If you kite and wing which to do when?

[neilhapgood]

Hi all,

just wondering for those that kite foil and wing foil what dictates when you choose winging or kiting?

I appreciate offshore & small launch area is better for winging and lighter breeze suits kiting but any other factors that make you look out to sea and think "today's a kiting/winging day"?!

[airsail]

Rain, easier to deal with a wet 4 mtr wing than a 10 mtr kite. And the wing is wet anyway even in fine conditions.
Strong winds when alone, self launching and landing kites can always go wrong, wings are just safer.
Time, when I’m really short of time and after a quick session, wing set up and pack up is quicker than a kite.

[peppedurso]

I am winging below 16/17 knots and will kite when wind get stronger.

[seglarn98]

Unless you live in a spot with good waves I view winging as a 15 knot plus sport. Makes it so you can use a smaller board, foil and wing and also builds some waves.

Less wind than that kitefoiling is more efficient and can use a smaller foil there aswell. Potential to have the same foil for winging and kiting. Maybe even the same board if you get good at winging.

All the gear neede would then be:

Foil 1100 - 1400 cm2 (sabfoil w799 is a great option)
30 L 140cm ~ 4’6 wing/kiteboard (maybe a dedicated bigger wingboard and a pocket kiteboard)

10 - 12 m2 kite for 6-14 knots

4 + 3 m2 wings.

For example. Still quite a lot of gear.

[OzBungy]

I am winging below 16/17 knots and will kite when wind get stronger.

I'm the exact opposite. If it's a steady 20 knots or above I wing. If it's dipping below I kite foil.

A kite and foil can handle highly variable winds and just keep on gliding through. A wing is incredibly vulnerable to small drops in the wind. It gets a little better with a big foil and good pumping technique.

I also wing if the wind is slightly offshore and/or super gusty. If there's a chance of the kite dropping and not coming back up, and no onshore wind to aid self rescue, I go wing foiling. The only problem with that is that I have been winging in conditions that I would have kited in and spending some of the session stuck on the surface. It's possible to get stuck out with a kite but its incredibly rare.

I have had wing sessions with friends where there have been lulls. It's quite pleasant to sit on the board and chat while we wait for the next gust.

I had visions of going wing foiling when it was raining or whatever. Wings are small and they end up wet so it's no real drama having wet gear. In practice it's easier to pack up a small kite foiling kit and put it in the car without everything being soaked by the rain.

[Brian H]

There’s kite foiling and there’s wing foiling and then there’s peak 4 foiling .

[Axis1050]

And BRM Cloud kite foiling

[Peter_Frank]

Rain, easier to deal with a wet 4 mtr wing than a 10 mtr kite. And the wing is wet anyway even in fine conditions.
Strong winds when alone, self launching and landing kites can always go wrong, wings are just safer.
Time, when I’m really short of time and after a quick session, wing set up and pack up is quicker than a kite.

I tend to avoid rain - simply because everything is dull and not much fun, not because of the gear - only if amazing waves (and on a surfboard usually), it does not matter as much.

Also, if its 5 m2 wing wind, it is 4 (max 5) m2 kite, Peak4.

If I am in a hurry, I kitefoil, WAY faster to rig and be foiling, and pack down, than any wingfoil setup.
Again, there are Peak4 kitefoilers, and the rest

But in general, if conditions are in the lower end and stable winds, I avoid wingfoil - did it in the start hoping to be able to foil, but life is too short to stand parked on a wingfoil.
Gusty winds even in the lower end, is great for wingfoil, as you can use the gusts to get up foiling, and once up you dont need much and can practice not missing transitions, or using even small wind waves to get past lulls.
You dont get overpowered as such, with a wing, opposed to kitefoil where it isnt much fun if too big a kite for wave/freeride.

If a bigger shorebreak and onshore winds, and also if rocks at or near the coast in these conditions, I will choose kitefoil, way easier to get out without risking yourself or your wing getting destroyed by the foilwing.

But both sports works great even in onshore winds, playing in small or bigger waves - as opposed to kitesurfboards which I find useless (boring) in onshore winds.

Otherwise I choose what I feel for on a given day, and very often I do both - so much fun and very different, so good to mix it up.
Makes sense if the wind drops or pick up, to change back and forth also.

I like the simplicity of a kitefoil, and the fact it is much smaller and faster to rig and pack, and easier to get out to deep water, or ashore again.

I like the very different feel you got on a wingfoil, in particular trying to "milk" even the smallest wave, or trying to learn new things, and you get a better workout with your upper body, nice to have the lovely "windsurf" feel back, just more moderate because of the lower drag foil

Peter

[Eltreato]

0-10 knots - Mountain bike
10-20 knots windfoil
15-35 knots wingfoil (overlaps with windfoiling)
Super low tide or too many weeds? Twintip kite

[neilhapgood]

amazing, thanks all, really useful answers