Is it really worth it?

[Peter_Frank]

I dont understand why so many says "New gear is always better or the best" ???

What pure nonsense...

It is only because they have adapted a "I want new things" mania, that they think so.

The evolution has stagnated, and new kites are NOT better, can be much worse for the individual rider in fact.

I will say the very opposite - that with new kites, your level will certainly go down for a period of time

Experienced riders has adapted the kite behaviors so they can do and feel anything inside out without ever thinking or looking.

If you get new kites, no matter if very different or almost the same - you WILL suffer for a long period because you have to "forget" all the old muscle memory and feel, and adapt to a new slightly or very different one.

This is sooooo important in waveriding (I dont know about freestyle but would believe it to be even more important here)

So if you seek new challenges and are bored, new kites are good.

If you want to MAX your level and riding, then go find the kites that suits YOU, and keep them as long as possible

The very same goes for boards.

Peter

[OzBungy]

Buy three kites and ride them to death over 3 years. $6000/300 hours = $20 an hour.

You're only getting 100 hours per kite before your kite's toast?

No, just making a point and not doing the math particularly well. My current kites are sitting on 130 hours each. The two newer ones look brand new. The older one looks a little scruffy but works just fine.

The longest I have kept a kite is 160 hours. It was pretty faded and soft but worked ok. It was a 2007 model.

In recent years I have taken to wiping the Dacron parts of the kite with a damp car chamois cloth before deflating. That seems to make a difference in keeping the structural components of the kite clean and new looking.

[icebird]

In recent years I have taken to wiping the Dacron parts of the kite with a damp car chamois cloth before deflating. That seems to make a difference in keeping the structural components of the kite clean and new looking.

You probably wear out the UV coating faster that way.