Tube vs Softkite - an epic battle?

[PullStrings]

Pumpy is the trolls troll, someone for Pullstrings to look up to.

Pully looking up to you

[grigorib]

What a strange thread this is turning into.

Do Christians and Muslims love Rams too?

d assume rams' meat is far from tender and might smell not pretty either so hard to love it.
In means of bestiality I thought it's rather sheeps, at least as far as anecdotes go and we should stay away from discussing that kind of love.

[PullStrings]

Packing tubes with bar & lines in the exact same way than with my ex- rams to insure zero tangles..zero bar flips...zero bar spins..when getting ready to launch..just unwind lines from bar and all 4 will be free and clean every time.

Hmm, I could do this with one of my bar & kite combo...

Would you mind explaining the steps for setting it up and packing?

OK i'll do my best....you know what they say....a video is worth a thousands words ......and i'm not that good at writing novels like some on this forum

It all starts by packing properly the kite with the bar & lines attached

The trick is that whatever you do with the bar...it must stay left side on left.. and right side on right...chicken loop stays same way as if you were flying kite..don't flip bar over or under
Spatial orientation very important

So someone caught your kite or you self landed and it is LE down
Walk with your bar and lines 15 feet towards kite and put bar on sand neatly in exact flying position...left on left...right on right
Go flip over your kite in reverse order that it went LE down...open deflate valve...let your kite go on it's back with the wind flow...put sand on upwind wingtip if needed

Now the fun part

Wind up your lines tightly on your bar paying attention at keeping bar in the same exact position the whole time
When getting 25 feet from kite walk towards the upwind wingtip as you still wind the lines
Important now to make sure you go and stand 3ft upwind of that wingtip
When you get there you will feel that as you wind the lines more you will "get close to pulling" on the "leeward wingtip"...that means "stop winding"..you are done

As you stand there put the bungee over the one side to lock the lines hanging out....then do the other side
Keep holding the bar in "original position"....don't be concerned about the loose lines... walk and put the bar down parallel on the ground 1.5 foot in front of LE central valve
Leave the bar right there and reach down to pull on the loose lines making big loops with them until most is inside the kite

Go walk around windward wingtip then to the trailing edge and toss any remaining lines into the canopy as you go towards leeward wingtip
Time to pack now
Start with downwind side of kite by folding one foot wide and go all the way to middle...make sure lines stay inside
Do the same with upwind side of kite...usually with the wind pushing a one foot roll is easier..make sure lines stay inside

Fold in two or three (to fit your bag) from trailing edge to leading edge...get all the air out....so now the kite is folded and the bar is in front LE...lines are in kite except for 1.5 foot
Bar still left on left...right on right....and the chicken loop is pointing towards the LE

"Tricky part now not to mess up"....do not flip the bar...keep it all in the same plane
Put the bar on top of the kite...parallel to center strut / 90 degrees to the LE
The side of the bar that the lines don't come out of... goes towards the trailing edge....and the side where lines come out... goes towards the LE with the 1.5 foot of lines out

Put the whole thing in your bag exactly as is.... (1.5 foot of loose lines is great if you want to rinse your bar afterwards and dry it in upward position against a wall)
Keep in mind the spatial orientation if you rinse and make sure to put everything back exactly as it was on the beach

Good luck

For setting up do in reverse...putting bar back 1.5 foot in front of LE...parallel to LE...like it was at packing
Connect the pump and leash ...pump the kite to fill with air LE & struts...just under 1 PSI to open it all up... keeping the wingtips down
Grab your bar carefully and carry it around in the same plane / do not flip bar... all the way around either side of kite...go behind the kite's center 7 feet from trailing edge
Put down the bar on beach neatly in the " flying position"....chicken loop pointing away from kite on ground ...left on left....right on right
Go pump the rest of your kite

As you flip the kite LE down remember how you did it...so it can be reversed exactly to have no twist in lines if someone launches you....or if you stake launch...slide launch
You can then unlock both bungees at the bar ends and unwind your lines all the way if you want to test that you did it correctly before you launch

Good luck again

Crazy...yes !!

I need my beer now

[foilholio]

Pumpy and now Pullstrings have this strange obsession with Rams?

And now we have Pullstrings also writing a novel on how to leave lines attached to a tube. Foil kites were never this complicated. Maybe they are over their Ram outburst though.

[PullStrings]

Pumpy and now Pullstrings have this strange obsession with Rams?

And now we have Pullstrings also writing a novel on how to leave lines attached to a tube. Foil kites were never this complicated.

I was being helpful to a member. The method is identical Mr.Ramholio for ram airs...read and learn..rookie...mine's the best ever !!

[foilholio]

I see you are continuing perhaps increasing your Ram obsession?

What would SupaEZ think! you know he agrees with me.

[TomW]

Pullstrings, thanks for description. Appreciate the time it takes to explain.

[cor]

Pumpy is the trolls troll, someone for Pullstrings to look up to.

Typical trolling and abuse from a ram lover. Ram lovers can’t win arguments based on facts, so shoot the messenger.

Flysurfer's Ralf Groesl AGREED with ALL of the points I’ve made over the years, withstanding the abuse and hysteria of ram lovers:

Interesting blog from Ralf Groesel, kite designer:

1) Ram airs have INFERIOR handling
"Now this is where the trouble starts..."
.....

Kite propaganda.
And the lies.
Of ram airs ignore.

Pumpy ………………………

I think you've made it pretty clear with that post who is being obsessed

What a ridiculous discussion, just saying. Reminds me of Linux vs Windows or iOS vs Android. Same narrow minded kooks on both sides with their black/white yes/no thinking, almost completely ignoring conditions, board, style and personal preferences.

btw, bananas are superior to strawberries. SUVs are inferior to sports cars.

PS going to the spot now and I will either use one of my tubes or my softkite, depending on my mood and the conditions.

[Macster]

Lol. Agree, a pointless debate if the objective is to find a clear winner. I enjoyed reading about the design attributes and how the various kites function though.

I love my C kites for freestyle and big air kiteloops and I love my foil kites for foil boarding. I have tried swapping then around on occasion and they have been horrible and completely unsuited for those cross purposes.

Pick the right kite for the right application, but please do continue on the pros and cons!

[salsaaddict]

I have been riding North tube kites for the last 12 years but recently purchased some freeride foil kites from a different brand and I'm having a blast: Not just for foiling but IMHO jumping in 15 knot conditions is way more fun on a modern foil kite, great height and so much more hangtime.

My advice to North kite designers: Stop writing blogs and get back to work and design a kite that can compete with foil kites in light to medium wind. Modern foil kites are not just for racing or foiling anymore. And most people don't live near a spot where it's nuking every weekend.