HOW TO PACK YOUR KITE
How long will last your kite also depends on how you pack it.
My name is Petar Pavlovic, I love sharing my kitesurf experience with you and in this episode I will give you some tips on how to pack your kite in different conditions.
- Folding the kite.
- Rolling the kite when it is folded in half.
- Rolling the kite with the struts are inflated.
- The way of packing you should avoid.
If you ever bought a brand new kite, most probably you saw that the kite was folded not rolled. So the best would be that every time we want to pack our kite we fold it.
This will keep the kite’s canopy much better looking and performing. Unfortunately to fold nicely our kite in strong wind conditions is not really easy so folding nicely the kite you will only be able to do so in light wind conditions. Or if, hopefully, you find somewhere a wind shadow with enough space would be perfect.
PACKING THE KITE: FOLDING THE KITE
- Make sure that all the struts are closed.
- Deflate the front tube, hold 1 wing tip of the kite and walk up wind. The wind will place the kite in the perfect position for packing.
- Just push the air out from the front tube and adjust the sewing of the front tube to face the trailing edge.
- Put all the lines on the kite. Fold the wing tip of the kite to make a triangle.
- Create an imaginary line between the wing tip and the front tube and start folding the kite.
- Once you come to the strut, deflate the strut and keep on going with folding your kite until you reach the deflate valve.
- Deflate also the middle strut and do the same procedure from the other side of the kite.
- Once you folded both sides, put them one on top of the other and fold the kite in three pieces. Hug your kite to push all the air out.
- If you have a protector for your valve, it is better to cover your valve with it to avoid damaging the canopy and in some cases to avoid sand getting in the kite bladder.
EXTRA TIPS
While folding your kite make sure the trailing edge is always in line. So that the wing tip of the kite doesn’t stick out of the kite. Especially if your kite has the sticks on the end of the trailing edge.
This will not allow you to fold the kite nicely in three pieces. While folding the kite time to time gently pull the folded part towards you. So you fill up the empty space between the canopy and makes the folding perfect.
I always try to fold my kite even if it is quite windy. The only step I skip is the one of placing perfectly my front tube.
PACKING THE KITE: ROLLING THE KITE FOLDED IN HALF
This is probably the fastest way to pack your kite. Super useful when there is way too much wind. Or when there is rain coming so you want to avoid your kite from getting wet.
In order to do it properly:
- make sure that the pipes connecting the leading edge with struts are opened.
- Deflate the kite and fold the kite in half.
- Get both wing tips and roll your kite towards the deflate valve.
- Fold the kite in two or three pieces.
I do not recommend to pack your kite this way too often. If you really have to would only be because of the weather conditions. It would be better that later or in the next days you fold your kite nicely.
Rolling the kite with inflated struts
This is perfect when you want to save time not pumping your kite in the next session. You just need a lot of space for storing your kite.
Make sure that the pipes connecting the leading edge with the struts are closed. Deflate the front tube, get to hold one wing tip of the kite and walk up wind. Roll the kite from both sides until the deflate valve.
KITE PACKINGS YOU SHOULD AVOID
You should avoid rolling tightly your kite. Looks quite nice once it’s packed but while rolling the kite you are rubbing and stretching the kite’s canopy. After a short period, the canopy looks like paper and doesn’t perform well.
This was the first method of how to pack a kite I learned. I have been packing my kites this way for many years and I can assure you that it is fast but the worst for your kite.
However you decide to pack your kite, the most important is to not pack it wet or full of sand. If this is the only way to pack it then make sure that later on or in the next days you dry and remove the sand from the kite.
