So.. I'm riding my Flexboardz out here in the High Desert Tundra..

Scrub Brush and Cactus abounds..

I'm getting a pretty decent ride with 15+mph winds and a 10M Access..

But, I'm wondering if my sand/hard pack is a little too loose?

Would a buggy help me out here?

The local soccer field is usually packed with soccer kids.. but when it's free I get a good amount of time there..

It will snow here soon.. so I'll be able to do more with a snowboard and 2 feet of snow.. but until then, I'd take anyones opinion on how well a buggy would do out here..

Thanks for the input..

Peace,

Nomadic.

The photo turned out a little small by default on the BB.. I think..

Here's a link to a larger image, for reference on the soft sand conditions:

Link to Larger Image

Thanks for indulging me..

Peace.

Probably have a lot of fun out there with a buggy with some Bigfoot tires :bigok:

Oh yea...that has buggy written all over it :wee:

You will LOVE the buggy. I promise..

<shaking head>

<shaking moths out of my wallet>

<shaking the dust off my pant legs>

Dammit.. I'm gonna need a second job with this hobby...

or I'm going to teach myself to weld so I can build a buggy.. anyone have a cheap buggy withing driving distance of Utah?

Anyone have any plans (schematics) on building one?

<still shaking head>

Nomadic

A buggy will distribute the weight better because of the width of the wheels. Bigfoots would distribute the best but the cacti might puncture them. You could also try Midi tires. I try tubes with slime and get out there and ride.

All that space a buggy would be a blast!! How much rolling resistance are you seeing on the board?? That loose crust looks like it could be fun sliding with either ride.

The wide open space is phenomenal... I wish I had a wide angle lens to really show it off.. if I ever get some video footage, I will definitely post some up.

The soil has a loose crust, and I can really wank out some sweet side sliding with it.. but it can be variable as to how soft it is in some places. It is very patchy.. one section will be like concrete while 40 yards out you'll hit a soft spot where you'll sink 3 inches down, lose the board and finish with a nice tasty cactus powerslide.

It's the variable softness that is pretty much ruining the area for me.. I spent around 3 hours today in this area.. had a good time.. but if I were to compare it to what I see from videos of folks hauling butt on a beach.. there would be zero comparison. There are some great dirt roads to traverse down in the area.. but they don't always flow with the direction of the wind.. so they are iffy at best.

I tried the area multiple times with the Dirtsurfer.. but it couldn't handle the softer dirt for the purpose of Tacking the wind. The four wheels of the flexboard did a much better job of keeping traction.

I spent some time watching folks on Youtube running buggies on some pretty rough terrain.. it made me feel more confident that it would be possible in this area. I'm hoping I can run into somebody with a buggy sooner than later.. give it a whirl without biting the bullet first.

The area in the photo you could draw a 20 mile circle around and there wouldn't be a tree in sight, and it is all pretty much the same terrain.. so I think the all terrain abilities of the buggy might be helpful.

Thanks for the comments thus far.

Nomadic

That sounds awesome. You would enjoy this in a bug. Any size of tires would be better than a land board. I find the wide 16" tires have good spike resistance. I'd run those tubeless with slime and probably be happy with what you're showing in the picture.

The presence of soft stuff means you'll need to fly with some extra power to power through the soft stuff, but that's just another aspect to the fun.

We were flying mixed terrain at the beach last week and it was a blast. If the wind is blowing ten+ you should be able to make it work. I bet out there with no trees the wind is nice and clean too. Sounds wonderful.

Philip

I buggy in soybean stubble fields in the fall and have a blast so your terrain should be no problem. I picked up one buggy on craigslist so you might want to also check there... i did find having a buggy with a wider axle really helped my confidence....

I get the same problem land boarding on some of the tidal beaches here. You get some soft areas that you have to avoid or put up with going slowly accross...

The buggy copes with this much better than the board. It will definately get you rollig faster if thats what you want.

Your other option is to fly with lots of extra power so you can get almost all your weight off the board and onto the kite. You will struggle to stay upwind in the soft spots but power sliding is great fun :tumble:

So that all gets covered in snow in winter? It must be great for snow kite sessions.

Get a bug and rip it up

It will cost you almost as much to build a buggy as it will to buy a used one. Buggy building is a labour of love more so than a cost cutting measure.

It lloks to me like you could really enjoy a buggy with that space. I am kind of impressed that you are handling it on ATB ! :cool2: