Ok so I have nailed down flying my 3m hornet in strong and light winds, now I'm ready to go bigger. The area where I live has gusty winds that are not very strong usually 20 mph max. I was looking into buying a closed cell foil for a number of reasons. They have more pull for their size than LEI's, they are used for land and air, and they make perfect snow kites. I was thinking safety and want a depowerable one because I want to upgrade in size relatively fast as in one that I can use in most winds that will allow me to go in the water but then go on land another day. What size( I was thinking 9m) and what kind of kite should I look to get.

Alex - great to hear that you have mastered the 3.0m Hornet. That is one fine kite. One thing you will have noticed that a lot of us do is develop a quiver with a number of kites of the same style, just different sizes for different conditions. This way the basic set up and flying style is similar but the pull varies based on conditions.

I can't really comment on kites that are suitable for water as I have no experience there, but if you want a fantastic larger Hornet I've got one for sale here:

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=30754

Good luck with your progression.

If your interested in depow and only have experience with the 3m Hornet, I say go for a 6m Flysurfer Peak. It is a good kite for folks starting out and that size will suit your winds. That's not to say it's a "beginner" kite by any means, but it is friendly enough that you can learn with it.

Good luck.

Alex - I would echo Spencer's recommendation of a smaller Peak2. It is a so-called "single skin" DP. I've got two (6 &12) and absosulutely love them. I was going to suggest them but noticed you mentioning wanting something that will work in water. I've seen videos of water launching Peaks but have heard the conditions need to be ideal.

Peaks are great DP kite and great snow kites to boot.

I was thinking of a closed cell that is speedy? By that I mean handles fast and is very responsive. With my hornet I feel that I need to pull the brake line in order to get a decently sharp turn. And how new are closed cells are they old enough to buy semi used?

Do you have lakes that freeze over? That would be a blast if you do.

It depends on the winter but last year one did and a bunch of liters were zipping around on it

There are few medium-AR closed cell kites available. If you are on a budget, you might want to look for something like the Flysurfer Pulse2 which is one of the few lower ar closed cell kites. I'd say ~10m if you go for a foil and ~12m if you go for a lei (dunno about ARC/single skin sizing). However I don't recommend getting a lei unless you'll mainly use it on water. Also single skin of course won't work on water.

Yea pretty much what I am looking for is 1 kite that is a mostly fit all because I'm on a budget

A 13m or 15m Peter Lynn arc might be worth a look. I've got a couple in my quiver. Super awesome gust munching ability, big wind range, great depower, predictable handling, auto zenith, no bridle. Used ones are very affordable. While not a true water kite like an LEI they were actually marketed at water use, and the Charger II still is.

The big downside is the setup and launch is a bit of a black art, but fine once you nail it a few times. Watch some vids on YouTube to get an idea of what I mean.

13 or 15 might sound big if you are considering a 9m foil. But because of their "C" shape there is not as much of the sail presented to the wind as a fully bridled foil. Google "Arc wind range calculator" for a great page showing the ranges of each model and size based on your weight and whether for water or land use.

I'd echo the other comments about the Peak if it was only for land use. Excellent kite but no good for any water use.

I've heard reasonable things about the Pansh Aurora, but never flown one myself. They seem to fit your criteria and occasionally Pansh do them at ridiculously low prices...might be worth keeping an eye out for. There's a thread on XK on the Aurora here... http://www.extremekites.com.au/topic/15250-pansh-aurora-15m/