Hello All,
Nick checking in from the Land of 10,000 lakes (which is Minnesota for the unknowing). So I spent most of last winter sitting around in my car watching the snow-kiters doing there magic while sitting all warm like in my car. Well that is not going to be the case this year cause I am taking the plunge. With some info from ya'll, hopefully this plunge will be a smooth one. So here is the skinny- I have 0 (none) experience outside of what I have seen in person and what I have read on the net. I am about 190 lbs and have a strong background in snowboarding. I am looking for a kite that will lend itself to both land and water use (as in summer and winter). Now from reading some posts, it appears that inflatable is the way to go to accomplish both of these terrains.
Could some of you please voice your opinions on the brands that I should keep an eye out for? Who makes the good stuff that can take a beating? One thing to consider is I am operating on very little income so something around the 05-07 line would be within my budget. Thanks for your opinion and I look forward to this new and exciting sport.
Cheers,
Nick from Minneapolis

Nick - welcome to the forum. You asked a very broad question that has many answers Here is my two cents.

I don't know much about snow kiting - this will be my first year though. I have been water kiting for three years now. You see some foil kites on the water, but not too many. From what I understand - if they get wet its hard to relaunch - the wind is not always predictable - it can die on you.

So leading edge may be the way to go for you. Man - there are a ton of great kites. Starting in 06 the designs changed drastically.

The kite you want is also going to depend on your size and the wind conditions. How much do you weigh more or less. What kinds of winds do you get in minnesota - do you have any idea of the average speeds? If not - maybe someone on this forum could help.

The 06 waroos are fairly inexpensive. However, the ones made in the early part of the season have had stitching issues on the Leading Edge - they come undone. The waroos are a basic bow style kite - they have great wind range and they can depower. Depowering helps in the gusts - it also helps learning - if you move your kite too fast you will go flying - but with a bow kite - you can dump out most of the power by pushing the bar away from you - so you don't go flying. However, the waroos are not all that stable when compared to say - a fuel - which is a C kite. The fuels will stay in one place - they don't move around too much. They are great for learning - however, they don't depower like the bow kites and they don't have the wind range. But the fuels are made solid man! Way solid!! I love them!! 05 fuels are built tough. The 04 fuels did have some valve issues though - they kept pealing off. May want to stay away from the 04 fuels. You can find a lot of 05 fuels on the cheap. However, like I said - they don't depower very much. If you can find an 06 fuel - those have much more depower, not like the bow kites - but still substantially more than the 05s.

So if you want one kite - go with the bow kites - they have much more range. They are going to cost you more though. Its a lot of balancing man. I gotta get back to work. I'll write more later if I get a chance. There's a sh*t load of info. on kites man - and one post can answer it all.

Go Bow!
I swear to you.....it will be alot easier for you to get going on a bow, and I dont think you will get the freak out factor that you would on a c kite!

Im exactly opposite of terremoto....
I think the Bows are safer, than the c kites, and they are stable. Get a ten meter or so......its the middle ground kite! Or do your research and see what your average winds are around your neck of the woods. If you are only gonna have one kite, you need the right kite!
Once you find out what the average median wind is, come back here to the forum and let us help you make a decision.
I think Best Kiteboarding makes a great Bow Kite, and they are known as being the affordable Blue collar kite!
AJ

Someone disagrees with me - go figure

Let me bit a little more specific. First off - I'm not putting down the waroos by any means - thats what I fly (I even posted a pic of me and my new quiver in the OT section). The waroos are not flimsy or wobbly or anything like that. However, in my experience, when you compare them to the fuels - the fuels are more stable - in the sense that the fuels stay where you put them. You can put them at 2:00 oclock and take your hands off the bar and the fuel will stay almost exactly at 2:00. The waroos don't do that. Of course wind conditions are a factor. But side by side man - the C kites (fuels) are known for their stability. Bow kites are known for their ability to depower and their wind range and meter for meter bows are more powerful kites.

Ok.....with the hands off of the bar, that is the only way that a c kite is more stable than the bow....Only because the bows require more input from the rider! Input is good. ..Hands off the bar= Bad

Hands on the bar....I think that they are both stable.......

When I fly kites, my hands are always on the bar.....therefore my bow is always stable!

triplethreatsnowkiteteam wrote:Ok.....with the hands off of the bar, that is the only way that a c kite is more stable than the bow....Only because the bows require more input from the rider! Input is good. ..Hands off the bar= Bad

Hands on the bar....I think that they are both stable.......

When I fly kites, my hands are always on the bar.....therefore my bow is always stable!

(Triple Threat makes a good point) - but . . . maybe I like to ride no hands man

Easy!!You two are starting to bicker here, and whats funny is you both fly the same kites. I like warroos, but anything 06 or newer with a good name to it is gonna kick ass. I would stick to a bow also, cuz they just seem to be a little safer for the beginner and newbie.

It's all good. Anyone else want to throw their two cents in the mix to help out Nick? Differing experiences and opinions are inevitable - people are going to have different experiences on the exact same kite under different conditions (and even under the same conditions) which is one of the advantages to having a community of kiters - as opposed to just one kiter who thinks he knows it all

terremoto wrote:It's all good. Anyone else want to throw their two cents in the mix to help out Nick? Differing experiences and opinions are inevitable - people are going to have different experiences on the exact same kite under different conditions (and even under the same conditions) which is one of the advantages to having a community of kiters - as opposed to just one kiter who thinks he knows it all

I hear those dman SS revs are pretty sweet!! But I am the one kiter that knows it all! Dont forget it!!

northidahokiter wrote:I hear those dman SS revs are pretty sweet!! But I am the one kiter that knows it all! Dont forget it!!

There are guys out here who have been flying them (there are a lot of die hard Sling Shot fans out here because its a local company) and everyone loves them!! They are on the pricey side though. I think you can get like three 07 waroos for the price of one 08 Rev. If you got the cash to blow them by all means.

As far as know it alls go - (I don't think you knew about that dead spot hahaha )