Tail management tips please

[ACrop]

Ok, been enjoying my flying and recently added two 40' tails to the mix. Love watching them fly, but hate that getting them put away at the end is 2x more time consuming than putting away the rest of the kite. I found that a pony tail holder holds them fine once I get them under control, but getting them rolled is enough to make me think twice about even getting them out.

 

Any tried and true methods to getting tails rolled quickly and neatly? .

 

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[riffclown]

Find the midpoint of the tail and depending on the length use two fingers to do an overlap wind. Video Demo attached.. This works in wind as well since you have the midpoints of the tails in hand. they may flap but your hands will always act as the edge of a spool and keep then aligned.. Rubber band/hair clip, ponytail hoilder at the end is the way to go. I use metal Clothes Pins from Dollar Tree..

TailFolding.mp4

 

Or you could just make them into kites

[khsidekick]

Thanks for the info Riff. I have s 100 foot tube tail that I don't get out much mainly because of the time it takes to put it away.


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[riffclown]

Tube tails are a bit different since they "inflate" so for those start about 6 ft from the tail end to get the air out and roll it up the same way.. That forces the air out the mouth of the tail..a Small bungee or even a small pouch works well to manage the bundle when rolled. Treat a tube tail like a big inflatable but just on a much smaller scale.

[ACrop]

Wonder how I managed to post this under kite travel...hum.

Thanks for the tips will try it.

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[Chook]

This is a picture of my prototype that I built back in 2003 out of 1/4"- 6.3mm galvanized rod. I now use stainless steel.

It's not clear in the photo but the whole frame is slightly tapered (the support crossing the axle with the inward bends is a total of 5/16" -8mm narrower than the other side support also welded onto the axle)

When I start to roll a tail, it is sometimes easier to hook the swivel onto a solid object so the whole tail can rotate and undo the twists in the tail as I wind it up from the other end. (Mine are always rolled up on these winders so they roll back into their "edge crease marks" very nicely)

I loop the first roll of the tail back over its self a few inches and make the first few rolls fairly loose to make it easier to remove from the winder when the roll is completed. By favoring the side with the high guides when rolling, I can spin it with my thumbs while holding the axle in both hands and roll it at a nice walking pace even when it's windy.

It then slips off the winder, I fold it in halves and into it's bag.

[SparkieRob]

I wind my tails up on a card winder like the LPG ones but it is a bit bigger. I attach the tail loop attachment to the "eyelet" on the winder and wind on keeping the tails flat. When it come time to unwind I just shake it and let the wind carry the tail out till I'm left with the loop to put on the kite. I'll snap a pic later and put it up to give this some "sense".


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[Reef Runner]

I used a stuff bag.  Just begin by putting the trailing end for the tail in first, then just continue until the attachment loop is on top.  When it's time to go again, you can hook the kite to the tail and simply fly it right out of the bag.  Sure, it might wrinkle the tails a little bit, but I never had anyone say, "your kite's tail looks wrinkled up there", not once. 

[ACrop]

I am now gonna look to see is anyone's tails are wrinkled. When I find a set of wrinkled tails I am gonna go to the flyer and say "Are you Reefrunner?"[emoji6]

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[Reef Runner]

8 minutes ago, ACrop said:

I am now gonna look to see is anyone's tails are wrinkled. When I find a set of wrinkled tails I am gonna go to the flyer and say "Are you Reefrunner?"

Well, it's pretty hard to see those wrinkles, way up in the sky, or when the tail is zooming out of the bag.  By the time you bring it down, the wrinkles are basically gone anyway.  Time to stuff again......   

So, good luck catching me.........

[riffclown]

Relocated from Travel per conversation with ACrop..

[Wayne Dowler]

I use a regular winder for mine, but would use an old Carey winder if used much. That would wind them up so fast .......! Too bad you have to look hard for them - think they are out of production.

[SparkieRob]

I wind my tails up on a card winder like the LPG ones but it is a bit bigger. I attach the tail loop attachment to the "eyelet" on the winder and wind on keeping the tails flat. When it come time to unwind I just shake it and let the wind carry the tail out till I'm left with the loop to put on the kite. I'll snap a pic later and put it up to give this some "sense".


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Got a pic today.




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[ACrop]

Thank you for the follow-up. The easier the cleanup is the more likely I am to use them in the first place.

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