Breezin

I don't break duals down unless traveling. Loosely roll them up, put them in their bags and hang them on the wall of the kite shed. Yeah they got their own shed. From there it's 150' to the flying field if winds from the north. Yeah the kites and I are spoiled . Come to think of it got room for a few more.

Seems like what you're describing as a want are team kites. The only ones I know about in the U.S. that interest me are the Skyburner Tica and Level One One Eleven. Quantum would be faster, more pull and the lower wind range according to reviews is a lot higher than stated.Moderate winds for me are 8 to 15. At 15 Quantum would be pulling pretty hard with some boogie in it. 18+ and you're probably done. The other 2 will do 3 to close to 25 but one pays a hefty chunk of cash. I fly to trick so about 3 minutes of flying like you've described is about it for me. The few times that I go out with the intention of precision flying I use a old Condor Griffin. Not a trick in it but slow precision stuff is what it was designed for. There are more team kites in the European market but like the other 2 EXPENSIVE. Ebay has some new Quantums for $82.00 which is about as cheap as I've seen them.Seen the Quantum but never flown one. It's not a kite for my taste because of why/how I fly. There are folks here that are big fans of it. FEAR THE QUADS. They come from a dark, dark place!! I have 2 so I know 😱.

My opinion of the Hypnotist is from research only. It is in the top 5 production kites I'd recommend for learning tricks. 4D is probably the most purchased SUL on the planet. I've not learned short line flying much at all. The 4D is going to teach you that right off and that's a good thing. Both kites will take you through the intermediate skill sets with some advanced stuff at your fingertips. With those 2 kites I think you're going to have a gap in wind range between 5 and 8/9 mph(UL winds).Not a big deal for the short term because of the ground and low altitude skills you can learn. Bouncing a kite up and down when it won't fly taught me a lot.The way winds cycle around here at times it's something I still do often. Most of that at the start was on a Premier Addiction which is a lot lighter than the Hypnotist. The heavier kites are easier to damage doing that stuff but the Hypnotist has a reputation for being tough. It should handle that learning curve better than most similar type kites.Do it on nice mowed grass though. Practicing that stuff you WILL be able to fly it a little lower than stated.Broke the LS on my 2pt framed kite last time out. Much as it sucks glad the first damage is out of the way. Got the parts yesterday with a spare cause it's going to happen again. Nope I'm still not skilled enough for a 2pt but then again why not LOL.You're probably going to break the 4D. Remember when getting parts buy a spare. Your new kites will take you far. Fly them till they're tattered.

Finding GWTW is what really lit the kiting fire in me. Bought my first kite there. Fortunate to have corresponded with Steve a few times as the site came to a end. Hated to see it go and the loss of so much information but 100% understand.Can't say I agree with it being shut down but have nothing but respect as to the why. The complexities legal and moral of passing it on to someone else would have been a lot larger than I first thought.HUGE actually. Feel lucky to have had it in my life for the short time I did.Didn't contribute much at all to GWTW and thought early on I would have payed for a subscription. Wasn't Steves way. Signed up here and a few days later became a subscriber. Won a quad from the subscriber contest so now I'm obligated to keep my subscription going 10 years after I'm gone LOL.GWTW changed my life for the better more than I could ever explain.Kite Life has been the icing on the cake. The closing had been hinted at for sometime. During the last post it was said "Kiters are some of the nicest people in the world except for all the assholes".Going forward like today I'll try to not be one of those but like all of us at times I'll fail. Surprised at the sad smile and amount of tears that flowed down my face the morning I read June 8th 2019 it'd be Gone With The Wind.After much thought "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn".

2nd to the last time out finally connected to my AC SUL. Worked on 75' lines for awhile then went up on 120'. Whoop there it was. Yesterday did pretty good in 0 to3 on 75'. Fixing to get the 120', trying a Comete as the last move and danged if that familiar LS crack from the SAME line wrap on EVERY kite didn't happen AGAIN. SUCKS,SUCKS,SUCKS because Kites and Fun Things is out of 2pt for the short term. Got a spare 3pt for the other SUL but forgot the spare 2pt on my last order. Man not making a proper list can sure put a damper on things.

Congrats!! May I suggest a walk of contemplation by the Sea.Devil of a decision ya got on yer hands.

Watched a 16 minute video of yours and enjoyed every second of it. Maybe I've watched to many videos but I saw pop and flair. Most importantly to me I saw smoothness and rhythm that's you. 1,2,3 etc timing was the most apparent. Me thinks perhaps you are not aware of the dance in thine own feet O gallant flier .You have diligently practiced steps 1,2,3. You've diligently tied that to song. You study and try to emulate what you see in others. Still you do not have what you seek.Now after much excellent advice on performance you are on another well thought out plan of 1,2,3 etc. You will not find what you seek. The wind has no beat EVER. It flows.You say because you use most, the analytical side of thought creativity frustratingly eludes you. If you could ONLY use the creative RIGHT side more. Well guess what the right is intuitive not creative. Creativity comes from a blending of both sides. Is not the James Webb Space Telescope going to be THE most astounding thing ever to be experienced/shared by anyone who wants to on the planet.Created by a bunch of left sided nerds? Nope nerds using both sides.Analytical minds have mapped/measured the firing in our brains but that does not tell the whole story. Think about this from differing points of view then decide for yourself. Intuitively I know without a doubt we can travel to the next galaxy in less time then it takes to drive across Australia. Get your hands all wet and soppy (not soapy)then squeeze the soap. Proton accelerator kinda thing. Ride the light. Inside the bubble (bar of soap) the instant acceleration to light speed is not felt. Exponentiate light speed to the 10th power. Ah but light speed is not constant. Doesn't matter if one believes it is or not we're using the matter that makes up light. Jet boat still works whether in salt or freshwater. At those speeds as long as encountered mass does not exceed the crafts it will pass around like your hand interacts with the soap. A 300' x 45' object passing through our atmosphere at that speed would maybe make a flying bird wobble just a bit and perhaps blink.The grain of sand that would destroy our present technology aids in acceleration and control. Star Treks warp drive? Not hardly.That thought uses fuel. Nerds of the world please build it.I can drive it. I want to go to Mars and fly my kite a bit during afternoon tea.Now think about earth, wind, fire and water. The Elementals. Ah ah the analytical minds say. Mythological mumbo jumbo and ya probably believe in wizards too. Ahhh I say then remain stupid with all your education. Let's go grab a fifth of scotch and have a great debate for the next 6 hours(split between 2 people in 4 hours makes EVERYONE stoopid) on why I'm the stupid one. It's great, great fun. Can't give you proofs for analytical thought but here goes SOMETHING. Carbon based life is made of earth, wind,fire and water. Chaos theories "butterfly flapping its wings "leads to the thought breathing would have such an effect too. Wind. 7 extinction events that we know of. What has slipped back into the furnace? The constant that we know was here is the Elementals.Now describe them. Not map/measure describe. You Can't.One can come close but the closest have always been poets .They are alive and THERE ARE ONLY 4. It's the same earth,wind,fire,water anywhere on this planet. Even in carbon based life. The vapor in your breath given enough time will flow to the sea and land on a mountaintop.Intuitively and analytically we know that. When we encounter that recognition of self whether it's surfing, snow skiing or running the whitewater while interacting with a Elemental something happens outside of ourselves . The Elemental in turn recognizes us for a brief span of time and we dance.It is beyond joy or the zone and becomes awe,maybe even terror. It is not humane and none of the 4 care about you AT ALL! EVER!!!.To them you just are. Humbling to say the least.It happens in music because a vibration in the wind travels to the ear.No wind dude the air is still. Really? Were you breathing when you said that? Music is a huge part of my life and I TRY to create something new everyday.Most times it's putting together structure that is pleasing to me.Sometimes I catch the IT factor and things just flow. The buzz afterwards can at times last for days.11/17 I got my 1st kite. In January walking back from the field I was just blown away.I'd become a flier on a production kite with way less skills than I thought were needed.I posted it on GWTW.Knew I'd love kiting but never expected(hoped though) to find the IT.Enjoyed a lot of things but the only times I'd ever experienced the IT was going beyond the zone playing music. Music allowed me to recognize way early in kiting that which I now like in music pursue. Like music kiting is best when shared. Pretty dang keen thing for me.The dance is already in you cause I've seen it. Until you recognize/acknowledge it in YOUR way you nor anyone will become a level 9 or 10 flier.One will always copy or emulate with brief flashes that just make them enjoy the heck out of something but their nirvana may be so fleeting it's not truly felt nor pursued.They are as happy as clams right there and everyone around them benefits.Some excel extremely well. Doubt though even level 8 could be attained. #1priority to experience the nirvana of 9 or 10 in any skill is these 3 things. Practice,practice,practice. The 4th is love to practice.You've got the practice stuff and the joy in spades as far as I can tell.Course I could be totally wrong about everything I just said but I had a good blather.Maybe I'll get lucky. Someone will tell me to hush and go fly a kite.

Since you said hard pulling I'm assuming duals.Korvo kites web site could give you some ideas.The only insight I have thanks to that big kite nut HiNator is that I want one. Asked a fella in Holland if he'd make me a 150%/12' open sourced plan sail but he doesn't go that big.Any bigger than 12' and I'd be in a different realm of framing. Hope you build it and post your progress.

All righty then. Seems I'm in a rut at repeating myself but this is my favorite so far. I still see predominantly white kites best. Not as distinct as it used to be but still do. Plus I'm kind of a minimalist in most things. Although I'd do umm well I'd change uhhh I'd alter.... Never mind.

If they had one in pink and one in purple I'd have 2 so I could make cool polka dots in the sky. 10 year old grandson is really starting to get hooked on this stuff. He'd make some good progress on a Kymera. Told me the Addiction is to fast at times. Wanted to trade it for my Psycho go figure.

I never got a Kymera. Kite plans have changed so much since I started flying I can't keep track anymore. Pain in the ass but something I obviously don't mind living with LOL.

QLK - Quickly Learning Kinetics = less repairs.

OOPS that is misleading.Yes I do understand. Having Sky Sport Designs vented and 2 SULs their ability and overlapping wind range make the UL and standard the most serious of wants not needs.Really, really want that Sea Devil . Took me 2 days before I posted to withdraw 😧. Guess the whole point of this karma thing is a chance for all to experience something different and have some fun on the forum.Now given more time sigh I'll stay IN. Man if I win that'll blow kite plans apart. AGAIN.

I apologize if this is out of line but I must withdraw. Have no need for a Lam standard at this time.Been wanting a UL/light of his really bad since I started flying. The only kite I could reciprocate such a prize with is my BMK Mongoose. That seemed okay cause I really, really want a new BMK Mamba. After much thought and flying my need is still Lams Gravity II. Winning would upset the balance in my quiver that I've spent hours putting together.Until I actually get to fly the newest Mamba I THINK it would be very close to my Steve Tapp sewn Widow Maker Pro.Have I ever posted how much I love my Mongoose. Oh yeah EVERY time cause it's my avatar. Be a HUGE,HUGE mistake to let it go because of wants.Dang it's hard hitting that submit button. Lams kites are the Schnizzle.

A whole week huh. Wondering if you stopped long enough to eat or sleep. Watching that video I'm pretty sure you didn't have time to shower.GOOD STUFF!!! The fun you folks were having is pretty infectious.

Into The Wind is the only one in my area. Talked on the phone to a few shops and everyone was a excellent experience. I'm a cheapskate so my favorite is always the one that has the best kite deal or parts package that I need to put together at that time. People like me are part of the reason so many have closed.Sometimes things are just Gone With The Wind .

Launch and land from the edge. Mind Trick when landing I try to get the kite belly down nose forward. Delta Hawk a crash is as good as anything cause it's TOUGH. Winds 25+ usually means gusts and minor direction changes causing self launches. When setting up for launch one hand on spine the other on nose. Not keeping my hand on the nose got me some watery eyes and a bruised chin.Once kite is positioned big step back before releasing the nose. Walk around the edge away from the way the kite would fly from a self launch.15+ I fly all my kites like that. On 120' lines in 30mph I doubt I could avoid the lines until the last 20' . Took awhile to enjoy 15 to 20 . Fun and exciting no doubt. Took even longer to enjoy the 20 to 25. People say low wind flying is the hardest to learn. B.S. tricking in 20 to 25 is a LOT harder than 1 to 3. My SULs are Lam kites too.25 to 30 I still have to get my moxy going or I just whine a lot.Above 30 I still fly scared but that's probably a good thing.Finally got a bit of time on my quads and by next year 25+ days will probably be a Vickie type thing. Main reason I'm learning quads.

My Sky Sport Design Mind Trick vented survived a tad over 40 mph gust. I've had it intentionally in 35 but much over 25 I might as well fly my Delta Hawk.It'll fly in 5 or 6 surprisingly well. Personality at 12 kite gets more firmer in it's tricks but stays the same from the low end to higher than I want to fly it. Roll ups are hard on a off kinda day but it's a kite when you're on can do a Slot Machine in 25 center window. Kites taken some hard hits in the year I've had it. Handles gust really well but I can't trick in the center much over 25 yet.The only thing I've broken was a spreader yanking a line wrap. If I could only have 1 kite it'd be the one. Over 20 I can last 2 maybe 2 1/2 hours and I switch to my Psycho.

Man I have been reluctant to respond. Don't want to come across as kite snobby ( I am) or discouraging (maybe). 0 to 3 is the toughest for me to fly in and has been the hardest kite decision to make. The cost of my latest SUL(2pt frame) borders on insanity. So far I think it's worth it. My first SUL I bonded with instantly and is the kite(3pt frame) I want to fly the most. 2 to 14/15 mph and will handle gusts to 15 easy.Got it 2nd hand but it was still crazy money.Thought I was ready for a 2pt framed kite but I'm not quite there yet. Little intimidated by the more fragile frame. NO similar framed kite will survive for long the willy nilly flying I like to do at times. As my skills and discipline improve I think I'll bond to it just as much as the 3pt.Not flown either much in the last month due to high winds and wet weather. Super excited when I got a Zephyr and it taught me a lot. Took a long time but on good days I could fly it in 1 to 2 mph. 3 to 4 is where the tricking would start. Kite has a lot of adjustments and that took some time to figure out. As I got better the constant need for adjustments in my rollercoaster winds got on my nerves. I'd have a better opinion of the Zephyr if I lived where winds are smoother. For 0 to 3 the only 2 kites under $160.00 that I thought about were the Prism 4D and Flying Wings Acrobaxt. That was in the first couple months of flying and concluded it was best to save up for other kites. A lot of folks think the 4D is twitchy in it's upper range. I don't think twitchy is a viable critique. Adjust your inputs. Take that with a LARGE grain of salt though because the funnest kites I fly are the Premier Addiction, Flexifoil Psycho and HQ Delta Hawk.Fast kites are not for everyone.Level One USA opened their online store yesterday. $200.00 gets you a Reloaded UL but the Badass UL at $275.00 flies lower. Paul DeBakker claims he can fly it in nothing. He designed the Hydra which I really dig but hasn't been very durable for me. Planned on getting a Benson Superfly to replace it but getting a Badass instead. Pauls a pro and being that confident in the Badass is good enough.PAW was heavily involved in it's design and I've watched/read a bunch of his stuff.Contact them and you'll probably get some good advice. I too live on disability so I have to be pretty diligent in my kite purchases. Most of mine are used. My quiver is now loaded up and I really have no need for other kites. Want though, well that's a ongoing problem. Under $160.00 there are 3 kites I'd really like to have. The Sky Dog Crossfire Comp not to be confused with the Crossfire or Crossfire II. That would be my wet weather kite and I'd give my Black Dog to my grandkids. Knowing what I know now it would have been my 1st kite. Premier Wolf ng because good fliers claim it's even better than my Nighthawk and I fly that kite a LOT.The Kymera at $112.50 + shipping from ITW has been on my mind for a long time. 0 to 3 is tough. I've spent the most time researching the needed skills and equipment for that wind range. Honestly I'm still kinda lost. Hate to say it but I don't think you can get a good allround tricky SUL for $160.00. Not even a good used one unless you get real lucky.Hopefully someone can prove me wrong.The ITW Echo and Kite Forge Kaiju take different skills then what I'm focusing on now. For the cost one of those might serve you better.When it's 115 F ya can also fly one of those in air conditioning.

I'm in.

Man if I had a kite built by that guy I could fly like that too. Oh wait a minute I do 😲. SIGH!! Back to the field and practice, practice, practice. Good thing it's fun.

Welcome Dennis. I've been flying since 11/17 and thought by now I wouldn't walk back and forth so much but I still do. I consider it the walk of contemplation. Learn to reason why the kite is on the ground, think about it as you walk and find the humor in it as much as possible. Sounds like you have a entry level kite that while good for learning the basics won't be much for tricking. For now hone the heck out of the basics. I started on a mid level very competent trick kite call the Widow ng. Started trying to trick first day and neglected some of the basics as I was learning.Lately it's come back to haunt me as I am getting better on short line 1 to 3 mph wind days. You'll hear that the lowest winds are the hardest to learn and that is truth. Since I started the 15 mph (+/-) have been my favorite. As I've learned to not crash by yanking a line a lot of tricks have come without a whole lot of skills. Total blast learning that way but not having a solid grasp on the basic inputs from the start is forcing me to have to relearn some stuff on my lightest wind kite. Mostly to hard of inputs and not guiding or following the kite thru it's moves very well. Got my 1st kite that flies on 50' in 12/17. Still just suck on the short sets and right now it's difficult to keep a humorous perspective when using them. Prefer the 100' to 125' lines by far but the short line skills a lot of fliers have is enviable. Very necessary for some kites, wind speed and flying space(crowded beach eg).You'll hear a lot about fantastic kites that exceed the $300.00 US price. Although I have some and know they are worth more than the cost to me there are some kite in the $75.00 to $150.00 range that are a blast and can take your family a LONG ways in the tricking side of things if that's where you're headed. Most of my kites are used and you'll have good luck finding some really nice ones in your area. I've got a Premier Nighthawk that I bought brand new but blemished old stock. Although not high end it's one of my most flown kites.As you gain some skills learn to tip drag(shark). Any framed kite can do it.That will instill the confidence for low altitude tricking as you progress.Dodd Gross videos will get you started and then some. If I'd stuck to the disciplined routines he teaches I might be a better low wind flier now. Wouldn't have had near as much fun though 😁.Fly it, break it, fix it, fly it again.

Kitebuilders.com has info on all kinds of kites. Open source plans from Krijn and Kareloh (Ickytv). Kite plans has some cool little bit older stuff but IMO some of the newest stuff isn't a ton different.Tweak as you see fit. If looking for dual line stunters Christian Derefat's Le Virus, Le Quartz and Le Organic are popular newbie builds. Ian Newman's Mantis is also there. He has some good tutorials on You Tube.On the US Ebay there is a Le Virus for sale with some really good pics. I've not seen a modern book. Mine is a Gomberg book from 1996. Like for most everything I use the web. Haven't been to the library in years. Hundreds of dollars in late fees over the years sucks so I just don't go anymore.

It is hard to tell from photos,videos until a kite is in the air on the end of your lines for sure .My 1st Nighthawk had the warm color. Didn't care for it much until I put it in the air. One of the prettiest kites I've flown IMO.

Steve Hall sent me this for some inspiration. Things HUGE!! Really,really bummed the GWTW forum is ending. Something that caught my attention was a lack of advertising for GWTW and Kitelife on the field. Don't recall seeing a flag or banner in any photos with a GWTW or Kitelife forum on them. Wasn't looking for them though. Looked at several sites that make feather banners and was surprised at how cheap the basic designs are.JB seems to like those Asian dragons. Putting those on a 8' feather flag looked really cool but crowded. One like this with a ascending air dragonwhere the diamonds are would look really cool. Imagine it would need to be a printed mesh fabric.With the right colors it'd really grab people's attention. Where the Buddha is standing the silhouette that JB uses on his stickers would look neat but might be to much.Maybe we could come up with something like this that's pretty big for JB to take with him on his travels. Hold a raffle for some donated kites to cover the costs. Smaller ones we could purchase ourselves and put up wherever we fly. I got 4 old school kites and a couple beginner ones I can send to a central location for a raffle. Condor Gremlin and Skynasaur Classic 96 sails are still crispy. If enough of us get involved we could pass around quite a few kites and get some pretty neat displays out there.For those of you who don't access Addict Kite you should. They believe that kiting is making a resurgence in France and are making the effort to promote the sport.In the US we've got to do the same. Things have changed and we've got to figure out how to adapt. A lot of young parents are starting to figure out electronic stuff has to be limited.My grand kids range from 1 to 23 and I'm seeing this change in my own family. Kites are pretty cheap and most everyone in a family can do some type of kiting. There's a faulty train of thought in fliers that have been around a lot that Kitelife is a mostly quad site. That needs to change because it's not been the case at all in my time here.We might be surprised at how much more traffic may come thru here by just having a Kitelife.com banner flying next to your kite bag.Might not work at all but it'd still be cool to have.Going to have one made for the Mile High Kite Club. Need to run it by the members but I'm leaning towards a rising Phoenix 🤔.