Power Kite Forum

Kite Safety Equipment List ?

windhunter - 28-6-2011 at 07:55 PM

For the benifit of all us kite nuts out there and mostly us Newbies. Tell me what you use for safety gear in all of the traction catagories, landboards, buggies, snow, water. And maybe the manufacturer too.

ripsessionkites - 28-6-2011 at 07:58 PM

helmet, thats all i use for buggying (cruise, race, freestyle), and flyboarding.

flyjump - 28-6-2011 at 08:17 PM

+1 for helmet

John Holgate - 28-6-2011 at 08:59 PM

Good boots. Emergency stake - I keep one attached to the buggy and one in my kit bag. Gloves - in really windy conditions I might have to haul a$$ on one brake line to get the kite down. Decent sunnies - it's bright up there! Helmet which holds hat on. Sunblock - a day at the beach can fry you pretty quick. Phone is usually with me too....just in case.

macboy - 28-6-2011 at 10:44 PM

+1 on the good boots. I dug out my Hanwags for buggy and ATB after a few near twists on the old ankles.

indigo_wolf - 28-6-2011 at 10:56 PM

Head:
Giro G10


Klim F4


Eyes:
ESS Advancer V12 Goggles, 3 Lens Kit


Elbows:
Dainese 3x Elbow Pads


Knees:
Dainese 3x Knee/Shin Pads


Hands:
Hillbilly Full Finger Wrist Guard Gloves


Petzl Light Weight Belay Gloves


Gluteous Maximus:
Hillbilly Impact Shorts


Oh Crap!!!:
Benchmade 7 Hook Knife


Gerber Hook Knife


Hey You!!!
Fox 40 Howler Whistle


Vampires Ahead:
HQ Kite Stake


Two Mediums, One With Pepperoni
Nokia 1600 Bar Phone



The D@mn Cat Stole The Charger Again!!!
Philips Power2Go Emergency Phone Charger


Maxpedition Volta Battery Pouch w/Batuca Battery Carriers & An Assortment of Batteries


Did You Happen To See My Car Keys?
Fenix LD10 LED Flash Light


4Sevens Mini CR2 Titanium LED Flashlight


Are You Cold?
Exotac nanoStriker Titanium


00 Steel Wool


ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 28-6-2011 at 11:13 PM

Far more important safety item than all that crap - space downwind of you :lol:

indigo_wolf - 28-6-2011 at 11:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Far more important safety item than all that crap - space downwind of you :lol:


That's generally handled by a fair degree of misanthrophy. :P

ATB,
Sam

Kamikuza - 28-6-2011 at 11:23 PM

Or Drew and a plate-full of chilli before the session ... :dunno:

Feyd - 29-6-2011 at 10:24 AM

Indigo Batman with all that gear. I don't disagree with much of it tho. I didn't see signal flairs, avalance beacon (or avalung).

Helmet is #1 IMO. Most anything else will heal just fine in time but brain injuries not so much. I prefer Full face most of the time. Anyone who complains it's too hot should try mountain biking in one.

Gloves #2. You can't grab the lines in an emergency w/o gloves. Even if you aren't in danger someone downwind may be and you may have to grab a line. Kami is right, clearence DW is extremely imprtant.

Knee, elbow protection. Might not need it but better to not need it and have it than need it and not have it.

Obviously a good leash system. AND ACTUALLY USE IT. I don't know how many times I see people flying with the leash just hangin attached to nothing.

In winter.... at least two ice screws. One as base anchor and one for self rescue. Shovel, AT bindings and skins, extra food and clothing.

Misc.: chest protector, hip and tailbone protection, Leatt brace.
Footwear with good tread.

I don't know much about buggying yet. I can't imagine what would happen getting dumped on the playa at speed without armor or even leathers.

KYTE SLINGER - 29-6-2011 at 11:25 AM

#1 safety equipment is........

common sense

AD72 - 29-6-2011 at 11:32 AM

BTW - Water helmets and land helmets are different. I have a Pro-Tec Ace Wake for water that I have been using on land and I have been sweating bullets on land. The foam is different. Time to get an Ace Skate I think. Also I heard a rumor that the Ace Wake was going to be discontinued.

Indigo is that your personal collection of gear on hand?

PHREERIDER - 29-6-2011 at 11:44 AM

helmet, gloves and space. and the safe act that makes it all come together

conditions selection, if you choose poorly at this first step, you and all in your path may realize YOUR error no matter the PPE you so wisely selected.

tridude - 29-6-2011 at 12:23 PM

for water....sun screen with uVa and uVb protection, hook cut away knife that stows in my harness, and space down wind............

greasehopper - 29-6-2011 at 02:34 PM

For buggy in the out-n-back Sonoran Desert style:

Good quality MX helmet and goggles

LEATHER gloves.

Good quality combo hard shell jacket, shoulders to elbows and all points in between
(because it's handy to shed all that gear at one time and you never run off with out all of it in place)

Combo knee / shin guards

Hydration pack

Tall, flexible boots

Zoom ankle braces http://www.ultraankle.com/

Long pants are smart but I'm not so you probably won't see me in them.

a golf umbrella

Contrary to popular belief, the law of natural selection clearly states "Stupid and weak die! The silly are next.".

Don't be silly, use your tools.

Bladerunner - 29-6-2011 at 05:34 PM

Helmet, and what is inside it.

indigo_wolf - 29-6-2011 at 05:58 PM

Footnote on gloves: Regardless of what kind of pricing you get or what PR propaganda you read, keep away from gloves with synthetic palms. Leather substitutes like Clarino might be fine on other parts of the glove, but not the palm (specifically the "rope path").

Fast moving rope/line will generate enough friction/heat to turn synthethics into molten slag. The amount of heat that patch then conducts to your skin is just painful. Full-grain cowhide/pigskin/goatskin are better bets. Multipe layers in strategic areas, type of thread, and balance of internal/external stitching are also tip-offs to better made gloves.

ATB,
Sam

Cerebite - 29-6-2011 at 07:05 PM

I am a fan of DIY/ cheap/ re -purposed but effective and I just performed a revamp of my safety equipment after a painful OBE with pads on. [currently all I do is static and buggy]
HELMET: I started with a cheap multi sport helmet [rather than re use one of my cycling helmets] from one of the super stores [Walmart/ Target/ Kmart] -this fell apart after about 6 months. I replaced this with a good skate helmet from Triple 8. Now for some history/ background on helmets. As every says the helmet is the most important accessory for your most important piece of safety equipment -your brain. Over 80% of fatalities and serious injuries on skies, snowboards, bicycles, and motorcycles [probably also skateboards & inline skate but I have not seen the statistics for those sports like the others] are people NOT WEARING helmets. Bicycling [with the exception of stunt riding] and motor sports are activities where the helmet is intended to be used ONCE, like an airbag or crumple zone in your car, by crushing the styrene under the "hard candy shell" rather than your skull. Often this damage does not show but it is there, that is why you should replace a helmet of this type every time you hit it. The extreme sports [skate/ vert/ jumping/ etc], in which I would include all aspects of traction/ power kiting with the exception of the speed/ endurance aspects of buggying, tend to have a lot of head bumps [the watch this/ let me try this experimental nature of these sports] so they have developed helmets that are shells over padding [foam instead of styrene].
Meanwhile back at our regularly scheduled topic :singing:....This is why I went with a skate specific helmet rather than a multi -sport [the first 3 options on this chart http://www.triple8.com/triple-eight-helmet-chooser] more bang [excuse the pun:P] for your buck and only marginally, if at all, more expensive than the multisports available from the SuperStores.
PADS: From my perspective pads, unlike helmets, do not get safer as you spend more money. To my knowledge there is not a testing standard for pads like there are for helmets [both motorsport and athletic]. They will get more comfortable/ lighter but not safer as the price goes up. I started with a combo pack from Razor similar to this one [http://www.razorama.com/razor-pro-knee-and-elbow-pad-set.html]. I know it is a childs set but the large size worked/ works for me [6', 180#]. Because of the sizing being a little small I bought a new set this spring [http://www.triple8.com/shop/product/Triple-Eight-Saver-Series-3.DSH.Pack]. Both of these pad sets can be secured by either velcro straps or sleeving [like a nylon sock]. The sleeving gives a more secure/ stable fit to the arm/ leg but that is hotter/ sweatier. I was wearing the triple8's [with the straps] when I learned my lesson about elbow pad shape :no::wow:. I OBE'd and the landing pushed the elbow pad out of the way before ripping the skin off of my elbow :no::o
The triple8 has a shell about 3" in diameter that sits on the "point" of the elbow which is where/ how the elbow would hit when falling from a standing position. The Razor has a shell about the size of a cup saucer [c. 4" diameter] which sits on the rear third of the forearm at the elbow, the part of the arm that hit if you fall our of a chair, or a buggy :wee:. As a result of this I have gone back to the Razor pads on my elbows.
GLOVES:: I use weight lifting gloves for minimal or no palm padding and fingerless.
OTHER: ground stake on the buggy and one at base camp. I have a 6 -8" piece of conduit secured with band clamps [I have seen others use zip ties] to the fork for carrying a stake.
Despite the stigmatizum of using one I keep a "Walk of Shame" strap at all times. It is not unusual for me to see a 10 mph change in wind speeds with gusts thrown in on top and 90 -180 degrees of direction rotation during a kite session plus I fly restricted spaces and am still developing my skills. It is also handy for pulling the kite and kit to the fly site from the car. I had an old car tow strap, about 12 -15 ft long, that had broken [different forum & story :wee:] in the garage to use. I tied figure 8 knots in the end to loop over the footpegs and put a couple of simple overhands in to tighten up the "pull" loop.
It is not really safety equipment but I recently got a "body bag" from the surplus store to hold everything together while it is sitting in the buggy for transport to the flying site from the car. This is a ~20" diameter X 50" long duffel bag with a side zipper [~$40]. Last weekend I had my stunt kite bag [60"], all three of my Peter Lynn kite backpacks [5x power kites, 5x handles, 5x linesets, 3x kite killers], a windsock with pole, all of the above safety gear, and a Camelbak in there in the buggy with room to spare. Because of a parking error I pulled that about 3/4 of a mile along a dirt road including a hill descent & climb and had NOTHING fall out of the buggy.

Cheddarhead - 29-6-2011 at 07:19 PM

Another +1 for helmet. Condom, for later activities with the misses :spin:

snowspider - 29-6-2011 at 08:06 PM

I pretty much wear a helmet whenever I fly and add padding as the gustiness and speeds increase. I'm finding that my hips and tail bone get whacked as much as any other part of my body.
On ice I usually have ice picks rubberbanded to my upper arms , very handy when being dragged by a downed kite in nuclear conditions. I also carry a whistle/compass , I know of some folks caught in white-out conditions and have myself been in white-out conditions twice, may need it some day.
Usually carry food , always carry water. Space blankets ,lighters , first aid pack, saw, folding shovel, pocket warmers, rope, gloves, gorilla tape,misc bungies and tiedown straps, small toolbox, bag of misc kite supplies, in the van at all times

Feyd - 30-6-2011 at 08:17 AM

For big rides in the middle of nowhere we carry a spare kite on our backs. Incase of drastic wind changes where you don't have enough depow to get back safely. I'm happy to say I carry a backup less often now with the Charger Depow. :smilegrin:

Always check your latest up to the minute weather report before you head out.

windhunter - 30-6-2011 at 08:38 AM

Snowspider (quote) "On ice I usually have ice picks rubberbanded to my upper arms , very handy when being dragged by a downed kite in nuclear conditions."

Newbie Questions ???

How big of rubber bands do you need to keep the ice picks in place?.....Pick handles forward or backward ?

Sooooo.... when the picks dig in ....do your arms usually separate your body at the elbows or the wrists? OH thats right thats what the kite killers are for.... Duh.

I hope I get the chance to meet some of you guys someday in person !!!

snowspider - 30-6-2011 at 11:03 AM

I've got the kind with a little retractable cover over the spike, spike pointing down so when I reach across its in position to use. The rubber bands are big enough to hold them securly but small enough to break when panic/frustration/anger takes over. My 13 year old used them this past winter while being dragged down wind all #@%$#!eyed and crazy. He hung on to them and no body parts were lost. I was yelling at him to let the kite go but when the sh*t hit the fan I guess he could not hear the kind words of his father.

Drewculous - 30-6-2011 at 11:26 AM

helmet, sunscreen, bugspray (holy crap i need it).... i like long pants... yay rugburn! Other than that, skip the sandals, i wear safety glasses all the time anyway, so im covered there, and maybe gloves

def no spipcy goodness before.... however beer and peppers are great together watching the sun set! :thumbup:

g00fba11 - 30-6-2011 at 07:35 PM

Besides all the safety gear mentioned above......

I am required to carry one of these when ever I go fly..... my wife and kids won't let me leave home without it..... :lol:

Cerebite - 1-7-2011 at 05:40 PM

:thumbup::thumbup:It is funny you mention that, I do wear a RoadID for similar reasons. It is basically a medic alert bracelet crossed with a dog tag for cyclists and runners with some basic contact and medical information.
. It can be gotten as a bracelet, anklet or dogtag.