materials and more stiffness, AFS took a different line with the Stream One – prioritising accessibility, comfort and efficiency. It borrows DNA from the premium Stream but in a more accessible, Dacron-leading-edge package that makes a lot of sense for most riders.
Tester notes
“The wing almost disappears in your hands – everything feels intuitive, you're not fighting it, you're just riding. The Dacron leading edge isn't the downgrade you'd expect; it stays solid in gusts and forgiving when your positioning's off. My arms ached a lot less after a long session, too.”
North
FM Tested – Issue 25
North's performance all-rounder is crafted with their usual meticulous detail. The airframe uses lightweight-yet-durable N-Weave45, the canopy a low-stretch Matrix fabric that feels thicker and tougher than standard cloth, and a boat-sail-style panel layout that adds both looks and canopy tension.
Tester notes
“Meticulous, as North always are. The N-Weave45 frame and Matrix canopy feel noticeably tougher than the usual fabrics, and the boat-sail panel layout gives lovely tight canopy tension. ShiftLock makes swapping boom and handles a two-screw job. Stiff, durable and reassuringly planted.”
RRD
FM Tested – Issue 29
RRD's flagship freeride wing gets the premium treatment. Rather than build a different wing, RRD kept the standard Evolution's easy, balanced DNA and added Aluula exactly where it counts – a double layer of 82g/m² Aluula through the mid leading edge and strut junction, the highest-stress zones – so the Gold feels noticeably lighter and stiffer without changing the wing's friendly character. An internal Insignia reinforcement stripe runs inside the leading edge, while a central load spreader and tip Energy Spreaders keep the canopy calm and deformation-free in gusts.
Tester notes
“The first thing you notice isn't power, it's the weight – the Aluula Gold leading edge makes it feel light and neutral overhead, and that transforms the ride. It stays every bit an Evolution: progressive power, beautifully balanced, intuitive from the first reach. But everything's sharper – pumping is more efficient, takeoff more alive, and once flying it almost disappears in your hands. The Quick Lock Boom V3 is one of the cleanest boom systems out there.”
Vayu
FM Tested – Issue 26
Built with Aluula's latest-generation materials – Aeris X in the centre, Aeris at the tips and strut – the Aura X V3 feels exceptionally light yet remarkably stiff straight out of the bag. A mixed-yarn canopy keeps weight down in low-stress areas and toughness where it counts.
Tester notes
“Within 30 seconds you notice the stiffness – zero flutter, no frame flex, totally direct power. Waterstarts and pumping feel effortless and the upwind performance is phenomenal; it locks into position and drives. Seriously impressive build.”
FreeWing
FM Tested – Issue 25
A no-compromise, high-performance wing built around FreeWing's exclusive Ho'okipa Ultra PE leading edge and strut, an Ultra-X canopy and a prepreg carbon pistol-grip boom. The Ho'okipa material pairs very low elongation under load with high tensile strength at competitive weight.
Tester notes
“Explosive. A couple of pumps and you're flying – the low-end and take-off power is instant, which is gold in the waves. Once up it stays light and drives forward without fuss, and that carbon pistol boom is superb whether you're flagging on a wave or loading for a jump.”
Eleveight
FM Tested – Issue 29
Pitched as a wave/freeride wing, the GT4+ is part of Eleveight's premium “+”-range wing line up. The frame uses XTC TEX 2.0 – a lighter, stiffer, stronger Dacron than the standard – with an extra XTC TEX 2.0 layer across the central leading edge and a reinforced exoskeleton T-centre joint for rigidity, while the crisp 4×4 canopy is backed by tougher X6 ripstop in the high-load areas. A slim leading edge, dihedral shape and refined tip twist cut drag for strong upwind performance and effortless drift, and a full carbon boom keeps the weight down yet further.
Tester notes
“Incredibly friendly from the first ride – powerful with a great low-end, but composed when the wind picks up, and it holds the same personality right across the range. The length-matched carbon boom means you find full power at the very end with no back-stall, which makes it wonderfully intuitive. Where it really came alive was in the waves: light and compact, it drifts effortlessly and almost isn't there once you're on a wave.”
NeilPryde
FM Tested – Issue 28
NeilPryde's playful, high-performance all-rounder leans towards waves and freestyle. It's built around an Aerotex frame – a woven UHMWPE composite with a distinctive black finish, reinforced with an Aramid X-Ply core – with lighter Aerotex tips to balance weight and stiffness, plus a durable 5×5 ripstop canopy backed by tougher 6×6 panels in the trailing edge. A slightly lower aspect than its Fly Pro IV sibling makes it the more agile, manoeuvrable of the pair.
Tester notes
“Agile and comfortable from the first wave – it drifts beautifully, sits perfectly neutral when flagged, then fires instant power when you need to get back out. In the air the lift is explosive, with a forward pull that practically begs for inverted flips and rotations, and it only gets more playful as the wind turns gusty. The more creative, high-performance choice for technical riders.”
Jet ski, driver, board and foil, two hours at a time. Towtrips tow foilers into Atlantic swell on Portugal’s Alentejo coast, and their 2026/27 swell season opens this month.
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Header photo: Oscar Hetherington Ten foils, every one ridden and tested by the Foiling Magazine team. Each card carries the numbers you actually need, the setup we tested it on, and our tester’s honest account of what it’s like once you’re flying. FliteLab FLUX FM Tested – Issue 29 Recommended forSurfWing/parawing The FLUX is Adam
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Second hand gear is important in our industry as it gives our first-timers their first crack! AFS have recently launched their “Second-Hand Marketplace” – let’s take a look. AFS opens its second-hand marketplace to riders and resellers. AFS, the French carbon foil manufacturer, has opened a platform dedicated to second-hand AFS gear. Private owners and
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