Recently acquired a plume 5m from another community member. Enjoy its upwind capability (similar angle to winging), wind range (15 knots for 5M) and free fly (better than winging downwind.
With the new paras now having better upwind and wind range, would it be better to switch over or is the K wing just its own thing? I have yet to fly a para on water (I have a d flow v1 4M collecting dust)
I had 14 hours riding the Plume 4.2m before I started learning to parawing with the F-One Frigate V1. I really enjoyed the Plume, had some great sessions riding swell in powered conditions. I think it gave me skills that transferred over to the parawing.
Now that I’ve got comfortable with the parawing there is no reason why I’d go back and ride the Plume. I have a quiver of Frigates to cover the wind range I want to ride in. Riding the parawing collapsed on swell is a step up from the Plume, which itself was a step up from inflatable wing. I do miss the Plume’s very light bar pressure (no harness needed) and its seemingly limitless top end.
Thanks for the feedback. I like the simplicity of the plume (less lines), bar pressure, upwind & wind range. Seems like the latest paras may contend on upwind but still sacrifice on comfort, simplicity and possibly wind range. It’d be a steep investment to switch over but I do see the benefits…
I think there’s still some use cases for the Plume, places that don’t get that much swell, strong gusty winds, so typically mountain lakes with limited amount of fetch. I find the Plume much more comfortable than my 3m wing in 30-40kts, and I don’t think PW would be too comfortable either.
We have such a spot, and really it’s where windsurfing still thrives, the launch spot for kites is sketchy, and sketchier when it gets that strong. If it wasn’t for the social side of catching up with a bunch of people over a long weekend, I’d stay on the coast.
The Plume will be a super fun option over there, with its massive top end and smooth power delivery.
Plume rider here. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on this as I’m getting to the point where I can PW a bit. I’m surprised, especially after experiencing some of the PW drawbacks that more people don’t plume.
PROS: insanely stable compared to PWs.
It’s sailing, like a parawing. Nothing like a hand wing.
Insanely good upwind. No idea if it’s better than the ZAP, orbit etc.
No tangles. Instant refly.
Insane top end/range
Light bar pressure. I can do three hours overpowered without a harness without too much trouble.
Good downwind drift in 22+mph conditions.
CONS: poor low end. Glad you can get going at 15kts. I’m 68kg big foil/floaty midlength. I maybe start with a Gusty 16kts. Not great with our local wind.
Virtually impossible to gybe under 20kts imho.
Not packable. This last one isn’t a huge deal for me as I can’t downwind yet.
Have to carry a pump on your kit bag.
Agreed on most all of your points. I don’t find the low end to be that bad though but I’m also 68kg on a 85L mini downwind sup shape. I think the para craze has definitely left the plume flying under the radar. Which PW have you been trying?
i have seen many kiters mow the lawn using a parawing for a good year before an attempt at stowing. they would have been much happier using the plume instead.
4.2 BRM S3 (not the right decision for a beginner - it will be for sale soon)
4.5 Quest - good. I have some hope. Just getting comfortable with tangles and the initial launch was hard.
The issue is that I’m using the bigger PWs in lighter wind (15-18mph) b/c I much prefer the Plumes in heavier wind (5.0 & 4.2 covers 17mph - 35mph). Lighter wind PW is tough for beginners.