Power Kite Forum

Storing Kites

ZuluFOx - 2-1-2007 at 06:31 AM

I've got a magic kite bag!!! I can pack the kite and lines neatly and almost invariably by the time i come to use it again its tied itself into massive knots!!

I wrap all four lines onto the spindle supplied with the kite, i normally leave the lines attached to the kite and handles (At the moment they are off cause it was such a mess!!!)

Should i wrap the lines individually on two spindles?

Any packing tips may just stop me from pulling my hair out or killing my girlfriend!!

Many thanks
Chris

gene9999 - 2-1-2007 at 09:33 AM

Depending on the size of your quad handles, it may be easier to take the lines off at the handles & use a card winder. That's what I do with my 7m bullet. the flexi hadles are too cumbersome with the kite killer straps. My shockwave hadles are light enough that I still use the card winder, but leave lines attached. If you don't use the winder & a figure eight pattern it's easier to introduce enough twists to make it difficult to fly them out. The other thing I can think of of the top of my head that may not be as obvious is to stor your handles away from or at least on the outside of the folded kite. The worst tangles you will get are when the handles find thier way into the bridle. Also be aware that the wind is never better than when you are trying to sort the knots out of your kite.

acampbell - 2-1-2007 at 11:17 AM

I have the best luck putting the handles together, sliding the kite killers together over them to the middle, holding the handles by the brake ends, and wrapping in a figure of eight pattern over and accross the kite killers.

Keep a little tension on the lines as your walk to the kite. It helps to have some weights on the kite, which should be mostly folded by now with the bridles folded inside. gene9999 is right; passing the handles through a bridle line will really get your undies in a bundle.

When you get to the bridle toggles (sticking out of the folds) secure the lines by slipping them between the handle tops, using the foam padding to pinch them in place.

With the kite folded into a strip the width of the handle length, roll it up around the handles from the trailing edge to the leading edge so that the air can get out through the vents.

When you set up next time. Do everything in exact reverse, including unwiding with the same hands. Do not flip the handles around to cast off the line as you walk. Instead manually unwind with the same hand you used to wind it, and walk backwards away from the kite facing the same way you walked up to it when winding.

If you unpack and it looks like the lines are twisted, they probably are not, so fight the urge to spin the handles around. Instead, walk back from the kite to the handles with a pair on either side of you, brake line and power lines running through seperate fingers. If it buches in front of you, push the "twist" away from you with one hand towards the handles and walk more. When you get near the handles, any "real" twists will be apparent and can be rectified without creating new twists that wern't there in the first place.

Some treated and colored lines, like the Flexifoil sets, are kind of sticky when new and that will wear off, making it easier over time (note the stains on your hand)

Using this method, I find I rarely get more than one or two twists, and that is usually from moving the handles around, such as when un-packing at home for cleaning, etc.

Another nasty thing to happen is getting one handle and lines passed between the power and brake lines of another. If I get more than one of those, it is often faster to undo one (only) of the lines at the handles and re-route it rather than un-doing a cat's cradle. Especially with those handy little tabs on the Flexi lines that make it fast and easy to un-do the larks head.

B-Roc - 2-1-2007 at 01:24 PM

I parapack via the method discussed here http://www.racekites.com/howto/howto_11.asp

Looks like a mess when you are doing it but works like a charm.

On a real bad day, it maybe takes 20 seconds to sort out a tangle but usually I run the lines out without even a twist.

The key is shaking the lines as they come out of the bag and address any snags / tangles as you come across them.

If I have to take the kite out of the bag when I get home to let it dry, I just grab the line ball with the handles and keep it together in a pile as I open the kite. Once dry, I roll the kite back up and place the line ball and handles back in a kite fold and when ready to fly I still have no (or very little) problems with twisting.

Try it. It really is super fast and easy.

nus - 2-1-2007 at 02:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by acampbell
When you set up next time. Do everything in exact reverse, including unwiding with the same hands. Do not flip the handles around to cast off the line as you walk. Instead manually unwind with the same hand you used to wind it, and walk backwards away from the kite facing the same way you walked up to it when winding.

If you unpack and it looks like the lines are twisted, they probably are not, so fight the urge to spin the handles around. Instead, walk back from the kite to the handles with a pair on either side of you, brake line and power lines running through seperate fingers. If it buches in front of you, push the "twist" away from you with one hand towards the handles and walk more. When you get near the handles, any "real" twists will be apparent and can be rectified without creating new twists that wern't there in the first place.


This method works pretty well with me, with the key being sure to remember what hand you held the handles in while winding, and then making sure that it's in the same hand as mentioned above. I'm not gonna lie I'm a newbie and every once in awhile end up with a mess but using this method has been faster for me to packup and setup and typically causes no issues.

acampbell - 2-1-2007 at 03:36 PM

I have tried para-packing and it does work well. For me it's just that I have occasion to un-pack kites between flights a lot and am always concerned about moving that big ball around and making a mess.

The other day I got caught in a rain shower at the beach that had a good belch of wind on its leading edge- almost like a minnie squall. After getting knocked down and eating a face full of sand I scooped up the kite in one arm full and wadded it up in the bag, I then just mashed the lines in had over hand as fast as I could in order to get off the beach and back to the car.

Back at home when things were dry, it all popped out of the bag with nary a tangle.