Ever since WWBB I have been ruined. I need more kites in my quiver and a better buggy. I have a standard flexifoil which has worked well for me where I live but after riding some others with more comfortable seats and different tires, I can't sleep at night. I ride in huge pastures (100+ acres) and soccer fields so....could use some advise on a new ride or what to buy to make my current ride a lot better.

I just U2U'd ya re the Ivanpah, forgot to mention what a deal I thought it was.

I have small pastures !! about 10 acres and have found the Libre Vmax excellent. With a 1.5m axle and midi tires I can throw it hard sideways and the tires have never threatened to dig in. So unless you were wanting to do freestyle I would suggest a buggy of the same sort of dimensions and good back and side support.

I think heel stirrups are a necessity too - my paddocks can get pretty bumpy and you do not want your foot coming off the peg and hitting the ground at speed.

As a side note to heel stirrups - I had always thought that my feet would come straight up and out of them in an emergency, unlike the straps that go over your foot. I recently found that this was not the case. Somehow, after getting ripped out of the buggy, my foot was twisted around the heel strap. Can't explain it but very interesting non the less.

edit: never seen an Ivanpah buggy in the flesh, but the photos look very nice and the same sort of thing as the Vmax. I'd still be thinking 6-8" wide tires for the grass.....

A good buggy will last you ages and something you won't regret spending a bit extra on. Mine has repaid me many times over with the amount of fun I've had.

You should pick up the Ivanpah and not look back! Just close your eyes and feel it

No slight on the libre but the Ivanpah is ready to bolt on a set of bigfoot lites for an oh so smooth ride if your grass is bumpy. When we rode at the sodfarm I started out with wide 6.5" tires and they were squirmy on top of the thick lush but well mowed turf. Riding there I liked the bigfoot lites or barrows best.

u2u being sent

Cheap route ... Add the extended rear

Middle of the road pricing ... Libre, Ivanpah, VTT

Above that ... MG, BBS

The best but expensive ... XXtreme

I thought Libre was the best was the best buggy for your US dollar?

You should see Vans website vantantech.com The Cricket XL is made for grass and sets 2" higher than other buggys a very strong an well built buggy Mine is great for grass an uneven areasan its built to last a long time weighs approx. 60 lbs.His seats are custom made an beat PL seats Its a bargan for uneven surfaces

All the suggested buggies have good qualities. The best bang for your buck would be the VTT. having ridden one recently I have nothing but good to say about it. The Ivanpah is very nice and probably your next step in the price range. Libre's are great period. Then you get into very expensive to uber expensive. All these will allow you the back support you seek.

For me (I ride mostly in similar circumstances), I found I wanted two things.

BACK Support. - With the back support, your buggy sessions last much much longer.
A Wider stance - its nice to have a nimble buggy sometimes...and the smaller buggies are easier to cart around with you, but i got rolled once in a really wild adventure on grass and i want to limit my ability to do that again. I have been on two wheels on the wider buggy, but didn't go over...or out.

Had a great talk with Chad & Flyguy0101. All suggestions helpful, but I am now seeing the payoff for riding a bigger buggy. They are not as easy to take apart and throw in a car for a quick riding session. Wish you could easily buy a wider axel and a set of tires to at least make the ride of the flexifoil better. I can't at this time buy a rack for my car, a new receiver hitch, and buggy, if I want to stay married. Everyone can relate to this.. plus once you purchase all of that, you "HAVE TO" get a new kite too. Still going to do something about upgrading!

I have to say again... stoked to be a part of this forum with everyones' knowledge and willing to help out.

we told ya it(kiting) would Max out a credit card... we weren't joking :evil:

I started with a $230 Beamer III 3m and would be embarrassed to add up how many thousands I have in kite equipment in the garage now. If I sell something though I'm always adding some to it to buy more kites or equipment. After almost 5 years though I'm fine tuning the equipment I have and adjusting to a new riding location only. It settles down eventually.

I'd tell you to get the best from the start but that's a hard pill to swallow when you think you'll be "happy enough" with something less. Many are happy enough or completely content with their first or second buggy so we're all different.