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Which kite to get

samstersamster
edited February 2020 in Kites
Hello, I am knew to this and am wondering which kite I should get.

I have done some research and originally I was going to get a cheap ebay 1.3m wide parafoil after watching this video.

I then was doing some more research and was looking on this KAP Facebook group and saw that most people used delta's.

I had a look around and found the Prism Zenith 5 for around £30 on Amazon, I think this would be great for KAP.

I just wanted to get others opinions, I also wondered if I do get that kite is it ok to use the 50lb line that it comes with.

I did also find this one which is a bit bigger but I would have thought the Prism one would be better quality.

I am also slightly wary about using a rigid kite compared to a foil one because of the easier possibility of breaking it.

I was also once thinking of getting this super sled but was also not sure.

Right now im thinking the Prism Zenith 5 might be the best but would like others opinions on which of these I should get, or other suggestions around the price point of £30-40.

Comments

  • larrycolelarrycole
    I've been using a Levitation delta with a 9' wingspan for over 7 years now. It's been reliable and will lift my camera rig with a geared panner, 2 axis gimbal, and batteries. I fly it with a fuzzy tail and 200lb braided line. The kite runs about $90 US, or about 70 pounds, then the tail and line about another 20 pounds, so perhaps more than you want to invest.
  • samstersamster
    Thanks for your reply, do you think a 5' delta would work?

    Or im not sure if maybe the super sled might work better, it is about the same size though.
  • SueSue
    Hi and welcome to our world of higher views.
    I used an even bigger Power Sled 24 sled for many years - same size but different brand.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spirit-Air-Mega-Sled-Kite/dp/B002K8RNLE/ref=pd_sbs_21_1/257-6226809-1463027?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B002K8RNLE&pd_rd_r=25e31d03-44e6-4d6e-834a-76518c4d633d&pd_rd_w=7n6Z1&pd_rd_wg=1z0a9&pf_rd_p=96cae456-8d7a-4bc1-91c7-9b20b4dfd7c9&pf_rd_r=Y47C467XPFB33NRH1J6F&psc=1&refRID=Y47C467XPFB33NRH1J6F
    It folds up into its drogue and flies in fairly light winds to about 14mph when it pulls pretty hard. I then used to change to the smaller Power Sled 14 like the Super Sled. These carried a rig of 300g easily.
    I prefer the sled kites over the delta because they always seem to know which way is UP and don't dive like the overwhelmed deltas are prone to do. They are a little more difficult to get into the air to start with but you soon get to know how to do this.

    Fly High

    Sue
  • larrycolelarrycole
    I suppose if you're just lifting a small "action cam" without anything else, a 5' delta would work. Sue is right about deltas - even with a fuzzy tail, mine will sometimes do the dreaded delta dive. If it's not high enough to recover, the camera could hit the ground hard. My old GoPro, in its case, survived a couple of these.
    image
  • samstersamster
    edited February 2020
    Thank you for your replies,

    I will get the sled then.

    I think I will need a longer line, I was looking at a 100lb, 300ft long line do you think that would be strong and long enough?
  • BaltickapBaltickap
    edited February 2020
    Hi samster, a shameful confession here: I tried one of these eBay 13$/€ foils (maybe a different model though). I tried a lot to get it in trim, but never got it flying stable. It always rolled over to one side and crashed when wind gusts came in, even after flying stable for a few minutes before. Once tried KAPing with it, it got a gust and came to the ground like a bomb, actually endangering traffic there. So I can not recommend them. Much, much better (and lifting more) was the Kaixuan 2 sqm frog kite I bought later: https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32597905086.html?gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=4409c10d-f71e-425b-afc3-aa3c8cef22f9&spm=a2g0o.store_home.smartJustForYou_819224023.15
    The line angle is not the steepest, but it stays like glued to the sky. And folds small, so you can take it in your backpack for day trips just because of the suspicion of something KAPable. I use it with 70 daN line (140lbs if I recall correctly) and haven't reached it's limit yet.
    Otherwise, deltas are good and most sleds, too.
  • Pierre LesagePierre Lesage
    Hi Samster, There are as many type of kites are there are KAPers ! Some will only use foil kite, some others will only use delta or rokkaku or sled, not to mention there is no kite that fits all winds, so you may have to start a collection of kites and it is an activity that can become addictive to a point you will sew your own kites !!!
    Personnaly when I travel I have 3 kites to cover all type of winds a large R11 Delta for very light winds , à Dan Leigh R8 for medium winds and a KAPfoil 2 for strong to gale force winds. For me they are the easiest to use, very tolerant to all sorts of mistakes. I have tried Rokkakus, sled, conyne but I do not feel as comfortable as my deltas and kapfoil.
    Try to meet a KAPer in your region and try his kites before making a choice!
  • KAP_JasaKAP_Jasa
    As our experiences go, that's what we learned so far:

    - Rokkaku (2 m) for low winds. The best flier, extremely stable. Tends to fly far. Versatile.

    - Delta (3,3 m) for medium to high winds. Less stable, more pull, flies higher. Ideal for shooting things that are near the launch site.

    - Sled and flowform (1.6 m; 2 m): simple to fly (rok and delta are kind of difficult for one person doing KAP) ,easy to assemble. Good for high winds, flies far and low. Good for shooting things that are more distant.


    We fly regular cameras (PowerShot, CoolPix, Nikon 1 J1), and even a special dual rig (for both a normal and an infrared camera).
  • dragonbladedragonblade

    Gosh, I didn't know about the Delta dive. I have a Delta myself which Ive flown just once and would like to use for KAP. Maybe I should add some hard foam or other protection to the camera.
    Sue, those sled kites sound attractive to me in that there's less chance of a crash. Can they be flown quite high?

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