VAYU Aura 3

As with several brands currently riding high in the world of foiling, VAYU spotted the opportunity early on in terms of the rise and rise in popularity of foiling (and in particular, winging) and jumped straight in with a full line up of foils, boards and wings. They didn’t get distracted by anything else.

Consequently, they have been there for most of the evolutions of the nascent wingfoil scene and have been super-quick to develop their products as the spot itself has evolved. Mix in a solid roster of team riders feeding into the design process and a dedicated VAYU following and it is easy to see why they have established themselves as one of the top brands in the market. Now with several wing models (some into their 4th iteration), we had the freeride and wave focused AURA III on test.

As the sport of wingfoiling has evolved, so have the materials available, and VAYU have been very much ‘on top’ of evolutions. They have an Aluula wing in their line up, and the AURA III sees the introduction of several new materials. First up they have employed Aluula FX86 in the middle of the leading edge. This is stiff and lighter and forms the core of the AURA III. The remainder of the leading edge is then built with DKC 160 Dacron – overall an intelligent use of materials that, once pumped, feels super stiff and rigid with the FX86 providing a rock solid connection with the center strut and giving the AURA III a very stiff core. It’s like it’s been working hard on those sit ups at the gym… It is worth noting that these materials and tech do not impact on the price of the AURA III which falls into the mid-range cost category and well below the cost of many of the Aluula-based wings.

Canopy material is Tejin Crazyrip 5×5 which adds an extra level of “oops I rolled my board over my wing” confidence and, coupled with the stiff leading edge, gives the AURA III a very taut canopy. VAYU are also introducing their new Click-Boom system. As the name suggests, this enables you to remove the boom for packing down the wing and then to easily click it back in when it’s time to hit the water. For anyone who is tired of trying to squeeze an unwieldly boom into a too-small bag, this is great news…

Pumped up and the AURA III looks and feels super solid, with the distinctive kink in the center strut ensuring that the handles (if you choose these over the boom) are perfectly placed for comfortable ‘cramp free’ usage.

On the water and the AURA III proves itself a very easy wing to get going on. The deeper profile provides plenty of grunt and gets you up to speed quickly. Coupled with a surfier shaped mid-length board it was easy to get up and riding in marginal conditions – the feedback from pumping the wing is very quick and direct and had us up and riding easily. Once you are going, the AURA III provides a smooth and effortless experience. For a freeride/surf wing, you want something that is there when you need it, but an easy-going companion when you don’t… It does this perfectly. In gusty or fluky conditions (we were riding in side-off wind) it handled the conditions very well – the upwind performance is also surprisingly good and enabled us to get back upwind in double time.

Flagged out when wave-riding and – through the lighter weight, the depth of the canopy and the moderate amount of dihedral – the AURA III behaved perfectly. Happy to sit behind until you return from wave to wind power. If the center strut catches the wave then we found that it did not stick and would bounce up again without turning the wing over.

The characteristics that make the AURA III great for riding in the waves also translate into a great wing for beginners. There are no surprises, the power delivery is predictable and its ability to absorb gusts and wind shifts also suit it very well to the beginner-intermediate market.

Overall we were impressed with the AURA III which succeeds in being an ‘affordable’ wing and packing in the tech and materials to give you a top-tier riding experience.