Hello everyone! It's been entirely too long since I have posted here. Life got in the way for quite some time. It is still crazy right now but with JIBE on the horizon (and seeing as how I have missed the last 3) I made a decision to make time for some mental relaxation.

I see a LOT of kite shops have disappeared into the sunset and gear has changed quite a bit over the last few years. I am probably going to want to upgrade a few things before JIBE comes but I am having a hard time finding places that sell the latest gear and buggies. Speaking of buggies, whats the scoop on the new PL bugs? Looks like they still lack back support and since my car accident in December 2015, that is something I need in a buggy.

Anywho, just wanted to say hi and see if anyone can point me in the right direction as far as gear goes.

Buggy style: FAST (some freestyle)
Kite preference: Depower foil

annnnd....GO!

Welcome back! Nice to see you coming back into the fold. Regretfully, you are seeing the situation clearly. In the three short years I've been in the PKF fold I have also witnessed the decline in shops and related contractions here in the US. Sad, but understandable.

The new PL buggy seems to be built nicely from a strength and quality of construction aspect, but you are right in that the seat and side rail set up is substantially similar to their original designs and result in not a lot of back support.

You might want to reach out to Van: http://www.powerkiteforum.com/member.php?action=viewpro&...

In the past he has built some fantastic buggies that folks here on PKF rave about. I personally upgraded a PL BigFoot+ with his rail and seat kit and am extremely pleased with this upgrade from a back support perspective, etc. He really nails this design aspect.

There are many, many great kites out there, both new designs and older kites on the used market. I have my SS biases and can personally recommend the Born-Kite LS2s, but honestly there are just a lot of nice kites out there.

Feels good to be back!! So much research to do on equipment!

The new buggy has no back support (pl rally). More of a freestyle offering.
I hated the seat that it came with from the beginning. The straps are short, the buckles slip.
The construction is generally bad and the seams on both sides split after one season of light use. I was, and still am very disappointed in the buggys seat.

After I upgraded the seat to a BuggyBags custom seat the bug is great. Hard back support with an insert to hold its shape, very adjustable and stays where you put it, D rings!
It even folds down enough to allow the cover ( also BuggyBags ) to fit without removing or loosening any straps. :smug:

I considered a BB seat but when you look at the cost of the buggy, a seat, all the other mods to make it what I would want; It makes more sense to have a custom buggy fabricated or to just order a bigger bug.

I do love BB seats though.....so nice!

Started talking with Van about an Idea I have :evil::evil::evil:

Again, welcome back Scott... super excited to see you at JIBE 2018...

Van is always a good choice for buggy stuff IMHO!

As far as kites go single skin kites are looking really good lately and can save you some dough with a 2 kite quiver that will cover most of your wind range... I am currently working with a 6m and 12m Flysurfer Peak combo that serves me very well!... altogether such a combo can be had under $1000... all I long for lately is something for the super high winds.