Gear Guide

Buying your First Rig – A Gear Guide

Please wait until you have taken your first beginner lesson to think about purchasing gear, other than a trainer kite. All too often, people rush into buying gear before their lesson, and more often then not, they have purchased the wrong gear. Hold off until you make sure you like the sport and you have enough of a basic understanding to understand what you are looking at/for.

New or Used

The most common question we get from beginners is whether to buy new or used gear. There is no right or wrong answer, however, for most people the best choice will be used gear (unless you have unlimited cash flow). Your first set of gear often takes a beating as your work through the learning process, so used gear offers a cheap alternative while learning. Try to avoid Ebay. Below is some advice on how/where to purchase:

• Local Used Gear – Your best bet is to find a local rider who is looking to sell their gear to update to the next year’s equipment. You will be able to visually inspect the gear, and a local rider is far less likely to be dishonest about the condition of his/her equipment. Many local riders are reps or have store connections and buy their gear for far less than retail, and are willing to pass those deals on to other local riders as they upgrade. Is no gear is on sale on the forums, try making a post with what you are looking for, someone may be waiting in the wings to upgrade.
• New Closeout Gear – Your next best shot is closeout gear from a retailer. Stores tend to begin closing out gear in late-July, and these discounts can range from 20-50% off retail. Here is your chance to get a new rig close to the cost of a used rig.
• Local Rep/Store Contact – If there are no good closeout deals, try asking around about local hookups. There are a number of retailers and reps that are willing to cut a little off the price for a local rider, and it doesn’t hurt to call them up and see what they have going for a deal. These deals range from 10-30% off retail.
• New Ebay Gear – There are some retailers who sell on Ebay for under retail. Be sure to have a firm idea of what the actual retail cost is before bidding/buying. Be aware that some Ebay sales, even new from a dealer, void the factory warranty.
• Used Ebay Gear – This should be an absolute last resort. Some kite equipment is faulty from the factory and these items tend to circulate through Ebay. They just don’t “work right” and they keep being bought and sold on Ebay. Gear also goes for far more than it’s worth most of the time.

Equipment You Need

Kite(

The kite or kites will be the biggest starting expense. Kite technology is changing fast and there is a large variety of styles available, meaning that you want to stay with the middle of the road, nothing on either extreme. Look for only bow style kites as these are the easiest and safest to learn on. Stick with a name brand. It is more than ok to start with a single kite, but choose in the middle of the range. Make sure bladders hold air over time.

• Budget – Plan on spending $300 to $500 on a kite.
• Brand and Models – Best Waroo’s are one of the most popular kites for beginners and experts alike due to their high performance to cost ratio. Liquid Force Assault kites are a good choice, as are Cabhrina Crossbows.
• Size – Men should look for an 11-12m and women should look for an 8-9m kite. These are the most general sizes and will work in the most varied conditions. Most kite quivers are either 9/13 or 7/11/15 for men, 7/11 or 5/9/13 for women.

Control Bar and Lines + Leash

The control bar and lines needs to be matched to your brand of kite. You may purchase the bar and lines with the kite or separately. If buying separately, make sure they are compatible! The control bar is home to your safety systems, so make sure everything works properly if buying used. Bars and lines are also subject to the most wear and tear, so carefully examine them for fraying. Make sure you get or purchase a quick release leash with your bar and lines.

• Budget – Plan on $150 to $250 for a bar and lines set. Leashes, if not included, are around $30.
• Brand and Models – Make sure they work with your kite!
• Size – For kites larger than 11m, use bar that is longer than 50cm bar. For kites less than 11m, use a bar that is shorter than 50cm.

Board

Your board will be the other major staring expense. Board technology does not change as fast as kites, and you tend not to beat you board up too badly while learning, so buying a good board from the start is a good investment. Try to avoid old boards or large and heavy beginner boards – you will out grow them too quickly. You’ll be looking for an all around board to cover the majority of conditions. Look for a wide board that will give you more surface area to plane easier. Make sure it comes with straps, pads, fins, and a center grab handle. Do not buy a wakeboard as a kiteboard!

• Budget – Plan on $250 to $550 for a board.
• Brand and Models – The Best Spark is a great all around board that will last well through intermediate and is fairly inexpensive.
• Size – Look for a board in the 140 x 40 range.

Harness

Most likely you’ll be buying this one new. There are waist harnesses and seat harnesses, and it’s a hotly debated topic about which is better. Seat harnesses have a number of advantages for beginners, and I would suggest you start with one. They offer less freedom of movement than a waist, but they give you a lower center of gravity and they don’t ride up as bad. They also leave room for a flotation device or life jacket. Make sure you get a spreader bar and kite knife with your harness.

• Budget – Plan on $75 - $150 for a harness. Spreader bars, purchased separately, are $30-40. Kite knives are $10.
• Brand and Models –

  • Seat – Dakine Nitrous or Fusion, Ocean Rodeo Session, Mystic Force Sheild.
  • Waist – Mystic Warrior, Liquid Force Waist, Dakine Pyro

• Size – If you can try it on, that is the best option. Most shops even have a rope you can hang from to get a feel of it. Follow the sizing chart from the manufacturer. If you are between two sizes, go big.

This is all you need to get going. Total startup cost for equipment is between $750 and $1,300.

Things You Want

Wetsuit

If you plan to kite in the off-season, you will need a wetsuit. Look for a modern and kite-specific 4/3 wetsuit. Modern wetsuits are much more movement-friendly and much warmer than older models. This thickness wetsuit will get you though most of spring and fall. If you want to go later into the off-season, go with a dry suit. Don’t go any thicker than a 5/4 wetsuit as it will impede movement too much. Anything thinner than 4/3 won’t get you into cold water and air temps. =

• Budget – Plan to spend $150 to $200.
• Brands and Models – Neil Pryde 3000/4000 series (or the very nice NPX Assassin 4/3), Mystic Virus/Venom/Flame
• Size – You want the suit to be snug without impeding your movement.

Helmet

A helmet is a good idea while learning. The ProTec Wake Ace is the most popular model.