Skyward Chronicles: Latest Reviews in Paragliding Gear

The DAYPACK by ADVANCE is a 20-litre capacity backpack designed for everyday and leisure use, serving as a compact alternative to the larger COMFORTPACK model. Available in Coral Blue and Ruby Red, and weighing approximately 600 grams, it offers a lightweight yet robust option for users seeking practicality and protection, especially for electronics during daily commuting or travel.

The BGD Seed is a specialized paraglider designed exclusively for ground-handling training. Compact and derived from the EN-B Epic model, it provides pilots with the experience of handling a full-size wing while safely developing launch and kiting skills. Its construction and features prioritize safety, durability, and realistic wing behavior, making it an excellent tool for students and experienced pilots working on active piloting techniques during strong wind conditions.

The LIGHTBAG is a versatile, ultra-lightweight 15-litre bag crafted from paraglider fabric, ideal for shopping and daily use. Its compact design allows it to fold neatly into its own mini-pocket, making it convenient to carry in a harness, backpack, or jacket. With both carry handles and shoulder straps, the bag offers flexible carrying options and is available in nine colour variants, catering to differing style preferences.

The BGD Base 3 is a high-performance EN/LTF-B cross-country paraglider designed for pilots looking to step up from low-B wings while maintaining an emphasis on safety and handling ease. This paraglider features a 2.5-liner design with unsheathed Edelrid 8001U aramid micro-lines that reduce drag and provide a responsive “two-liner” rear-riser steering feel. Borrowing elements such as a relatively high arc, tapered planform, and raked wing tips from BGD’s top-tier performance models, the Base 3 achieves excellent glide and pitch stability, contributing to its strong collapse resistance and speedbar stability. Constructed with durable materials like Porcher Skytex 38 and nylon rods, it is optimized for real-world cross-country flying and designed to offer a balanced envelope between performance and safety across sizes XS to L. Handling focuses on slow-speed control, safe launches in strong winds, and easy top-landings, with rear-riser steering enhancing pitch and speed management during flight. Overall, the Base 3 is a sports-intermediate wing that allows experienced pilots to extend their cross-country capabilities without a large safety compromise, backed by thorough documentation and certification reports for transparency.

Introduction to NOVA Caps Limited Edition 2025

The NOVA Caps Limited Edition 2025 represents a niche lifestyle merchandise item from the NOVA brand, tailored specifically for paragliding enthusiasts who resonate with NOVA’s identity. These caps are not technical gear but branded apparel designed to symbolize membership and passion within the NOVA paragliding community. The caps use a renowned snapback/baseball cap model — the premium “The CLASSICS” 6089M from YUPOONG — known for its good build quality and classic fit comfort. The design combines a sleek grey base colour accented by subtle embroidery of the NOVA logo, available in two thread colour options: white, offering an understated look, and pink, lending a sportier, more expressive style.

The UP MANA 2 EN/LTF A paraglider is a carefully crafted second-generation wing designed by UP for pilots seeking a light, safe, and easy-to-handle EN/LTF A-class experience. It suits hike & fly enthusiasts, training pilots, and safety-conscious flyers wanting simplicity, durability, and versatile mountain-friendly performance without extremes in ultra-light design.

The T-Shirt ICONIC by NOVA is a thoughtfully designed regular-fit unisex shirt that appeals specifically to paragliding enthusiasts who appreciate understated yet meaningful apparel. Featuring a subtle anthracite melange color and a graphic made up of discreet paragliding-related icons, this garment balances style with a nod to the adventurous spirit of the sport. The fabric blend of 45% cotton, 45% modal (TENCEL™), and 10% elastane (Lycra®) results in a very soft and smooth touch against the skin, along with excellent stretch and shape retention that lasts through wear and washing. A key sustainable feature is the use of TENCEL™, a biodegradable and compostable fibre produced in an environmentally friendly way in Austria, reinforcing the product’s low-impact footprint while supporting high comfort and durability. Made in Europe (Turkey), it caters to both men and women with true-to-size fits and slightly elongated torsos for better coverage during active or casual wear.

The Icaro Paragliders Parus² is a modern EN-B certified tandem paraglider that excels as a reliable, lightweight wing designed for both professional commercial use and recreational flying with family and friends. Its complete redesign features innovations such as a shark-nose profile and ultra-light STA15 fabric, significantly reducing overall weight to 6.5 kg for the 35.5 m² size and 7.2 kg for the 41.5 m² size, which greatly benefits launch, landing, and in-flight handling characteristics.

The ICARO Alba is a modern, certified round rescue parachute designed specifically for single-seat paragliding pilots who favor the classic round reserve style but want enhanced performance and reliability. Engineered with a focus on maximum structural strength, very fast opening, low sink rate, and high pendulum stability, the Alba system balances proven stability with modern materials and design. It is available in three certified sizes (Alba 85, 105, 130), catering to different maximum pilot loads, with relatively light overall weights and compact pack volumes that make it adaptable to a wide range of harnesses.

The NOVA MONTIS+ presents itself as an innovative, ultralight hike & fly paragliding harness system expertly designed for pilots who prioritize flexibility, safety, and low weight without compromising comfort. Combining the renowned MONTIS harness with the reversible INVERTO rucksack, the total system weighs approximately 1.3 kg and offers a spacious 60-litre rucksack volume, making it ideal for a broad range of flying experiences—from casual evening glides to challenging alpine tours.

The Epic Freestyle is a paraglider specifically designed as a highly forgiving and confidence-building EN/LTF-B certified wing tailored for pilots keen to learn and progress in freestyle, SIV, and entry acro flying. It also remains fully capable of everyday use and cross-country (XC) flights, making it a versatile choice for dynamic pilots. This article provides a detailed analytical review based on the manufacturer's specifications and aggregated insights from instructors and pilot feedback.

The Aquila is ICARO’s dedicated freestyle paraglider that skillfully combines acro-style agility with robust thermal and cross-country (XC) flying capabilities. Featuring the company's best thermal profile, the Aquila offers impressive climb and soaring performance for a compact freestyle wing, making it an appealing choice for pilots seeking a blend of playfulness and serious flying functionality.