SHBKF

From my perspective you have come to the realization that you are going to continue your journey in the KiteLife for some time. Don't be concerned that you need to be at a certain level in a particular amount of time. Enjoy the path all along the way. I would also add that you might consider holding on to kites that you don't seem to click with when you first fly them. You may not be up to the potential of that particular kite & come back to love it later. I think a very good example of this trait might be the Revolution Zen. But these are just my thoughts as I am out here in the mountains as a solo hill billie kite flailer. May the sky embrace your sails, SHBKF

After ordering one a year ago I again have a Revolution 1.5 B full vent on the way. Last time there was an error, probably mine, with my order that turned into a nice 1.5 B standard sail arriving. I kept it figuring I would get the full vent reordered pretty quickly. Somehow I acquired five other Revs in the meantime...not to mention numerous dual line kites & a few SLK's. Seems I want them all. So does one on the way count? If not my next could be a Sky Burner Pro Dancer Super Ultra Light or maybe a nice used kite from one of my KiteLife friends. There are so many fine kites out there waiting for me.

The first kite I "spent too much for" was a Prism Zephyr. It was a big investment for me at the time as I did not know how far I would go with kite flying. And the price of a Zephyr is more like $200 if you shop around or a bit more if you buy from a kite store like I did. When I first flew it I was smiling ear to ear, I could tell there was a difference. I liked it so much I soon bought a second one that was used but in a different color. But my journey through my KiteLife has brought me too many other kites to fly just one. There are many fine kites as will be recommended on further posts. Now, as my hoard of kites grows, I am still buying "just one more kite". Got another one yesterday & there is that one more in shipping somewhere out there. Best winds are coming your way. SHBKF

Don't run the sound on the laptop much but I have learned to crank it up during Rob's videos. The Joe Walsh tunes are something I have listened to many times. So if you see some old guy cruisin around in his old jalopy he might just my be listening to Rocky Mountain Way & laying a little rubber in sync with the music.....rock on my friends, rock on. SHBKF

Great story in pictures Rob. Thanks for the many kite images (and a few kites too). I carry several in my kite mind for recall at times I feel the urge to fly. Kites bring such joy to my life. Keep inspiring us please.

Wowed again by the magnificent kite fliers of our planet. Obviously at least a three times better flier than me.... SHBKF

Enjoyed chatting with you & others this evening. Had a great session flying today in strong gusty winds with temperatures in the sunny sixties. Sure glad I have some vented kites, long lines & long tails. I always enjoy your videos Rob. Keep em coming. Hope to fly with you someday my friend.

The Quantum has had so much praise as a beginners kite that I thought it was about time I got one a few months ago. I have flown it several times & enjoyed it very much. Wish it would have been my first kite. The larger sail has a nice pull & flies a bit slower than the smaller kites sometimes purchased by first timers. It also easily pulls a long tube tail with no problems at all. Hope to have a chance to use it as an introduction kite for others who would like to try a dualie. Even though I now have many fine kites my wife says the blue Quantum is the prettiest kite she has seen me fly. Hope to get a stack of three or four of these fine kites going eventually. Enjoy, SHBKF

I owe much to the above people on KiteLife. They have all been very important to my loving this forum & enjoying kites more than I ever would have imagined a couple years ago. These individuals & many others have helped me along the path with encouragement, information, advice & joy. I too have received a gift or two along the way from my friends here. And recently I acquired a much desired kite with an additional surprise of a Marshall fabricated kite stake holder. Join us on chat. Sometimes we get kite deals going even. SHBKF

Basically, but don't literally drop the lines. You'll eventually get a tangle and a mess that way. What I usually do is wind the first few feet of line onto the winder, secure it with the bungee on the winder, and gently set the winder on the ground. Then I break down the kite and pick up the winder to continue winding lines. Also, with Revs, they will almost never move if laid flat on the ground with the leading edge facing directly into the wind. If the rest of my stuff is near my kite instead of near the handles, I have no problem leaving the kite assembled on the ground, winding lines, and coming back for the kite. Of course, I do not know if the same is true for your kite since it has a different shape for the leading edge. Very active topic, now at 45 posts. I love to keep reading topics like this as sooner or later I pick up a tip that is helpful like the above winder method. Or I read something that I can relate to at the level I have personally arrived at in my journey on the dark side. It's all good when people have a passion for kites. SHBKF edit: post 47 below is another example of a technique described here which I adopted from my friend Wayne.

Ich liebe die Geschwindigkeit Kite Video vor allem, wenn die Linien zu jammern. (Trying to say: I love the speed kite video especially when the lines are whining.)

I like to take extra dual line sets & combine them to make quad sets like my 90# x 65' set made from extra Prism Nexus sets. I wanted a blue stack of five Nexus kites so I acquired five ready to fly kites giving me plenty of extra dual line sets. So I took two dual line sets, equalized them to make one quad set. Next I took another set & cut them in half to make a quad set of 90# x 30'. That still left me two of the original sets for dualie use. I now have an extra dual line set that is 150# x 85'. I plan to make a 150# x 40' quad set from those lines to use for my larger Blast & Power Blast kites as a short line set. I made a 50# x 50' quad line set from extra Micron line sets when I assembled my six stack of the little zoomers. My oddball length 50# sets come from breaking line sets flying in too high a wind. I am a solo flier so line length is based more on available space & my mood than any other considerations. I find I fly short lines very frequently these days. SHBKF

One kite is all you need to have a go at a Revolution Sportwing. It was just over two years ago I would not buy an EXP because I thought the cost was too high. That was for a kite I had "Know Eye Deer" if I could even fly, ever. My wife knew what to do. Two weeks earlier she gave me a ready to fly 1.5 SLE for my birthday. Then at Christmas I got to pick out a gift kite & I chose a Power Blast 2-4. Thought I could use it as a light wind kite but first I had to learn how to fly that little one. The SLE was plenty of kite for me to start with & still is a much flown kite. I did not fly the second Rev until quite a bit later. Take your time, much of my joy has been the journey, not the destination. But I'm just a SHBKF. P.S. Today she gave me a much desired Rev roll up kite bag, gotta love that women.

Thanks to one and all for filling my life with kites. Merry Christmas from the mountains of Virginia, SHBKF

Some backpacks have vertical sleeves, open on both ends & equipped with cinch straps, to allow you to slip your skis in them. Other packs have attachment loops & straps for carrying ice axes. I like to carry kites with me while backpacking. Never know when you might get a chance to put up a sail. I tend to favor small light ones that aren't too long so I don't catch them on brush & trees. This Spring I intend to take a Rev SLE along & see if the heavy leading edge tube can be used as an effective tarp pole.

I am so glad that this is a kite that filled an empty spot in your bag. I must say that my mid vent B is a kite I always want to fly if the wind is up at all. Flew my longest ever Rev session with mine recently at the beach & it was a night time flight to boot.

Never really mentioned flying the prize kites but thought I should say something even though it has been awhile. Just returned from the best nearby flying field, only 100 miles away, Green Hill Park in Salem, Virginia. The wind was 13 mph, fairly steady & temperature was in the high forties. Pretty good for mid December in the mountains. The three stack assembled easily but I had forgotten to bring the tails. May not have had enough wind to really pull them well anyway. Did not use the supplied line set but put them on some 150 lb. 85 footers with standard straps. Staked out on the lines they were leading edge down & stable. I pulled the stake & picked up the straps. Pulling the top line until the front kite nearly fell over I then took a few steps back & pulled both lines when the lead kite faced upward. The two trailing kites flopped around & snapped into position. It was on. The big stack climbed perfectly with pretty good alignment if I did my part by flying smoothly. Loops, spins, dives, window edge stalls, precision ground passes, these historic kites do it all. Strong pull feels great & longer lines are even better if the wind is up. If you have never flown two line diamond kites you are missing out IMHO. Love em, SHBKF

No hard feelings from here in the mountains of Virginia. I am rooting for you Brucifer. When I used to fish all the time I noticed that in general it seemed that the person who needed to the most caught the fish of the day. I would be there with all the latest gear, hottest lure, the current theories & fishing like mad. Then some young kid with a cane pole & an earthworm would haul in the lunker just a few feet away. After my thoughts matured I realized that just participating was enough, joy of others was of prime importance & life was good if you just let your heart open up to feel it. Best wishes to a new KiteLife subscriber. Recently I won and it was the kite I wanted the most of all that have been given. Not a coincidence in my experience it seems. Truly hoping, SHBKF

I too really enjoy chat. Anytime the "chat badge" lights up I try to join in. It gives me a further connection to the fine folks on KiteLife making it all more enriching for me. As a solo flier I can really appreciate hearing more about kites plus the personal touch that real time chat adds. I have even made some kite deals on chat that have brought more kites into my little collection. It was on my mind early this morning & I checked just to see if anyone was on. I typically look at the bottom of the community index and/or the users list to see who is on the forum hoping they might chat with me if I enter the chat room. I will try to be in the chat room more often when I am checking the forum. I may be slow to respond if reading something else so give me a few minutes to check back. So if you see the chat badge lit or notice anyone in the chat room on the list, please take a moment to say hello. We want to hear from all of you. Thanks, SHBKF

Probably my favorite Hendrix tune....always moves me. Kite Master Rob showing how it's done. Wow, love big kites!

The sky is such a beautiful part of our world. Put some kites in the air, give them long tails, skilled pilots and it is spectacular. Love it, thank you, SHBKF

Ah, roadside flyin', one of my favorite things. I now find myself flying thirty foot lines more and more. The kite is up close, the window is small and so unforgiving. But it fits my style somehow and is teaching me much. I would have never considered short lines without seeing what others do with them. Flew a eight foot dualie on five meter lines yesterday, what a rush!