Recommend me a short line length

[dragonfish]

I'm thinking about trying out a short line set on dual line kites for a different perspective. I expect to primarily use this in light winds, and possibly in small-ish neighborhood parks. In general, I am working on learning tricks. If it makes a difference to your recommendation, my light wind kite is an Ocius UL (7' wingspan).

Suggest away! Feel free to share what conditions you like the length in, which of your kites it works well with (or doesn't work well with), etc.

Thanks.

[SparkieRob]

My dual is also 7ft, Temptation by KaoS, and a fun short length to practice tricks I've found is 50 feet. I much prefer 100 but 50 is a funky length if you're pushed for space. As I heat more familiar with 50 I want to go to 30, the same length as my street lines for my Rev.

[SHBKF]

I started out thinking 50' x 50# lines were the shortest I would ever fly. Even that length seemed awful short with things happening quickly. But forum comments & small spots with a bit of wind inspired me to buy some 18' x 50# lines for my little 4D. A small twitchy kite on super short lines, wow! I was flailing away having a ball. Did my first ever 360's & even 840's till I staggered around laughing. But I digress. As the kite selection grew so did my line collection. Now I have 24's & 37's too. Strange lengths are from breaking longer lines. First consideration is how much space I have to fly in & second is the size of the kite. The bigger kites take more room to turn so a larger window is needed at my skill level. I set my bridle to turn quickly also. I now have some SUL kites the size of yours & the shortest I fly them on is 24'. I really like my 65' x 90# line set but consider it a medium length. As I wear out my 50# lines I may replace them with 90# as they seem to fly about the same speed, make me feel more connected & don't snag on weeds quite as much. But I am still pretty new to all this & just a solo hill billie kite flailer.

[Captainbob]

I just ordered a set of 90# 75 ' for my Zephyr ( 92") for low winds. At first I ordered a 50' set but changed it after I read that the original Zephyr came with two sets of lines, and the shorter one was 75' . I figure if I feel it is still a bit too long, I can always shorten it to say 65' . Fifty feet just seemed a bit too short for a Zephyr sized kite. I don't care for 50# lines, and can't see that much of an advantage in weight over the 90# lines which are easier to handle and more durable in my opinion.

[makatakam]

Indoor kites are flown are 8 and 10-foot lines, so there is really not much of a limit on shortness. It can be done outdoors at that length also. I made up a 4-foot set so I could check out the set-up of sail and bridle on my home-built kites on the sidewalk right in front of the house. Quick check, take inside, make adjustments, repeat. At that length the kite is IN-YOUR-FACE, and your wind window is about three feet across, if you swing your arms. I wouldn't call it "flying" exactly, but it works.

[RobB]

The two sets of 'shorty' lines that I use the most are 50' for really low winds, and 60'-65' foot lines for low winds, like 2-5mph. I switch up to 75' when the wind is 5-10mph and then it's Rev time when the winds are over 10mph. My flying spot can get quite narrow at high tide, so I don't really use lines that are over 75'-85' ever.

[John Barresi]

For dual line, shortest effective length imho is 50'.