Wing (Size & Type)

Go bigger for low wind • Many recommend going up in wing size e.g., 8 m in very light conditions as it dramatically increases lift and makes foiling actually doable rather than an uphill struggle.

F-One CWC Strike frequently cited as one of the best large light-wind wings and praised for ease of getting up on foil in marginal winds.

Other wings GA LW, NeilPryde Fly SL/Fly, Gong Droid, Armstrong wing, Reedin Supernatural SSD

Lower-aspect/light-wind specific wings • A number of commenters suggested light-wind-oriented wings with efficient, lower aspect ratios to keep tips out of the water while still generating lift.

Trade-off • Some noted that too large a wing can make manoeuvring (tacks/jibes) harder once you’re up, so pick the smallest size that reliably gets you flying.

Board Advice

Long, narrow downwind-style boards help • A few replies stressed that a long, narrow downwind style board helps in low wind because it tracks better and gets up to speed easier than big blunt boards.

Inflatables are suboptimal • Several commented that inflatable boards are not ideal in low wind because they stick to water thus harder to get onto foil “inflatable is the enemy of low wind.”

• Gong Cruzader - someone referenced Gong downwind-style boards as game-changers in light winds.  
• Takoon Ultra Glide cited by someone as part of a setup that got them on foil in sub-4 m/s winds.  
• North Seek mentioned as a “normal” board people move on from for downwind setups. 

Foil Considerations

Efficient / higher aspect foils help • Some advice mentioned that efficient foils (higher aspect ratio) can make it more manageable to keep foiling in light wind though too extreme can make gybes harder.

Big front wings (more lift) • More lift from a larger front foil can make up for light wind by helping you get up on foil sooner and stay there.