JN Wild Thing

The Wild Thing was Jochum and Nesler’s first kite back in 2003, the dawn of kiting. At the time it made a huge statement, a full four-line C shape with an aggressive high-aspect design and no less than seven (yes, seven) struts as well as some battens in the wingtips. Its black and white zebra print caught the eye of the whole industry, and still remains an iconic moment of the sport for many. The kite’s legacy models have been through all the key phases over the last couple of decades, with a hybrid C shape in the WT2, a mid-aspect open C in the WT3, a lean and fast boosting machine in the WT4, WT5 and the Revival. With JN’s recent renaissance as a brand, the latest WT is a full redesign, but keeping the DNA of the old model strong. One of the most distinctive graphic designs in kite history now has six color options available. It’s aimed at ticking all the usual high-performance freeride boxes with a dash of Big Air thrown in for good measure, in five sizes ranging from 6.5m to 14m. It comes in very snazzy (and perfectly sized) bag with a repair kit. The inflation system is a high-volume SUP valve affair, Kevlar covers the leading edge joins, and all the modern trimmings are present.

From a shape perspective we’re presented with an open-arced, five-strut kite that’s relatively lean in its tube diameters and immediately looks as though it means business. The front tube design carries over from the other models and has the Perfect Arc technology which means more tailored tubes with less segmentation resulting in less parasitic drag and a stiffer airframe. We think that some design inspiration has perhaps come across from the Mr. F model as well, but the aspect ratio has been stretched right out. The struts are all ultra-thin and the central three benefit from Floating Batten technology which means a perfectly trimmed canopy profile in the center of the kite. This allows the kite to luff exceptionally well, which is important when exiting maneuvers for a leaner high-aspect kite that likes to push forward in the window. Material choices are high end and sensible with industry standard two-core Teijin cloth on the canopy, and a stiff Dimension-Polyant Dacron making up the airframe, which even when very overpowered didn’t flinch, which is a testament to the well-designed and minimal bridle configuration. It runs on four lines with a high-V split.

For the more ambitious free rider, the Wild Thing is going to impress you with masses of lift on sheet, direct handling and assertive, yet throttleable power delivery. We’d put the bar pressure in the middle weight sector across brands and kites of a similar target, but what has always shone with JN kites is how nuanced the handling and feedback down to the bar is. You know exactly where the kite is when you need to without vagueness. Exceptionally stable in the upper reaches of its top end, it has a decent amount of static background pull and downloops really well, allowing you to hover down from jumps and maybe stick a grab in where you’d have been previously hesitant. It’s not all about the top end though; it gets going pretty early for a five strutter, flies forward well in lighter conditions and sneaks upwind well. Overall the wind range and usability is extremely impressive.

The Wild Thing has had a ground up redesign bringing it up to modern standards, making an extremely accessible high-performance tool for the seasoned rider. The smaller sizes are versatile as well, with anything under a 10m having a strong crossover into wave work in stronger conditions with that snappy handling really getting that five strutter moving. It’s brilliant to see that iconic graphic design still around with strong performance to live up to its strong image and lineage, and it sits correctly as JN’s flagship model.