im new and i dont want to spen a fortune on something i might not get in to, so what kite is best for lift

Beamer 3 5.0m

OR

Radsail savage 5.5m

I've recently flown the flow, pretty impressed, seems you can do just about anything with them!

on the other hand, I just got a new 11m instinct edge '7-strut'. preliminary flights conclude that it's 'boosty'

Hi there Haydndj, I saw your post under the Kite jumping part. Welcome to PKF! It's a great community here, and you can definitely learn a lot! All i've learned I got from the great people here!

First, you are not the first person, and DEFINITELY won't be the last to ask that exact question. In fact, that was my first question when I wanted to get into it all. The standard answer you will receive, and is not exactly what you want to hear at this point in time is:

1st you want to buy a small 3m kite to learn the basics and get to know the wind window, as well as how the kite will react in different situations. This will eventually become your fun/high wind kite. Some recommended kites here are (HQ beamer 3m, pansh legend 3m, and... There's an ozone kite that i can't recall atm.) There's actually a lot of 3m kites out there that are great "trainer" kites as well. I just can't think of them all . It's all about research.

2nd you will not want to start kite jumping until you have a good amount of experience under your belt. This is a CRITICAL point because we do not want anyone to get hurt. I started out just about a year ago on an hq beamer 3m and i LOVE that kite. I dont' have it anymore but it's a great kite.

3rd you don't want to jump with a kite that is smaller than 5m. smaller than a 5m and it is not as floaty, and will drop you like a sack of potatoes. No problem with lifting you off the ground in high winds, but the coming down part is the scary part.

4th and most important: Get safety gear! Helmet is a requirement(IMHO).

Anyways, I know it's probably not exactly what you had in mind. But, it's sometimes what you need to hear . I've seen a few xray pics on here from inexperienced kiters, going too big for their skill level. I don't want to see anymore . Progression is the word my friend!

what he said!!!!!

An ace 5m was my first real kite, after flying a sub 1m 2-line foil for a few months. I tried it once, packed it away, got a 2 and 3m, got going on those, picked up the ace again once I had some skills got going on that, now I'm good on a 6.5 and getting my head wrapped around an 8m.

In other words, I lurked a lot, got the cheapest jumping kite i could find out about, flew it once, put it away, then did the sensible thing.

I'm currently working a couple people up through the sizes in my quiver, they're both still pretty nervous about flying the 5 after 10+ hours on 2.5 and 3.2.

don't rush up the learning curve, there's lots of fun to be had on the way....

The 2 above are the best advice don't run till you can walk. Last thing anyone wants is someone inexperianced having a bad accident, and it gives kiters a bad name and can then lead to bans so you have less plases to fly locally. A helmet is esential.

Try not to think of "jumping" as a goal. Try to think of it more like "riding a wheelie on a bike." Its a fun thing to do - A neat trick. But you need to learn how to ride the bike first. When your riding skills improve, contolled wheelies become possible.

Likewise, as your balance and skill in kiting improves, controlled jumping will eventually make its way into your bag of tricks. It will be a natural progression, as you learn to control and manipulate the power of the kite.

Besides, you'll probably discover several other exciting things to do with kites as well. Most all of us do some jumping, but rarely is it the ONLY thing we do. Trust me, cruising 40mph+ on a board or buggy is pretty damned adrenalin inducing!

Oh, and when you do start jumping, remember: Bigger kites (5m+) in lower wind, are far safer for jumping than smaller kites(5m-) in higher wind. Both will lift you up, but only the bigger ones will bring you down safely.

what he said...

I've been on the forums long enough to know for darn sure there a very few, if any, experienced kiters who primarily fly in order to jump, although most of them can pull off decent, of not excellent, jumps. most folks get into moving on some kind of board with the wind, there's def plenty of skill (more, I'd say...) and adrenalin (ditto) to be found there, and it's (usually) safer....

Very true!! Moving in the wind using a board or buggy is what most people end up gravitating towards.

Interestingly enough however... All that forward momentum generated on boards, translates into a heck of a lot of potential upward energy for..........drumroll please..........JUMPING!! Just check out the height of some of those jumps that kite surfers do!! All the more reason to get a well rounded instruction in kiting.