for both land and water, what would you recommend?

Being a college kid I have begun to think that maybe it is more cost effective to own just one quiver of kites for both water and land. To start out, I would like one kite that will cover most of the wind range. I will be riding a snowboard in the winter, looking for more of a freestyle kite. I weigh 220 lbs. Also, what size kite?

Let the suggestions begin!

Take a look at Flysurfers - the new Pulse2 will be available in Dec

If you were to buy a kite just ONE for everything every condition there isn't really one. From what i'm told the bows have almost cut the quiver down to one or max 2. I would look in the companies that are making the SLE bow or bow hybrids. I know I have two that I can use in all of the sports. I wouldn't want to use my lei too much on ground boarding i still love the security of my foils for that but its no problem. Haven't tried the fly surfer I'm amazed they don't sink even as a closed cell the ripstop allows a certain percentage of air to pass through why not water. That's pretty cool.

You need to find a kite based off of the wind in your area. Over here in Montana your best bet is to go bigger. 12m+ That way you can ride most of the time. If you have higher winds then stay more towards the 9m -12m size. I use my LEI's most of the time. My Vegas 16m is my main kite and anyone who rides with me can attest that I rarely use anything else. The winds have to be nuking for me to go smaller. Foils are always a good bet if you are going to be riding on land mostly. If you are going to be riding a snowboard and a water board then LEI hybrids or SLE's are a good bet and can be used for most all situations. If you are looking for something to get going this winter take a look at the New/Used gear sale section. You can find a good kite for a cheaper price and then after the snow season you will know more about what you want. Then if you want a larger or smaller kite you can look into it after you know more about what you like.

First you should tell us what condition you wanna ride. 10-20 kts ? 15-25kts ? more ?

Where are you planning to ride ?

You weight is 220lbs and I assume you're getting into the sport, so a beginner.

PLEASE DO NOT RIDE A FOIL ON WATER AS A BEGINNER.
YOU CRASH YOUR KITE YOU'RE OVER.
RIDE AN INFLATABLE KITE ON WATER.
AND LEARN HOW TO RELAUNCH IT FIRST

And even if you are not a beginner landing some new trick take some time and you will drop your kite a few time before you properly land them.
IMO going out with a foil on water (except for cruising in 10kts wind) doesn't make sens at all.

I hate to tell you that kites are addictive,they will destroy your work ethic,max out your credit card, and you can't buy just one. Oh my god I'm hooked on sky crack!! And this is my 50th post I am finally a forum user.

weldngod wrote:I hate to tell you that kites are addictive,they will destroy your work ethic,max out your credit card, and you can't buy just one. Oh my god I'm hooked on sky crack!!

+1

FLEXIFOIL BLADE MK4 4.9M IN PUNK(FLO. PINK) . Or maybe aFLEXI SABRE 9.5 in PUNK .(it's not pussy pink, it's SCAR TISSUE pink! .)

If you are on a budget - I recommend a 12M waroo. You can use it in the water and the land. Its a bow kite so it has a pretty good range. I'm guessing at your weight you can ride it in like 15 knots to 28 knots??? Not really sure though.

As far as bow kites cutting down your quiver to one or two kites - yes, sort of. Sure you can ride your waroo in a huge wind range - but is it quality riding? You can still ride waroos when you are over powered - but its survival - or when its really light - then its a slog fest. I actually have a five kite quiver But that covers everything pretty much. I live in the gorge and we get winds from 9 knots to 50 knots. Seriously. I have a 5, 7, 9, 11 waroo and a 16M vegas. I weigh 190. The 5m waroo only comes out when its over 40 knots. The 16M vegas is for when the wind is under 19 knots. And then the 7, 9, 11 are for everything in between. Of course I can get by with less kites, but I want quality kiting! Its a must.

anyways - back to the 12M waroo. Its got a pretty big wind range - you can find 06 12M waroos on the cheap - check out ebay. It can be used on the water and land.

Word they make those kite sizes for a reason My friends busted out my five meter waroo in the gorge last spring in 49 mile an hour winds and said they were never uncomfortable once..Thats what its all about! Safely riding - being comfy!