monkey

I'll be there waitin' for ya!

Thats an Indoor Revolution, which is essentially a 4 line Rev which weighs about 4oz. I prefer 4 lines kites for -everything- And no, they are not that complicated. Promise!

Remind me to post all my videos of me kicking John's butt. Oh wait, that never made it to tape! ;-) a monkey can dream, can't he?

ah ha, now he gets the quad mindset ;-) and after 8 years of flying? I'm still learning.

My indoor/ super low wind kite of choice :

Well, with respect to Revs, one can never go wrong with 1.5 SLEs, its probably Revolution's best "all around useful" Rev. For your wind conditions, you may want to look at the SUL version of it as well, it'll be a bit more forgiving in really light winds. My personal favorite (lately at least) are Rev 1s, though they are more money. A nice, graceful 9 foot kite with a heavier feel to it than the 1.5. And I do like Spirit Quads but, I find that their more symetrical flight to be annoying for me. I like a Rev's very definite difference between forward and reverse. But, a very nice kite regardless and at their current price, a good deal as well.

Very cool Rob! I also come from a music background, its my "other" hobby besides kiting. I've spent too much time and money in recording studios over the years. I have a nice little digital performer rig that I tend to work up demos and stuff on now. One day, I'll write my own quad ballet music... my stuff is at www.rootsroundup.com and www.dubfreque.com

Take her out to dinner because she's cool enough to also take up kiting with you. Then tell her you both need to get her a super fancy trick kite. Or a Rev.

Thats a great wind speed to get a feel for all of those, have a great time

All quad kites are a pile of fun to fly, I've never flown one that I disliked. Keep us posted on your own experiences too!

I've been sitting here at work trying to mentally define -why- I prefer Revs as a four line kite and I think it can sort of be summed up like this. Because of a Rev's non symetrical flight, forward and reverse are very different skills to master, and thus, it becomes a never ending challenge. I find "truly" symetrical kites, like the Decas and Airbows, and to some degree, the Spirit, drive me nuts sooner or later. More later as it becomes a clearer reason in my head, but, I'll say this. In 8 years of flying Revs, I've never gotten bored and nor have I ever run out of things to learn. And just when I think I've seen it all, someone comes along and shows me something new.

You know, I felt much like you did 8 years ago, my first two quads were TC Ultras, a regular and an SUL one. Interesting kites, but, I did simply go to a Revolution a couple of months later. Bear in mind the TC Ultras made these days are not the handmade beauties of years gone by (ie, my SUL was close to 400 dollars) As far as other quads go, here's a rundown on the most known ones : Spirit - Made initially by Steve Laporte, now done by New Tech. Nice kites, fun to fly, very versatile. I know Dorsal swears by'em. I'm getting one sooner or later (just to round out my 14 kite Rev collection). Well priced, they are about 99 bucks I think. Very much a symetrical kite in its behaviour. Airbow - Made by Benson from an Andy Wardley design. Im currently playing with one to write a review for Kitelife in the next issue. Lots of fun, I figure its sort of a dual line with quad leanings, and a quad with dual leanings. Given how new of a design it is, I think there is potential for these to get some really nifty tricks. Definitely more of a trick kite than a Rev, but, with none of the Rev's precision. Very expensive and hard to find over here in North America. Also very symetrical in its flight. Synergy-Deca - Made by Guildworks but, I don't -think- they are making any more beyond pure custom orders. Someone feel free to correct me on that. And, I have 3 Decas I'd part with, two of which are broken... I love Decas in some ways, its hands down one of the most visually interesting kites out there and one of the most advanced designs but, its a total pain in the ass to assemble, hence why I now have two broken ones. ALSO very symetrical in flight. TC Ultra - I commented a little above. While its a dual that can fly as a quad, I found they still were mostly dual line in behaviour. VERY NOT SYMETRICAL! I've been meaning to try my SUL one again lately, just to see how much easier it is to fly when I know what I am doing. Capable of some very unique stuff... I think that covers the major ones available, someone will correct me if I have missed one. For me, I prefer Revolutions. Also not symetrical in flight , but, thats part of their charm in this case. Revs kinda defined what quad flight is, and in 18 years, their basic design still works well, as do the later variations. For competition, its your best bet as all the compulsories are Rev focussed (but, mostly do-able on any quad, especially the Spirit) anyways. The best idea? Try as many as you can, they are all fun and all different. Oh, and yea, I'm one of those Rev swooners...

Well, here, it was called Tuf Line, and the only criteria I used in selction was "100% spectra", with no respect to salt, fresh, fly. Weight and content was all I worried about. Another brand name is Spider Line, however their line seems to be all light weight stuff, ie, 10 pounds. Sleeving? I just had a few pieces around, so, no idea. Some was from a Shanti sleeving kit. Im going to look into it further, I know of green line, but, that may not be too great on grass

The site kitepilot lists above is an excellent look at how to shorten and sleeve lines. Its really easy once you've done it a few times. I've gone back to making my own linesets as the cost and availability of quad lines sets here in Vancouver has gotten a little silly. 90 bucks canadian for 100' / 80lb? I think not, but, importing them often isn't much better. What I did was go to a local fishing supply store, found some tuf line (which is 100% spectra. This cost me 53 bucks for 900 feet. Once you get it down, cutting a sleeving a set of lines takes less than an hour, do it while watching the TV. For cyenobite, with respect to places to fly, "oceanfront" beach is -always- the best, but, not always possible for everyone. You are looking for a large, clear area, preferably with a few buildings, trees, obstructions as possible. All of those create turbulence no matter how great the wind seems to be blowing. Best of luck,

Ooooo! Look at the sexy Rev in behind you two!

Or, is there such a thing? As I had to clean the sand out of many of these from WSIKF, and it was a nice sunny day, and I was bored... The Current Monkey Collection of Quad Line Kites http://www.monkey-boy.com/REVisions/mykites-2005.html

That'd work, I'll certainly be around I think unless thats the weekend of Lincoln City's fall festival

You'll be VERY pleased to know that.... I won't be taking any pictures of my hairy monkey butt in one of the thongs. Not even for money. Well, ok, maybe for Revs.

Oh ya, Vanier usually has a good amount of room on any given weekend and yep, its one damn good looking park to fly a kite in, all grass. And some goose poop. I found WSKIF weather to be typical, ie, utterly unpredictable but Saturday was one of the best days I have -ever- seen there, it was simply perfect.

Oh right, it is, I remember seeing the 24th poster and making a mental note of 25 years next year. Hmmm. Extra special invited guests maybe? Either way, with Penny's next birthday on the Friday, we'll make a party somewhere.

pffffft, far too small! :-D

How about a Rev 1.5 on very short lines? Its an awful lot of fun... (ie 15 - 25 feet kinda short)

Did it come with a g string? :-D

Kites keep you young and vibrant, you dont look anywhere near 50 at all :-) Happy birthday!

And Wynne, you are always welcome to pop up to Vancouver and fly with me at Vanier Park too!