Everyday at kite beach I get asked “what size kite should I take out”?. Everyday. Yes, everyday. Multiple times a day. I still find it funny when experienced kiters ask what size for reassurance. If you only have an 8m kite, it makes your choice really easy. The more kites you have the more complication you make for yourself. That being said you should have a couple kites (a quiver) to cover a wider wind range. The more kites you have the better chance you have of being properly and safely powered that session.

This year I am changing my quiver. I going from 3.5, 4, 5, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 to a 3.5, 5, 5, 7, 9, 12 and 16. It feels nice to slim down the quiver a couple kites and to only have new current year model kites. Basically I changing from evens to odds. This was a hard decision because that 6 and 8m were pure perfection.

I do keep a couple random kites like the 16m. It is pretty old but works fine so no need to replace it and besides I only pull it out once or twice a year for fun. And yes that is a second 5m, so I can let a friend barrow one if they don’t have a small kite to take out on a windy day or if I have a student that is a bit out of control…

I teach kiting for a living so I need more kites then the average kiter. But for most people a 3 kite quiver will work quite nicely.

My go to kite is a Duotone (old North) Neo. Such a great versatile kite. Does everything really well (jumping, surfing, foiling, teaching, etc., and they are very well made and durable. My 3.5m is a Duotone Mono. When a kite is that small there is no need for more then one strut.

What’s in your quiver?

Please support my good friends at Second Wind Maui. It’s the best shop on the island for anything surf, SUP, kiting, windsurfing, and hydrofoiling.