i thought this, then I bought an inflatable wing board and was shocked how big and bulky they are packed down
Hawaii surf foiling is actually more fun even when the waves are terrible.
But yeah with kids surf travel is just kind of not a thing anymore. Lucky to get away for 2 hours let alone 2 weeks. And even with 2 weeks you still might get skunked
What brand/model/size did you try?
I have one from Manta that is really bulky.
I have 3 from Gong that pack pretty well.
Did you flip around the pump hose and vacuum the air out of the board?
Inflatable boards are probably a bigger space savings in bigger (learning to wingfoil) sizes. If you can already wingfoil with a complete sinker of a board, then you wouldn’t save much for your travel setup.
Gong hipe 5’1. Very disappointed with it, not just the packing down large
Just scored my first few sessions back on the kite foil. Definately felt a little wierd and HOLY CRAP that 6.5 M kite felt like a freight train and it was so light i could barely keep it in the air! Looking forward to dialing it back in on flat days and working back into my old program with tacks, etc but the wing is definately #1 for any kind of wave work.
Already destroyed my old micro board…i think the front foot pressure of my current foil is too much for it but thats what carbon is for!
Not gonna lie, another reason i like the kite foil is it can be one handed so i can buzzz a powerboat out for a cruise, snag a cold beer on the fly, and enjoy a beverage while buzzing around. Winging is decidedly a two handed program!
After a few years of going hard winging, it’s now got to be pretty decent waves to be fun. Sad to say, novelty time’s over.
My plan this summer is to get the kites back out, both surf and foil, maybe even some twintipping on my OR mako (more like a skateboard). I want to regain the skills and confidence to be ready on the good kitesurf days, as when it’s good for kitesurfing it’s often not the best winging around here. I also miss the kitefoil…SOOOOO fast, tiny profile wings, and a balance bar to avoid falls . I was getting into jumping it when I got bit by the wing bug…can really get some big air, lotsa pop.
So yes, I am going back to the strings too, or at least plan to.
I can’t bring myself to go back to wave kiting for a few reasons…all the sail and power required. There’s just a lot to go wrong in those big wind big wave conditions that you are declining the kite foil or the wing on. And if your only kiting those conditions a few times a year your definitely not up to snuff and your gear probably is also deficient. It’s a safety factor, it’s really hard to be a casual wave kiter where as the foil your never on so much kite you cant man handle it in a pinch.
Also, (I’m kind of feeling this with the kite foil but I’m committed to pushing through) I had the TIGHTEST wave kite flow and chasing that feeling but not having the skills to back it up is endlessly frustrating.
yeah, you may be right…I went back to wave kiting after 2 years away on a gusty 5m day and stopped after 10mins…felt really unsafe. My thinking is to do a flat water kite session a week over summer to get my sea legs back to the point that I can make it work again on a casual basis. I don’t need to be Mr. Radness, just good enough to get a few nice slashes. I miss that. I’ve been all-foil-all-the-time for a lot of years now, some surface riding to offset will be a nice change. And kitefoil too, which is maybe kinda like going back to waterskiing after SUPing.