Hey Rich, my personal thoughts are the parawing is a tool to get onto swell so you can ride waves on the foil without having a wing in your way.

Mostly (and again this is personal thoughts) if you are 't sure how it fits in your quiver, then you probably don't need it. basic use cases are
- downwind runs, get up and pack away (replaces a sup paddle or your wing)
- local triangles, ride upwind and pack/hold, ride swell

if you're not riding swell then you're not going to gain a lot from parawing. the only other reason I see is if you are entering the water with a lot of swell (beach break) it is a lot easier with just the board and a packed up parawing.

if you drop it, it will plonk into the water and sit on the surface in 98% of cases. if its super lit and pings out of your hand in 30 knots it may go a good distance but it won't get away from you, just paddle and pick up. this is a rarity, usually its hitting the water beside you.

again all personal thoughts, if you are not proficient and long runs riding swell unassisted by the wing then I don't think it adds much to your experience. I still regularly wing in a bunch of conditions and use the parawing for downwind riding. If you're riding swell and getting pissed off about having a wing in your face, or eating **** on a SUP foil, then this is the tool to solve all problems.

your learning curve may vary depending on whether you have a kiting background, it is quite different from winging and you can't rely on a wing pump to get you up.

in terms of what brand, any 2nd gen parawing in your price bracket is going to be ok until you work out what you want out of it. I have a flow, I think I would lean to the Ozone if I was buying now.

TLDR - its a great new challenge and has its place but its not the replacement for winging.

CH3MTR4IL5 said..
missed your last question- the sizing is not really the same power wise and it varies a bit between brands. if you are a proficient winger you will probably need to size up from your wing size at first. its also pretty challenging riding a bigger parawing in lighter conditions- start in solid wind if you can.

Hi Mate thanks for all the advice greatly appreciated

DukeSilver said..

There is a video from gav@hydrofoil which answers many of the questions you are asking. It's well worth a look.
It's titled "Parawing Vs Wingfoiling: Which is Right for You? | Full Comparison"

That one? ??

I really like the simplicity of it. Just a board and a Pwing. No pumps and bags. Easy to set up come in anywhere and walk back to the car no gear to collect on the beach.

I am just using them as a replacement for wings. It is challenging and fun. Not even thinking about downwinding or swell riding.

My rule for sizing is if I am reasonably lit on my 5m wing, then I can use my 5m pwing.

bigtone667 said..
I am just using them as a replacement for wings. It is challenging and fun. Not even thinking about downwinding or swell riding.

My rule for sizing is if I am reasonably lit on my 5m wing, then I can use my 5m pwing.

Same here.
If your car allows to bring the mast already mounted on the board. You can be in the water in 15 minutes.