My thoughts generally favor the light build even when considering durability. Some of that is based on keeping the kite in the sky where it belongs.
Many will disagree and that’s awesome. Lets hear what you have to say!
1- a heavier kite is more likely to crash in the first place due to stall, etc. A falling kite about to make love with waves and/or land is in the most-likely-to-get-damaged kind of scenario.
2- two objects of equal size, going same speed, but different weights. One will hit with more energy in a tomahawk type scenario - the heavier one.
3- a lot of bumper/scuff pad stuff does nothing Ive witnessed to prevent damage. Maybe if dragging kite around like a kook, maybe not even then. Certainly no advantage once in the air. How many of us are regularly cartwheeling a powered-up kite back and forth along the ground? Lol
4- it doesn’t matter how many ripstop lines are in the canopy when your kite crashes on something sharp. Its getting cut/punctured either way. Maybe more is better after the canopy gets pin-holey down the road and hoping it doesn’t rip wide open during a boost...
5- weight of dacron. Some use thicker than average, LF comes to mind. Does that make it tougher? More abrasion resistance? Abrasions against what? Water? No. The parking lot? Yes. Is a seam less likely to split? Is it worth the trade off in weight?
Is lighter or heavier better when taking into account the rolling/unrolling/folding repeatedly that creates creases, weakened areas, over time? Thicker or thinner better then? Not sure! Lets hear some thoughts or experiences.
6- bladder material, thicker/thinner. Gut instinct is you want thicker - But . apparently its a very heavy part of the kite. So once again, is heavier better for something we want to keep in the air in an oh-crap situation?
Sand inside- if/when it gets in there how much will thicker bladder help?
Puncture- that thorn is coming in no matter the bladder thickness in my mind.
Again, rolling/unrolling/folding repeatedly creating stress areas? Any thoughts?
7- UV damage, one of the most unavoidable things, occurs to heavier and lighter kites the same. But perhaps the heavier canopy maintains its strength longer? Yes/No?
Theres lots of angles to look at this from.
A lot of my thinking comes from preventing a crash in the first place.
In those instances where you *almost* saved it, would a lighter kite have stayed in the sky?
In the instances where a kite was damaged, would a heavier build have saved it?
Lets keep a level playing field where it comes to designs, ie a strutless kite flapping and wearing out faster possibly.
Lets compare apples and apples:
Two kites of theoretically same design and production year, but one is heavier / lighter kind of comparison.