Simple tip

[Mikefule]

OK, so maybe I'm reinventing the wheel and you all know this trick, but I hadn't thought of this before in 30+ years of flying kites.

The situation: you have a medium/large kite up and it is pulling quite hard.  You want to bring it down under control without winding in the line.  Maybe you need to get the kite down quickly for safety reasons, or perhaps you want to make a small adjustment to the bridle, or add or remove a tail, or line laundry.  Either someone is holding the reel or the reel is attached to a stake.

For years, I have walked my hands along the line, pulling the kite down a bit at a time, keeping the tension on both ends of the line.

Today, on a whim, I took a tent peg out of my kit bag, hooked it over the line and then held onto the peg and walked towards the kite.  Result: the kite came down under control and there was never any danger of cutting or burning myself on the line.  (Only a couple of weeks ago i burned holes in my glove when I was bringing down a big kite on a gusty day.)

As I was doing this, I thought that a tent peg extractor would be even better as it has a T grip handle.  This type of thing:

https://www.outdooraction.co.uk/camping-tent-accessories-tent-pegs-and-hammers/vango/vango-round-handled-peg-extractor-pd-10668.php?gclid=CKO4yfHgnNQCFekp0wodAS8K7w

The only down side to tis technique is if you let go of the tent peg when the line is under tension, the tent peg (extractor) may go a considerable distance!

[riffclown]

A Heavy Duty Carabiner on a strap will serve the same purpose and also gives you a loop to hang onto.. Clip it on and walk it down.. The strap will also give you the ability to put 2 people on the loop if needed.. Also will not become a projectile if it slips.

 

 

[GammoRay]

For really big or hard-pulling kites, the hook is not secure enough and carabiners get hot from friction. For such kites, spend a bit more for a removable pulley! Lock it with a climbing carabiner or a rope larkshead and use the "lock" as your handle.

 

 

https://www.gombergkites.com/line.html

 

 

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[makatakam]

A handle, consisting of a knotted rope loop, where the knot is too big to pull through the holes in the two sides of the pulley bracket but the rope diameter is small enough to slide a doubled-over length of rope through them, will make fast work of the set up for it, and decrease the possibility of the pulley becoming a projectile if you lose your grip on the rope.

I have seen pulleys of that type at the hardware store that will easily fit in your pocket.

[Daougie]

This is what I use. It's for stopping clothes line sag .

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