Hey guys.
Im gonna travel with my kite surfing gear for the first time, which is gonna include a golf bag, two kites, TT and harness. How many kg's will all this weigh for those who have done this before??
I'm wondering if purchasing 20kg baggage allowance will be enough, or do I need to purchase 30kg plus??
Thanks in advance.
28 to 31 kg by the time you add the spares and repairs and bits you will pished if you don't take.
( depends on where you going of course)
brand dependant also, a mates just arrived with 3 vegas kites bars and lines, harness , and he was close to his limit minus board wetsuitand personal effects, do a quick get together and weigh it, for example a 7 mtr edge in its bag inc repair kit safety leash no bar was just under 5 kg
I can carry:
- 1 harness
- 1 mini pump (2/3 or normal pump size)
- 1x 10m Catalyst
- 1x 8m Catalyst
- 1 bar/line
- 1 impact vest
- 1 split twintip board (134 x 40)
All in one big bag that weigh 23Kg
Select to expand quoteAlystan said...
I can carry:
- 1 harness
- 1 mini pump (2/3 or normal pump size)
- 1x 10m Catalyst
- 1x 8m Catalyst
- 1 bar/line
- 1 impact vest
- 1 split twintip board (134 x 40)
All in one big bag that weigh 23Kg
Where did you get the mini pump? I've looked everywhere for one.
A= Weigh yourself. Pack gear, b=pick up the bag and weigh yourself. A - b= c weight of kit.
Travel minus pump, pay $20 for a cheapie, it'll last a trip then give it a local as you leave
Check the airline's policy on the website and then ring up. Odds are good they won't match, and you can get away with sports gear or extra weight for free. If not, know the policies well so that if they try to charge you for excess, you can tell them it's a surfboard or some such, and pay a lower rate...
Get yourself a luggage scale: http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/salter-luggage-scale-9500svdr
best buy I've ever made for travels. It's pretty accurate and you will save yourself from heaps of headaches at the airport trust me. It will last you for many years to come.
Other advice is don't bring your kite bags, they are heavy. use slim lightweight bags if you can find some and some straps to keep the kites tiny in your bags. You can easily bring a kite in your carry-on allowance if you're ever a bit just with your 20kg allowance. Remember the ''golf bag'' probably weights around 5kg on it's own, so really you can only add 15kg worth of gear.
In my case 15.7 KG corresponds to: 12m Kite (no bag) + 9m Kite (no bag) + 2 bars + harness/leash + Twin tip + pump.
Also makes sure everything is completely dry (harness, footstraps, etc.) this can save a few KG.
Bringing only 1 bar is not a good idea unless you bring lots of spare parts. If something breaks on that bar, you're screwed. Bring a repair kit for your kite as well just in case.
Christian
good advice from everyone, I've been travelling overseas for the past 4 years with my kite gear and for the 23kg luggage weight i fit 2 kites (8 & 6) , TT, harness, 2 bars, no pump as you'll always find someone else kiting, lots of odds and ends in a cabrinha golf bag. i take a kite bag as carry on loaded up with lap top, clothes, charges, toiletries, carry on is 7kgs domestic australian flights so i keep the same with international. some airlines give you 10ks carry on but i fly domestic in oz to get to sydney so doesn't work with me. the kite bag comes in very handy when you arrive at your destination to get your gear around.
i have also bought a luggage scale and should've done this years ago, only $4 from cheapie shop.
a good idea is to read the baggage rules with every airline you travel with as they all differ. i got caught with TAM airlines in november coming home from brazil. my kite bag fitted all the requirements but the guy was an asshole and told me it was too wide???? cost me 100 euros extra and i had a brazilian friend helping me sort it out.
cheers and happy kiting
My input: Having just traveled for nine months and 12 countries I managed this pretty good.
One surfboard, 2 bars, mystic harness with dynabar, 4/3 wetsuit, helmet, 7, 10 meter kites, 14.5 strutless cloud (weighs less than the 7) pump and towel. All fit in a surfboard bag, at 23 kilos. I also had one other bag with clothes and sometimes I would put my harness in that bag if I was in a hurry to pack. Most international airlines allow two bags of 23 kilos. If they don't, buy your extra weight before hand as it will be cheaper.
If you have a "golf" type of bag be sure to put a 5 iron in it. Then you won't be breaking the rule and you have something to keep the dogs off your food while eating on the beach. ;) Shame that golfers get free luggage for their gear and they are the ones that can afford over size baggage the most. Surfers have always got the raw end of the deal on travel.
Have a great trip where ever you go
For 2 kites you need 30kgs. A good padded golfbag with wheels can weigh 3-5kg alone so keeping the total below 20kgs is impossible I'd say. However, international regulations prohibit bags that weight more than 32kgs so if you're only bringing one bag then that's your top limit regardless of how much additional allowance you buy.
So I'd go with 30kgs if I was you. And get yourself a tiny handheld luggage scale just to be sure you don't pack to much.
Mystic used to have a dual-zip lockable kite bag that can be separated into two compartments.
Similar to this...
www.briskites.com.au/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1691
The best part, is that I can separate the bag into two separate bags each weighing no more than 12kgs, with over 4 kites, board, clothes, bars, towels, just about everthing.
But yes, you need to buy more than 20kg worth. Each bag must not weigh more than 32kg (health and safety guidelines from JetStar people I've spoken with).
I bought military-style duffel bags for me last trip. Got a 10m LEI and a 15m foil with bars and harness in there. Bag itself weighed like 1kg and doubled as a tote bag during the trip.
I had my TT and surfboard in the surfboard bag, planning on paying the extra but the airline let us have anything so long as we were under the weight limit and pre-booked the big bag, giving dimensions... so checked in my gear, had clothes in my carry-on.
I recently went to Melbourne with three kites in their bags, txt, harness, pump, wetsuit and some tools in a Cabrinah travel bag. I was just over. Should have taken kites out of their bag and probably put fins and tools in travel bag. I just paid the $30 extra baggage and was fine. Was flying QANTUS. Could have taken a bit more when paying to upgrade from 20kg to 30kgs. Check your airline. Extra baggage might be the simplest way to go. 
3 x north evo 12 9 7 no bags, harness, pump two bars, board in a golf bag 26kgs just remember coming home anything wet/damp adds to the weight
