Keep lines attached to inflatable kite?

[Don Monnot]

I'm still pretty new to kiting. I have limited (very limited) experience with inflatables. I have been flying a foil kite (9m Slingshot Ranger) for snowkiting, and usually leave my lines attached to the kite. It makes setup a lot quicker, and I haven't had any trouble with tangled lines or launching. I've never seen anybody leave their lines attached to an inflatable, and wondered why not? It would sure eliminate improper connections and might speed up the setup. I don't want to try it without checking with the "pros". I hate learning from my own painful mistakes when I could learn from somebody else's pain instead. So what's the consensus--good idea or bad idea?

Don

[Marty]

I fly the Ozone Instincts, on water and snow,
and I always keep my lines attached when packing up my kite.
5 lines make it a little harder,
you just have to be sure not to get the lines inside them self (twisted)
4 line kites are easier.

I think the main reason most don't keep them attached,
is they may use the same bar on other kites.

But mainly, it's a habit, or monkey see, monkey do, thing.

-Marty

[Tyrone Rabinowitz]

It all comes down to personal preference. My anal-retentave nature makes me fold the kite very small. That isn't really possible with the bar/lines still attached. I did this with my foils too.

When I rig, I take the bar downwind (against the "accepted" method) and walk the lines out 3 times.

This is how I learned and keeps me from making mistakes. When I try to rig a different way I usually find I screwed up at some point (bar is backward or lines crossed).

If you leave the bar attached and the bar rolls between the lines you'll stand there with your friend holding you kite, in launch position, while you do kite crochet or string art, twisting the bar between lines to get them straight again.

Find what works best, and is safest, for you.