So whats everyone going to be riding this upcoming season??

[bryanleighty]

so.. I'll be heading into this season w/ the same 2006 Waroo quiver. I just cant justify spending money on another kite while these still seem to be in great shape. The 12m is definitely the most used of the bunch and I am seeing some wear on the LE that needs attention .. but again.. its been my main go-to kite and all bridles/pullies are original and in good shape.

16m Waroo is 2nd most used.. and again.. in great shape w/ normal wear for a year old kite.

The 9m waroo is barely used.. beyond it getting damaged by something other than usage I know it will be perfect for a season or two more. I think I whipped it out 5 to 6 times total last year. The range on the 12 is just that damn good.. (or I am just that damn fat)...

I just picked up a 2006 7m waroo for my trip to the Gorge and expect to use maybe once or twice per year.. lots of life on it.

I am sure that my 12 will be the first to be replaced. I'd like to move to something different.. maybe an ION2 or one of the newer hybrid kites.. the new Best HP is looking sweet.. as is the SS Rev (I am hoping to demo in Oregon in a couple weeks!) and the RRD Hypertype.. or I am hearing about the Royal Era..

too many damn choices.

Its gotta have the range of my 12m Waroo.
and its gotta be a step up in performance otherwise I can get a 12m waroo used for a few hundred dollars..

I know Billy P. has given us all the green light to demo his ION2.. I am sure I will get the opportunity to give that a thorough test. And Randy has a new Yarga.. etc..

Whats on everyones wish list for this year...?

[inferno]

going back to 5line C's
(except for the 17m waroo of course)

cant wait to demo all the 08 kites as soon as some of the wealthier local riders start to get some....

btw when the next hurricane suppossed to get here....

[BigR]

For 2008 the only thing for sure so far is that I'll be on the new 17m Contra III ( already waiting for me at home ) which will be the lightwind killer.

You are welcome to demo it anytime Danny.

For the smaller sizes I'm not sure yet whether to go XBow III, Switchblade or Revolution. I suspect XBowIII in the 12m and revolution in the 9m but I have yet to try them

I will still be on my (nearly) one kite quiver for 14 knots to 35. That kite is still in great shape. Going to make the 15m Hyper last as long as possible (until it falls to pieces or explodes) and get a replacement for it.

I am hoping the 14m Royal Era will be a good kite, because the price point is fairly unreal for basically a Hyper type.
If it sucks (which is unlikely), I will get a 14.5 Ion2 as my light(er) wind kite.
I am really hoping to go back to my "old" strategy of buying a kite one year after its release, keep it in good shape, sell it used for a few hundred less than I bought it, and buy the '08 kites when the '09s are released.
That strategy worked great for a few years, with me spending (after trade in costs) about 700 a year to get two new kites.
This year though, the two kites I personally liked the best actually sold out long before the 08 stuff came out . Hope that doesn't happen again this year.

With the onslaught of the "Trans-guess-kite" revolution and people doubting C kites values, I had one year where I did buy the kites NEW and also had very little resale value in my C kites. That was a sucky year in terms of kiting cost.
Oh well, it was worth it to not have to constantly second guess myself on which kite to rig. Hopefully we have a market correction for used kite values back in play (?).

In other words, I plan on demoing your guys' kites and then cherry picking the best ones at close out prices at the end of the season!

[bryanleighty]

a 15 as your high wind and a 14.5 as your light wind??

errr....

or are you saying you will replace your hypertype once its run its course w/ a Royal or a ION2?

[inferno]

Originally Posted by Skyway Scott

I will still be on my (nearly) one kite quiver for 14 knots to 35. That kite is still in great shape. Going to make the 15m Hyper last as long as possible (until it falls to pieces or explodes) and get a replacement for it.

those two lines were suppossed to be two seperate thoughts.....

[Erick]

I'm still a true C-Kiter not by choice but by budget limitations. Anyways, I'll be flying my Fuel 11, Octane 14 and 16 and the infamous Machine 17.5 until the kite gets disintegrated or until Gary or Steve S. (the other Machine lovers) decides to buy mine.

I’ve been a Kite-Ho for the past 4 months trying every kite that I can but guess what? they all have something that I like and that the other doesn’t have. Having a lot of choices is a wonderful thing but also makes you more undecided. I would like to demo the Ion2, XBow 3 an why not the new Naish Zigma series.

One thing for sure is that I can’t wait for the wind to get here in FL.

[Brian360]

My quiver consists of a 15m Waroo Pro, which I mostly use all the time. It still has no dings or leaks to the bladder, and flies the same as the first day I bought through today.
Also have a 13m Waroo and a 9m Waroo. I'm going to be intersted in buying a 6-7m 08 kite. Probably best to wait and see what all the manufactures are coming out with next year. Already, the Naish Helix sigma shape looks intersting, as well as Bests new 08 Nemesis. If anyone demos new 08 kites, please leave a review.

-B

No plans here to own a 2008 kite until 2009. As far as I can tell buying the newest kite at retail means it costs you about $800 per year per kite (assuming you sell it at the end of the year at typical loss to upgrade) .

Wait a year, and buy that $1600 kite (after they work out any quality issues) like new for $500. That's always been my strategy So I'll be buying up 07's in January

The most I ever spent on a single kite was $800... my first kite. After that they cost me under $450 each, all brand new, but last year's model.

Has my riding suffered by not being on the newest kite? I don't think so... plus I get a well tested kite instead the first run (which often have quality control issues .. this includes most brands except flexi I think.. although some newer brands have been ok).

But hey that doesn't mean I won't want to demo all of those new kites because I will be wanting them in 09!!

Namely, the new Royal, Eclipse, and best Nemesis. Maybe the REV but I am not expecting much there. I don't expect many changes in the waroos this year so they are not on the top of my list for new kites...

[bryanleighty]

food for thought..

all the guys that you respect.. local riders that you look up to that inspire you on a daily basis.. all the insane sick moves you have seen on your dvd collection.. every picture of every kiteboarder in your pile of magazines ... are all done by riders on kites that you can buy from most any retailer right now...