Other than knee pads helemet and kite killers (and obviously the kite) is there anything else I need to go flying for the first time?

wind might help............................. Water bottle, power bars, cell (911 on speed dial), kite stake, weights for the kite during packout (I use dive belt weights but plastic baggies full of sand or dirt will work), towel, extra shirt, hammer for the stake. I throw everything in a laundry basket and bungie it to my landboard. The kites go on my back, water board in one hand, landboard tow rope in the other.

I always feel so unprepared when I read what others bring.

For me, its usually just kite, stake and windmeter.

Harness and helmet come out with the board or skis. Pads come out if the conditions are sketchy or I'm trying new things.

Food and water are good but once the kite is up, I'm not stopping to take a break until I'm done for the day.

I too feel inadequate looking at these other lists. I usually feel lucky to have 30 minutes to get some airtime in. I'm lucky to have a kite in the car when opportunity strikes. Now if I have an afternoon set aside to fly, I'll take a cooler with drinks and snacks, and some sunscreen. Since I only static fly so far, I haven't felt the need for safety gear yet. (Haven't used it. Haven't regretted it.) With my little bit of experience, I have a good feel for which kite to fly or when not to unpack one. As I add toys and/or get bigger kahunas, then the safety gear will become mandatory.

Good Points Bob, B-Roc, I feel the same way, & I myself ONLY fly static, & usually just have my Kites & the Time...

I get some pretty strange looks from folks when I'm trecking from my secret free parking spot to my local fly zone. I usually have a huge backpac on my back, Coyote blades slung over the top, another large kite bag in one hand and my big motherin' mountian board dragging along behind with the other one I'm sure I look totally crazy !

My minimum would be. Helmet , kite , peg or 2 ( or pre-planned place to tie my safety ) , Water bottle to weigh down kite ( or drink if you have sandy a beach spot ) ,sliding shoes, safety knife and that's about it ! Next would be a harness and a second kite!

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc I always feel so unprepared when I read what others bring. Food and water are good but once the kite is up, I'm not stopping to take a break until I'm done for the day.

Thats why you only weigh a buck 45!

Usually only pack the kites I figure I'll need, harness, helmet, pads, buggy, ATB. 1 spare premade strop, sometimes a spare pulley, bottle of water, couple ground stakes and a hammer to put them in, now that I have a buggy rack I don't usually pack any spare tools at all anymore seeing as I keep the bug in one peice now.

I do pack a few big kites just in case the wind dies down, nothing quite like buggying past guys that can't get their kite off the ground.

I must be the worst packer, I just take my kite no water no helmet nothing and I pulled off some 10ft jumps and some jumps as far as 40m m long it was only when i joined kite forum where i got ideas on what to pack for a good days kiting i must be the only kiter in Joburg.
:puzzled:

Thanks Guys

i find whenever i take water i don't drink it, but if i forget it, i suddenly become the thirstiest man alive and all i can think about is how much i need a drink!

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Originally posted by tridude Quote: Originally posted by B-Roc I always feel so unprepared when I read what others bring. Food and water are good but once the kite is up, I'm not stopping to take a break until I'm done for the day. Thats why you only weigh a buck 45!

Food and water is for the weak. :wow:

Fly hard! :wink2:

I noticed that only one person said that they bring a wind meter. Do you others determine the wind speed just based on experience or are there other clues to look for depending on whether you're at the beach or field, etc?

For example when I was flying my little stunt kite last week at the beach someone flying a 2 line trainer told me that the little white caps on the waves started forming at about 10 mph so that was what he guesstimated the wind speed to be. Any other useful clues to watch for?

After last weekend with the ProFoil1.5m² in 30 knot winds, & yesterday's 1st flight with the "Buster"9.0m², Im definately taking along WATER, for afterwards & all that exertion to calm down & help catch my breath, (unless I find a VERY portable Oxygen tank)... Damb, Im outta shape!!!

KiteNH check this out. It will help you have a rough idea on wind speeds.
http://intothewind.com/beaufort.html

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Originally posted by kiteNH Any other useful clues to watch for?

Well, I'm creating a scale like the Beaufort called the Nebula scale. If you see PdxNebula supermanning through the air with his 1.5m, that's about 30-35 mph. If you see him supermanning through the air with his new 9.0m, that's about 15-20 mph--or was it 10-15? I need more data...

Yeah, I fit in there somewhere. Superman with a 3.0 Beamer = 25-30. As I think back, it may not require the whole 25-30 I was experiencing if you go straight up the window. I wish I could remember the part where I let go of the handles.:puzzled:

I need more flying time to come up with more input to go with the new scale that Gulfsandeater's figuring out... Im workin on it, hope to see what 10mph is like over the weekend with the 9.0m²... But 15mph, think I'll hold off til I have a full set of armor!!!

10-15mph was the sweet spot for a big guy on that kite, even myself I won't fly any bigger than a 7.5m in 20mph, and even that's a little hairy.