I know you shouldn't reallllly fly fixed bridles in the rain, and I have always avoided doing so.

However, it's my bday on Wednesday, and I would like to have some time with the kite / bug if possible. Wind looks nice, but there is a bit of rain forecast.

Like I said, I wouldnt usually go out if it's raining, but might consider it if it's only light rain. Is this a bad idea ? How bad is it actually to fly in the rain ?

Tim

Happy birthday fellow Libra. It's mine on Wednesday too and I'll be out there as long as there's a breeze and no sign of lightning.
A little rain to clean the kite can't be a bad thing, can it? :dunno:

It wont hurt the kite unless it is paper. The rain will soak into the material and make it to heavy to fly. I have a set of kites that are made out of Polyester Nylon and it is waterproof, And I have flown then in the rain, not the funnest weather but it was blowing nicely. Just need to keep the dirtouts open, HaHa, or the water drains open.
Be sure to dry it before putting it away. If you had a coat of kite-refit on your kite it would be waterproof.

If it looks like a storm with thunder and lightning, don't forget a jar to keep the key in. I couldn't resist.

This is sounding like a Libra thread (not the Libre buggy and kite brand). My birthday was this past saturday and I was out surfing and once in a while a mix of light rain. When surfing with an LEI it's more about thunderstorms (lightning) or the pelting in your eyes. A light rain isn't too bad but you might start to get a flutter on the kite and it'll feel a bit heavier and then it's a mess packing a wet sandy kite.
Fixed bridle - again kites will start to feel heavy and sluggish. Some nylons are better at shedding water than others. Twinskins are made with a better nylon and they go in the water once in a while and hold up okay. And polyester is good as well. Cheaper kites might fly great until they get wet and then if you fly them in higher winds it'll stretch the nylon more and won't return to original shape so the kite will gradually have a different feel - maybe less power and perhaps get some flutter in fabric in lighter winds.
We fly kites all the time in the winter and they get wet on damp snow days - so we generally don't fly them really wet in high winds.

Happy birthday Libra kite fliers everywhere.

Another Libra here (Oct 4)...

I've been chased off the beach a few times by rain and the biggest problem I've had is color bleed when I forgot to unpack and dry the kite right away at home.

Of course if the rain is with thunder, then there is a bigger danger...