Kite for a 8 year old

[Parsnip]

I have no idea where this should go, mods, do your worst.

I'm looking at being the cool uncle and taking a small human to the beach with some kites this weekend (plus, I want to play with my kite too - multiple birds and minimal stones etc.). As amusing as giving him a shot of my powerkite would be, I suspect explaining that the child is now lost at sea may result in me having to look remorseful.

I haven't played with smaller kites for about 15 years and have no idea what the done thing is - was thinking maybe a single line and have a 2-line stunt kite in the bag incase he gets the hang of it quickly. I'll be taking my big kite and may try the comedy "you hold this bar and I'll help you" game, but something he can fly himself without being killed seems a good idea.

Any reccomendations - not looking to spend the earth, as chances are it will be crashed repeatedly, but ideally something noncrap. Amazon Prime for extra bonus points.

[Gareth1974]

Are you a Costco member? They do this range https://www.amazon.com/X-Kites-3D-Supersize-P-51-M... (not just planes) which are a very good size for £10-12.

[hyphen]

Aldi had some in last week, may be all gone now though.

[kieranbennett]

Bought my 7 year old nephews one of these for their birthday:

http://amzn.eu/93TOLjg

Easy to set up and pack away. 2 line so its a bit more fun than just standing there. Flies well in a light breeze (which is all we would let them fly it in at the moment) and will be more fun in higher breezes as they get older

[ThunderSpook]

What power kite do you have to start with?

[Parsnip]

A 3.5m Flexifoil Blur - its had me on my arse before (pulling on the brake line is for wimps etc.) and on windy days can be properly dangerous - not something I would give an 8 year old a shot of.

I quite like the idea of a stunt kite for myself and remember having loads of fun with them as a kid, but I was probably a bit older than 8.

Single line kites look a bit crap to me, but part of the fun will be that he can manage it himself and the easier to fly the better.

Edited by Parsnip on Monday 31st July 12:38

[alorotom]

def a 2 line stunt kite

we bought a single line kite from Toys R Us recently for our 2.5yr old and she loves it (it has cinderella on it)

we took it out for the first time 3weeks ago - its about 1.1m across and about 60cm deep - goes up 30m apparently - she got the hang of it in minutes and just needed holding onto as the force could easily have lifted her up

based on that I would def suggest the stunt kite

[Jonboy_t]

B&Q have clearance on kids oudoor toys at the moment, was in one at the weekend and had a stunt kite for (I think) £2. Probably not going to set the world on fire with it, but for an 8 year old, it'd keep them entertained while the iPad is charging up

[mattnovak]

Sounds like a fair swap.

[ThunderSpook]

Parsnip said:

A 3.5m Flexifoil Blur - its had me on my arse before (pulling on the brake line is for wimps etc.) and on windy days can be properly dangerous - not something I would give an 8 year old a shot of.

I quite like the idea of a stunt kite for myself and remember having loads of fun with them as a kid, but I was probably a bit older than 8.

Single line kites look a bit crap to me, but part of the fun will be that he can manage it himself and the easier to fly the better.

Edited by Parsnip on Monday 31st July 12:38

Brake lines are for control and tighter turns. If you don't use them then you might as well just fly a 2 line kite.

I bought my 5 year old daughter a Flexi Buzz when they were doing them half price for about £40. I think it's about 1.2m or something. If you are used to a decent quality kite then you will be most unimpressed with the build quality of cheap kites, especially when they break on the first outing.

[C&C]

kieranbennett said:

Bought my 7 year old nephews one of these for their birthday:

http://amzn.eu/93TOLjg

Easy to set up and pack away. 2 line so its a bit more fun than just standing there. Flies well in a light breeze (which is all we would let them fly it in at the moment) and will be more fun in higher breezes as they get older

+1 for this.
Bought one for my 8 year old nephew - works really well, and doesn't break when it inevitably gets crashed at full speed.

If using a single line kite, once it's up in the air, for added fun you can mess around with attaching a small glider or weight and parachute (made from a bit of cloth and some string) loosely with a paperclip or similar to the string. It'll then make its way up the string to the kite at the top, and if you've attached it loosely, when it stops at the top will pull free when it gets to the top giving the kids something to chase down the beach and bring back.

We used to do this with a toy glider as kids and it would fly quite a long way on many occasions.

[Parsnip]

ThunderSpook said:

Parsnip said:

A 3.5m Flexifoil Blur - its had me on my arse before (pulling on the brake line is for wimps etc.) and on windy days can be properly dangerous - not something I would give an 8 year old a shot of.

I quite like the idea of a stunt kite for myself and remember having loads of fun with them as a kid, but I was probably a bit older than 8.

Single line kites look a bit crap to me, but part of the fun will be that he can manage it himself and the easier to fly the better.

Edited by Parsnip on Monday 31st July 12:38

Brake lines are for control and tighter turns. If you don't use them then you might as well just fly a 2 line kite.

I bought my 5 year old daughter a Flexi Buzz when they were doing them half price for about £40. I think it's about 1.2m or something. If you are used to a decent quality kite then you will be most unimpressed with the build quality of cheap kites, especially when they break on the first outing.

My kite is set up as a 2 line - I fly it on a bar, not with handles - was bought with a mountainboard and just general arseing about in mind - being able to fly it one handed when needed is useful. The brakelines are just there as kitekillers (they dont work as a depower and I don't have a brake setup that you can adjust while the kite is up). Once they are set for the wind (and even then, with an adjustable bridal I tend not to really ever touch them), you leave them alone.

The comment was tounge in cheek anyway - the first piece of advice I got when having a go of a "proper" kite was to make sure the brake lines are attached to you and that you can just let go if it goes a bit mental - better that the kite ditches than you keep the power in it and you end up in the sea or having your face exfoliated off by the beach.

[shirt]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0486452956/ref=mp...

I'd go for this plus buy some materials from your local DIY store.

You can knock up a simple foil kite with polythene tape and long BBQ skewers in less than 30mins. I used to do this at primary school using whatever we had laying round the house and a huge reel of fishing wire.

Your cool uncle quotient will go way up and he can take the book away and endlessly pester his parents for kite building materials. Double win!

[sjg]

kieranbennett said:

Bought my 7 year old nephews one of these for their birthday:

http://amzn.eu/93TOLjg

Easy to set up and pack away. 2 line so its a bit more fun than just standing there. Flies well in a light breeze (which is all we would let them fly it in at the moment) and will be more fun in higher breezes as they get older

Another +1 for this. Bought it as something to have fun with on stupidly windy days but actually gets more use than that. Flies really nicely, can withstand lots of crashes (no structure to it all, just stitching), perfect kite to hand to someone who's never flown one. Folds down very small so great to just have in a bag in case an opportunity comes along.

As said, lighter winds only for smaller kids as it still has a bit of a pull when the wind is strong.

[Mark Benson]

My (6 year old) daughter loves her Pockite - single line, pretty robust, flies on low winds and is small enough to take anywhere.

[shedweller]

I have to admit having a bit of a kite flying obsession after spending 100s (more realistically 0000's) of hours flying 2 line trick kites over the last 20yrs - not me but a bit like this
https://youtu.be/yFn0jp212II

Get a quality single line - prism do a great folding kite that can be launched by one person with a quick tug on the line and is a bit more active in the sky.... Can tumble and stall etc easy to fly but can develop some skills too.
The ability to launch single handed will save you having to down your foil to help relaunch. I have one its a prism eo atom (expanding object) very robust, mines been handed around for years with no breakages.

[Ayahuasca]

I just got myself one of these:



Maybe not the most technical kite, but the most interesting.