SHBKF

I always enjoy the posts like this. "Just started & what to get next?" It brings back the memories of the fun I've had on the same path. Now have many of the kites mentioned. Live inland too & my 4D has the most hours on it. That little kite produced my first 360 & more. It's pretty specialized but I use it when nothing else will fly. The Shadow is the next one out of the bag in a bit stronger puffs of wind. But all paths lead to the Darkside eventually. Love the good advice that flows so freely here on KiteLife. You guys are the best!

"more people want to talk & show interest." I am quite the introvert but have come out of my shell a bit over the years. I believe I need to think about how approachable I make myself to others when I am enjoying my kites. I have learned in attending car shows that you need to display your car in a way that it causes people to stop & investigate further. So you open the hood, open the door, make a little sign board about your ride & even display accessories of interest. People walk right by a fine closed up car but stop to chat about my old jalopy because I invite them to do so. So as I fly my kites I need to somehow make that same invitation. The KiteLife expands my thoughts once more.

I have been carrying kites in my motor home for many years, since the eighties. Flown many places & times because I had a kite handy. There are five in the little rig right now. On a day with good conditions I leave a kite assembled, with lines attached, on the bed. Parking lots, rest areas, anyplace can be a kite field.

Wouldn't it be cool to make a kite out of some of there cast off sail cloth?

I resemble that comment. I have had fantasies about flying my SLE, meeting someone with an interest in it & giving it to them. But the Darkside has such a hold on me.

Missed most of this thread as it developed but I will add that I have learned more about how a kite, any kite, reacts to inputs on short lines than I did in any amount of time on long lines. It may be the quickness or the more direct connection but it is also that I can see the kite so much better. I don't think I would have ever even tried short lines if I had not had some guidance from the KiteLife Masters. Thank you! I am still the newbie but now it feels better....

Sounds like some of my antics. Sort of goes like this: Whoops! Dang! oh cool, if anybody saw that I'll just act like it's my normal great flying.

A figure eight knot is a good one too. Simple to tie as a terminal end knot & does not reduce the line load capacity like some other knots. It's another of the "bet your life on it" knots I've employed in a free hanging repel.

Yes, the aluminum carabiners even hold up to even a full true horsepower. I use old ones to tether the horses to picket lines. The steel links are cheap & easy to find. But they are not elegant. When setting a bolt & hangar as a permanent climbing aid I sometimes leave the steel ones in place but I think my climbing days are past. Maybe the motorcycle days are done too, but I digress....

Way to go makatakam, I feel the Karma moving. I'm in for the next session.

That sounds like the conditions on the first day I ever flew a two line kite. That day the wind was out of the north on the OBX. Back then I thought that was normal beach wind....hmm, ignorance was truly bliss. I somehow thought scudding was normal too & to be expected with a big 72" wing span. Good thing I had those 200 pound test Kevlar Sky Bond lines & my Sky Claws! It's amazing that the kite was tough enough for my zero experience level.

Lookin' good JaxJosh! Welcome to the KiteLife. Keep em flying.

Eventually we will have a Tricorder like Spock's......courtesy the fine folks at Google, Apple or whoever is next.

Have a bit of experience with rock climbing gear & especially as applied to vertical caving. Caving is upside down mountaineering in the mud & dark, rappel in & climb out. The Black Diamond carabiner is a good one & I have bet my life on similar ones many times. They are made of aluminum alloy to be strong & light. Light so you can carry many of them. The simple gate is so you can clip in quickly with one hand. Some are available with a threaded locking sleeve to keep the gate closed & would be used on your body harness. They are heavier & much stronger. But if you want an even stronger link go to a farm supply store & buy some steel ones with the threaded nut gates. They are cheap, tough & much more resistant to abrasion. I use this type on my safety chains on trailers. I also like the pictures of the big sand anchor. That is called a dead man by some. Winter mountaineering uses the same style anchors in snow.

I would say that Reef Runner's new kite is inspirational. Makes me want another kite. But anything flying gets me in the kite mind.

As much as I liked being able to finally fly my SLE successfully, my first struggling flights are the most memorable at this point in time. The rewards are great on the journey to the Dark Side. Welcome to the KiteLife.

Sometimes my tied off Wala, flying on it's own, puts on a better display than my control line kite. It finds the wind & follows it playing all by itself.

Yes, the fliers dilemma, do I stay or do I go? Another variation is great wind all day, until I get off work. Midday winds seem to favor the retired, unemployed or night shift guys. I must say that I traveled 5,000 plus miles, across this great country & saw good winds in all fourteen states I was in. No excuses for not putting up a kite. Timing is everything.

New member, new subscriber, first post & in the drawing. Great karma, welcome to KiteLife!

Right, I seem to be at that point with several of my kites. But I did not feel like an a proper newbie Rev flyer until I broke a leading edge rod.

Yes, the speed is impressive & I love the sounds. I was also wondering about launching, landing & just holding on. These very helpful videos showed that, thank you. Looks like my 1980's Sky Claws can be put back to work. I will have to get at least one of these Speedkites. Perhaps a slower entry level really tough one as some landings may be more sudden than planned. In the mean time, while pondering how to acquire a speedkite, I can fly the little Micron on five meter lines in high winds for training purposes. Great music, Canned Heat & The Doors are aging but timeless. I like fast things.

I'd like to see a video of Rob tricking a Micron. I can do a few with mine but my tricking skills are mostly in my imagination.

Consider me interested, now posting future "I'm in."

Welcome to KiteLife Joel! I too have both those Prism kites. I thought the Micron was fast & was pleased when I could successfully fly it. These speedkites appear much faster. I'll have to get my wife to aim my radar gun at some of my kites to see what speed they are attaining.

Wow! A whole class of kites that I was not aware of. I am sure a speedkite would be appealing to me. You have my attention. How fast are they flying?