Folding a Kite for Traveling

[TurcoLoco]

I was in Cumbuco last weekend and it amazes me how those "helper boys" fold kites much better than me.
I sometimes remove fiberglass battens to try to make packung smaller.
Are there kite specific techniques, for a Rebel for instance, videos?

[William Munney]

I was in Cumbuco last weekend and it amazes me how those "helper boys" fold kites much better than me.
I sometimes remove fiberglass battens to try to make packung smaller.
Are there kite specific techniques, for a Rebel for instance, videos?

I'd like to see them as well. I was taught to roll from both ends toward the middle keeping the trailing edge even, then fold the kite in thirds with the trailing edge battens on top, never inside. But if your inflation valve has a working stopper ball rolling towards the middle will not get all of the air out, so it might be better to roll the whole kite towards the deflate valve.

[bay surfer]

Personally I like folding the kite, fold ,fold, and fold till about the right size, then fold from the lee edge, then use my wt to get all the air out, super fast, but some times in wind still have to roll. The kite does not care which way you do it.

[TurcoLoco]

We shurely need an update on this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA3l1wp9S-Q

[flybykite]

For the Rebel which is what I fly mostly, I take out the fiberglass battons and lay out a tarp to fold the kite on. Start at the end furthest away from the dump valve as usual and just roll as tightly as possible taking your time. When you reach the dump valve roll the other portion as normal very tightly up to the valve. Fold the kite 3-4 times depending on the size, next put it in a pillow case or wrap with fabric and tie it tight with some string. You can fit at least 3 kites into a North bag using this method. Dont forget to use fabric to protect your hard rolled kite. It will be vulnerable to abrasion rolled up that tight. I travel with 7.9.12 all in one bag and a 16 in my carry on. I also take the bags with me for each kite to protect them when not in use.
You could also just use a very large "golf" bag like Mysitc 155 cm. I get 2 boards 4 kites , harness, repair gear, pump, snorkeling fins and mask, and last year even a spear gun. Yes it was overweight but all in one place.
This year I may try to get 3 kites into 1 bag and take that as carry on since they dont check weight of these. Lets hope I dont need to open it up at the xray line
Happy travels

[Jono 111]

Hey there flybykite....as much as I love rebels, I must admit I find them a complete pain to pack.

I fly long haul a lot, I hate one pump and all the crap associated with it. Compared with older models, they're so much harder to pack because you can't cram them down without worrying about the connectors etc....even before the airlines stick another tonne of stuff on top of your bag.

Do you have a photo of 3x kites in one bag? I travel with 7 + 10 + 14 .....

I'm not doubting you.....but I would be interested to see how you get 3 (not a 14...) in one bag. I always roll my kites in a way thats sympathetic to the hard parts....but in fairness, I don't remove the batons.....maybe thats the key? In which case, I appreciate the tip

[tautologies]

I know this will piss a few people off, BUT getting kites with fewer struts matter and less batten fever...

The pic...i have not made any special efforts to pack the kites tight...and it still fits 3 Ride kites in an 9 evo bag.

I'm not trying to say North kites are shitty, I am saying having kites that pack small matters. Especially when you are out traveling...

[windybrit]

I fly with a flat 155cm Mystic Bag which takes 2 boards 2 kites etc, the boards are each in a sleeve of micro foam wrap. I fold the kites down to the approximate dimensions of the board that they'll share their side of the bag with. Rebels I fold to a rectangle first using the battens as a guide from the trailing edge, then I'll fold the kite into the centre to get to the about 140 x 45 cm I need. I am careful not too push hard around the hardware of the one-pump. Once I'm done I tie the kite with a couple of fabric strips to hold it .
I'll usually have my smallest kite (7 or 9) in my regular kit bag, for this I have a 60 x 90 cm vacuum bag (5 bucks on ebay), I fold my kite the the dimensions of the bottom of the bag, tie it loosely, then zip it into the vacbag and use my kite pump to evacuate the air. I am a bit worried about compressing a kite when it may have sand in it kite and if I don't have time to dry it properly i wont pack it too tight. I'm interested to see how other people pack to fly

[Jono 111]

tautologies...I doff my cap to you for producing a photo, on point, demonstrating exactly what is required, within 10 minutes or less! How big is your photo library? Scary big I'm thinking....a photo for every occasion! Do you have a photo of 3 kites in a cabrinha bag on standby?

windybrit....I like your lateral (literally) thinking.....

[tautologies]

tautologies...I don my cap to you for producing a photo, on point, demonstrating exactly what is required, within 10 minutes or less! How big is your photo library? Scary big I'm thinking....a photo for every occasion! Do you have a photo of 3 kites in a cabrinha bag on standby?

windybrit....I like your lateral (literally) thinking.....

Lol no that was a coincidence. My buddy has the evo and when we saw the difference in size we found it a bit funny. He loves his kite..but it doesn't exactly fold small..the 6 ride is about half the size of my bar.