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kiting and camping

flying my Prism Jazz I've been an occasional kite flyer for many years. I remember flying kites in Bangkok, Thailand in the mid 80s - though unfortunately my ex-wife threw away the two kites I bought there, and flew at a Brighton Kite festival in the 90s.

dragonfly kite I also bought a couple of kites in Beijing in 1986, both of which I still possess.

But where, you may ask, does camping come in? Well, I'm starting to go to a few Kite festivals, and they are frequently too far to commute, so I think I will be rediscovering the 'joys' of camping. My biggest problem currently is getting to sleep.

If you disagree with anything on this page, or have any comments, please email me.

my kites

quad line

Rev Signature Series Pro John Barresi I own a mid-vented 'Rev Signature Series Pro John Barresi' (signed by 'Bazzer') with a race frame. The colour is Warm Ice Black Centre. It's like nothing I have ever flown before. It is easy to get off the ground, but if you don't know what you're doing, within a few seconds it starts spinning uncontrollably - I suppose it isn't called a Revolution for nothing! I can now control it tolerably, but still find hovering it upside-down difficult.

I've now bought a 20th Anniversary kite without a frame (as I have a set of race spars), which will be better in low winds. flying my Anniversary Rev

I found a useful book online, "Flying the Rev, and How To Do It" by Bill and Kim Taylor, written in 1996.

dual line

Prism Jazz My first proper dual-line kite was a Prism Jazz. I love this kite. It's easy to fly but also great fun.

Prism E3 I progressed to a Prism E3. This is much bigger, and flies much more slowly, but is capable of more tricks, in the right hands. Currently, I am practicing patterns such as infinity and boxes, and am getting better at axels.

I have always wanted to fly a stack of kites, and I finally succumbed to a Prism Micron stack, and have flown it a few times.

a stack of five prism kites a stack of five prism kites flying

I bought a Prism 4d (for very low winds) and a Prism Snapshot 1.2 metre. flying my Prism Snapshot 1.2

Recently I obtained a Flying Empress Stunt plane kite. It has a wingspan of over eight feet and needs a strong wind, but is great fun in the right conditions.
See my video of Devil's Dyke kiting on YouTube Devil's Dyke kiting.

I bought a Flexifoil Big Buzz in June 2011. I've only flown it once so far, but it was fun. Flexifoil Big Buzz

I also have a few cheap stunt kites, but flying a cheap kite can be dispiriting - they can be unresponsive and demoralising.

single line

seagull kites I enjoy flying my seagull kite. It flaps realistically, and I really need a few more to generate a flock.

dragonfly kite I occasionally fly the dragonfly kite I bought in China. It is made from silk and bamboo.

It shimmers in the wind and flies well, but needs a little TLC as it tangled with a big inflatable at Margate Festival, and its rear spinner was torn off. I'm not sure if it will fly without.

EO Atom I have a Prism EO (Expandable Object) Atom. Do you get the impression I like Prisms? I think they're well-made and fly well.

It is unbelievably easy to assemble, fun to fly, with a mind of its own. I was pleased to be able to buy it from the designer, Phil McConachie.

Prism Parafoil I have a Prism Parafoil. This fits in a pocket and is easy to fly. It flies well, given a bit of wind, unless you do as I did the first time I tried it, and launched it upside-down.

From HQ, I have a Triangulation, a Wacky Worm, and a Roto. In May 2011, I bought a Roto Extreme, but have not yet flown it. The Triangulation flies at a high angle - almost overhead, whilst the Wacky Worm flaps constantly. The Roto likes a decent wind and - as the name implies - constantly rotates.

Wacky Worm HQ Triangulation Roto

More recently, I bought an HQ Hoffmanns Bow Kite - which majestically floats galleon-like across the sky, and a Hoffmanns Amulet 1 (which is twenty feet long). HQ Hoffmanns Amulet HQ Hoffmanns Bow Kite

From Flying Empress, I bought a duck and a whale as company for my inflatable Elephant head! PB Duck PB Elephant PB Whale

In June 2011, I bought an HQ Photon, which will fly in light winds, and a three metre HQ Delta, which will be challenging in anything more.

I also have an Eagle kite, from China. It is made from silk and bamboo. It isn't very stable in the air, but I'll persevere until I find the kind of wind it wants!

events

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ardingly autumn show 09

I went to the Ardingly Autumn Show and Game Fair on the 3rd and 4th October 2009, and highly recommend it

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margate international kite festival 2009

I enjoyed the margate international kite festival in September 2009

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brighton kite festival 2009

I returned to the brighton kite festival in 2009 and bought some more kites

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one sky one world 2008

I decided to pop to Devil's Dyke to fly my Jazz Prism kite, and soon discovered it was One Sky One World Day, held on the second Sunday every October

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brighton kite festival 2008

I last went to the Kite Festival in Stanmer Park, Falmer about ten years ago, and thought another visit was overdue, so headed there on Sunday 13 July 2008 with my mother and children

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flying venues

Devil's Dyke is my favourite spot, but I sometime fly from Ditchling Beacon, or Clayton Hill.

links

kite forums

camping tips

I've learnt a lot from my first camp for thirty years:

Send more tips here.

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camping

Photobucket I had an old tent in my loft, a Blacks 'Good Companion', and I used it at Margate Festival. I was a bit worried about it, as I bought it in the sixties (and without a flysheet), but it behaved very well. I'm not sure what would have happened it it rained though, as I haven't proofed it for well over thirty years. It's also much too low to stand - or even kneel up.

Quetchua Base seconds 4.2 I decided to buy a new tent for 2010, and chose a Quetchua Base seconds 4.2 from Decathlon. It has plenty of room. See the video. I think I'll need to watch the video of folding it a few times!

I had a Vauxhall Vectra when I bought this, so space wasn't an issue, but it only just fits in the boot of my BMW 320i convertible - it was difficult to fit in the rest of the camping gear, kites and children!

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