In comparison to our previous two years of parawing development, more of the development for this season’s gear happened outside of Hawaii. Riding in locations with different real-world challenges increased our focus on the effectiveness of the fundamental riding functions of being able to get on foil, go up wind, and enjoy riding comfortably in a wide wind range. For these, the S3 by far delivers the most fun on the water. Less versatile designs that specialize in single aspects of performance required far too specialized conditions to outperform the S3, so we didn’t find them to be realistic options.

The additional bridle lines make power more direct for pumping onto foil by reducing the energy lost from the parawing flexing. The additional bridle lines also better support the flatter profile shape for much better upwind performance. The S3 was developed in parallel with hybrid and double skins, borrowing some of the more complex design elements from these different categories. Rather than thinking of a single skin as a simplified design, our interest was to take performance to its highest possible level.

Riding with the handle extends comfortable riding range due to its perpendicular front hand orientation being unaffected by changes in bar angle. Bars, including curved bars, position our hands in-line. With this orientation, as bar angle increases, we feel overpowered due to poor wrist ergonomics. The same amount of power can be well within comfortable riding range on the handle.

The S3 has medium length lines to be our best balance of ease of stow-deploy and effectiveness for getting on foil. Lengths vary by parawing size, and retract lengths are listed in the S3 product description.

A parawing is a hand-held collapsible wing used to create propulsion for riding a hydrofoil. Unlike an e-foil powered by batteries, a parawing is powered by wind, like sails and kites.

A key difference between a parawing and a wingfoil wing is that a parawing can be collapsed to allow the rider to transition from hydrofoil riding powered by the wind to hydrofoil riding powered entirely from energy in the water.

The term parawing has been used for over 75 years. The newest use of the term was by BRM in August of 2024 at the launch of a new hydrofoil riding category that combined parafoil design elements from paragliders and parafoil kites, with application aspects of wingfoil wings.

The majority of first-adopters to parawinging crossed-over from downwind SUP foiling due to the parawing making it easier to get on foil than with a paddle and making it possible to ride smaller boards and foils. Riders have also crossed-over from wingfoiling for foil surfing.

The description of parawinging’s beginner-friendliness varies by the riding category to which it is being compared. Due to differences in equipment and technique, riders crossing over from wingfoiling often describe parawinging as not beginner-friendly. In contrast, the great majority of riders crossing over from downwind SUP foiling describe parawinging as very beginner-friendly.

As a category of hydrofoil riding, parawinging is subject to the dangers inherent to hydrofoils. Like kites, parawinging is subject to the danger of getting tangled in lines.

Prior foiling experience is not needed to parawing, however, it does cross over to speed the learning curve.

Parawings come in different sizes to suit variables including different wind speeds, rider size, riding application and equipment pairing. To select a size, we recommend reviewing the wind range guide.