Quiver Simplicity

[Kiterisland]

I notice almost every time I go to the beach there are way more guys on the beach fussing with gear than those riding on the water. I cant afford a very complex quiver, and I am realizing this is actually kind of a blessing. It makes choosing what to ride very obvious and easy. Often I am on the water long before my wealthier friends who are spending an hour talking about whether to put up their brand spanking new 8,9,10,11,12 or their other 10 and which of their three boards to ride. Then they ride for five minutes and come in to swap their gear cause they are ever so slightly overpowered and maybe they should have taken something else. Often they end up frustrated from what I've seen. Meanwhile I've been out on my one set up slightly overpowered or underpowered having a blast.

I get it if you are an aspiring pro rider and need the proper gear to unhook ect. But I personally have never even seen a pro rider, most kiters are just going back and forth with some boosting at best.

I was just wondering, has anyone else seen this in our sport? Or am I just out to lunch?

And for you guys that have dialed their quivers back to the basics and simplified, can you give your experience?

[alford]

exactly: have what you need, need what you have.

[Macster]

At my local many of us take 2 or 3 boards to the waters edge and run one kite for the day. As the wind increases / decreases we swap boards.

[Bigdog]

I agree the simpler the better. Too funny seeing people dragging a foilboard, surfboard and TT plus even different type of kites to match each board style!

[grigorib]

Less could be easily more. More riding, less regrets.
As long as your quiver reasonably but not vastly overlaps and you have gear to ride for conditions.

This video is right to the topic





As long as kites are in about 30% size steps it's alight until you hit boundaries like:
- they don't make LW kites in every size, especially for smaller sizes. You can get a 13m or 15m but not 14m unless you opt for Flite
- 12m kites feel slow turning, so I rather opt for 11m
- 30% calculates weirdly on the smallest/largest sizes. 6-8-11 is perfect, so is 7-9-12 but I certainly love 9m size for boosting and I certainly need smaller wing than 6m for riding in 40+ knots or foiling in 25+, and I don't like 12m size. Pretty much it's how I got to 5-7-9-11-(15) quiver before I sold the 15m.

[vela99]

+1, keep it simple.

But this requires knowing very well what you need and that the specific quiver actually delivers what you expect. If you are spot on on both you do not need much.

I have the impression that some people seem to like their quiver to always be more or less around the sweet spot and unless your habitual spot delivers very steady conditions this means you have to change gear a lot of times.

[Bigdog]

I had a 10/14 setup for a year and it sucked. I always needed a 12 for home and hatteras, I share a quiver of xr5 8/10/12 with my wife and its great but if just me would be 12/9.

[Macster]

Bah. I shouldn't have taken the bait. This is a pointless thread. I'm better than you because (insert statement).

Merry xmas kiters of all styles, makes and persuasions.

[jumptheshark]

I agree the simpler the better. Too funny seeing people dragging a foilboard, surfboard and TT plus even different type of kites to match each board style!

Well, I'll play devil's advocate.

I spent 6 years on a two kite quiver. One surfboard 70% and a TT the other 30. One snowboard in winter. Pretty much as simple as it gets. One bar.

Foiling changed everything.

I now have 10 kites. Two surfboards, one TT, one snowboard, one foil, 6 bars. Sounds complex, but in reality it isn't. It's really just way better. I get way way way more sessions. More than double. Almost never ride underpowered, but the real key is having pretty much the perfect set up for any given day. I spend very little time deliberating.

In actual fact, more than ever, I'm on one kite and one board. only its a smaller kite than it's ever been and I'm almost never under or over powered. The range of an 8m kite and foil is so large that it's prime for most of our conditions. Have a bigger foiling kite for the real dry spells and a smaller foiling kite for certain days, and they both overlap the 8m heaps.

Initially with foiling I wanted to keep it simple. Use the same kites and even a multi purpose board, but it doesn't take long to see the light. It's a completely different animal. Deserving of dedicated kites and boards. Doing it 80% of the time ruled out the idea of compromise gear.

That was the turning point that allowed me the freedom to truly embrace specialist gear. The "freeride" kite market is great, but that's where the rat race is. No one rushes to upgrade their C kite quiver year after year. Once I stopped looking for the perfect do it all kite. I was free to leisurely pick away at the used kite market and collect a quiver of specialists that do their thing every bit as well if not better than the latest and greatest jack of all trades. All for next to nothing. C kites, Pure wave kites, winter beaters and ultra light kites for foiling. Perfect short board, perfect wake board, snowboard and foil. There is loads of crossover, and if there is even the remote chance the conditions will change enough to warrant a gear swap you take a kite that will straddle two board types. Again, reality is way simpler than it sounds on the face of it. At home, I nearly never have to change gear. It's foil foil foil, or just very obviously the wake set up. At the beach, its only ever a board swap from surfboard to foil or back. Thats it. Winter, it's obvious. Best part is that I'm super stoked to get on the surf, or wake set up when I can, and It's is absolutely never underpowered. That is key!!

Indecision and wasted time on the beach are not to be blamed on gear. Only a bad carpenter blames their tools.

I have way more gear these days, I spend most of my time on one set up, but I enjoy those few days on the other stuff sooooo much more than I ever used to. They are all highlight session on the right gear for the conditions.

Bonuses:

Most of my gear gets very little use and will likely never wear out. I have one main kite to turn over every couple years to stay safe and current.

When something breaks, I have loads of back up. Not just on the day, but for the leisurely few weeks it might take me to find the perfect replacement.

I have three 6's a 7 and three 8's. Most of which I'm happy to lend to a competent casual faced with the limitations of their minimalist 9/12 quiver !

[Bigdog]

Jumptheshark...gotcha LOL. Merry Christmas bro