Vapor time!

[1984Lee]

So, I was able to purchase the second brand new Vapor that Prism released this summer. She flies incredibly well and is a beauty to just look at.  Flying photos coming soon!

[Exult]

The only kite in my set of kites that I have not flown yet is my Vapor, mostly because I not initially could make my mind up whether I should keep it or not (after all the cost per weight was incredible) and then have been occupied with other projects. Normally I have the idea that kiting should be a kind of affordable activity in terms of cost per session (I know that the choice of that figure of merit is a matter of preference and that we all a re different and that there are more aspects than this -  e.g. it is difficult  set a universally valid price on the beauty of a kite).

None the less, disregarding the economics, what is the feeling when handling the kite including the time before and after the flight - wearing silk gloves, fearing that the sail would be punctured or is the kite instead quite robust? Should one fear gusts or would it be better if less walking/running would be required to keep it in the air in low wind? How is the (frame weight/over all) trade off between light wind properties and trickiness?

[JaseRicco]

On ‎8‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 10:22 PM, 1984Lee said:

So, I was able to purchase the second brand new Vapor that Prism released this summer.

 

Second Vapor released was Blue as pictured, and available exclusively through Kites & Puppets in Vancouver, BC. Kudos grabbing one of the 10 released

[1984Lee]

On 8/7/2017 at 2:12 AM, Exult said:

The only kite in my set of kites that I have not flown yet is my Vapor, mostly because I not initially could make my mind up whether I should keep it or not (after all the cost per weight was incredible) and then have been occupied with other projects. Normally I have the idea that kiting should be a kind of affordable activity in terms of cost per session (I know that the choice of that figure of merit is a matter of preference and that we all a re different and that there are more aspects than this -  e.g. it is difficult  set a universally valid price on the beauty of a kite).

None the less, disregarding the economics, what is the feeling when handling the kite including the time before and after the flight - wearing silk gloves, fearing that the sail would be punctured or is the kite instead quite robust? Should one fear gusts or would it be better if less walking/running would be required to keep it in the air in low wind? How is the (frame weight/over all) trade off between light wind properties and trickiness?

I can't comment too much as I have only flown the Vapor one time. My initial impressions. The kite does seem to be very fragile, especially the clear mylar panels.  Certainly more fragile then my Skyburner Pro Dancer SUL. I don't plan on flying the Vapor in any winds stronger than about 5mph. I have heard of many people who have 20 year old Vapors with alot of flying hours on them that are still going strong. On the day I flew the Vapor, the winds were 1-2mph and she flew great with little effort and no walking backwards needed. I'm just now learning tricks and I don't want to "practice" with the Vapor. After each flight I am removing all 4 standoffs and storing them (with the upper and lower spreaders) in a second sleeve separate from the kite. Hope this helps! Here is a good video of a guy flying the Vapor in very low winds. Notice at 46 seconds, just before the launch, the kite is not moving at all.  The water also looks very calm.

 

 

[Exult]

I'm more than halfway through my project to see how much QLKing I can learn in 2.5 months - I have one month left. I decided not to do any DLK piloting during this period, which I haven't, except for the very first part of the period. The video you found makes it much tempting to deviate from that path by unboxing the Vapor. Went on to look for more youtube Vapor videos after seeing the above video. I think the below one addresses how much a light wind kite it is, though most likely the required footwork would be more than for Mark Reed:

 

And b.t.w., good luck with your trick learning!