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Maintaining and Packing Your Gear

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Maintaining and Packing Your Gear

Maintaining and Packing Your Gear

 

Getting the latest kitesurfing gear from Salty Lemon is exciting! We provided you with high-quality gear to get out on the water and do your thing – but it’s important to look after your gear as best as you can. You are, after all, only renting it! But perhaps you’re new to kitesurfing and aren’t sure how to look after your shiny, new stuff. We’re here to help!

Always read the manual – seriously!

With every Salty Lemon subscription, we send through a short instructions document that walks you through the basics. We’ll assume you’ve read that already – since it’s very handy information that every kitesurfer should know – and build off that. But please consult your flier where necessary!

Drying things off

Staying dry is key for the longevity of all your equipment – as odd as it sounds for gear that’s made to go in the water. All water has some level of salinity that, when drying, leaves a residue. This residue could get into your cables and cause faults or eat away at important linings in your kite or wetsuit. Be sure to rinse your gear thoroughly before packing to make sure you’re not stowing away any extra salt!

Throw some shade

It’s important to also be mindful of excessive sun exposure. Again, it seems odd to say this about outdoor equipment but, like everything, UV rays age materials and can cause premature tearing damage. There are sensitive linings in your gear that you’d want to protect as much as possible – so be sure to pack your gear away the moment it’s dry so that it doesn’t sit out for too long. It’s obviously a tricky balance to find though since packing away a damp kit can be equally damaging. It should be fine to pack a damp kite for the trip home, so long as it isn’t sitting in your bag for a long time – mould can be a problem!

Stay cool

Heat is another factor to consider – just because your gear is packed away from the sun doesn’t mean it’s completely safe from it just yet! This scenario mostly comes into play with storing your bags in your car while not in use. While UV rays can’t get it, the heat from both direct sunlight and even the rising temperature in your car could cause some damage to your kite, most notably the valves which could start leaking air due to heat damage. So, make sure your gear bag doesn’t sit in the car for too long!

Leave the scratching to the DJs

Next, be aware of the environment around you when unpacking or repacking your gear. Are there bushes around that may scratch your kite? How about gravel or stones, or maybe even cars or other pointy objects on your way to or from the water? These are questions you should be asking yourself while preparing your gear so that you aren’t caught by a surprise gust or change of wind direction. Sand is obviously a big issue to take care of when packing after a session as well. It might be worth bringing a bottle of water in your bag to help rinse off any stubborn sand that’s putting up a fight. Even your bar and lines are at risk of being damaged just from sitting in the sand for too long – since cracking bars and shrinking lines can ruin your day.

Sunscreen is always a great idea on the beach, but your gear doesn’t need any – in fact, anything with chemicals in it should stay away from your equipment so that it doesn’t corrode or damage it.

You’ll want to protect the kite’s bladder as well, making sure no sand or water get into it. If you have the chance to inflate your kite on a patch of grass, that’s advisable, or else just exercise caution while inflating or deflating the kite.

Once you’ve got these habits down, you’ll be good to go!

The finer art of packing your bags

You know sometimes when you unpack and look at everything that came out and have no idea how you’ll ever get it all back in again? We’ve all been there! Hopefully, this will give you some practical tips on getting your gear ready to go back in the bag!

First, make sure your kite is rolled up as tight as you can. The great thing is that the act of rolling forces most of the air out of the bladder. If your kite has more than one dump valve, it’s worthwhile releasing them all just to help force as much air out as possible, which will help you get your kite as compact as possible too. Be mindful of the trailing edge when you’re rolling it – try to get it as flat as possible beforehand to limit the amount of creasing or twisting that could happen when rolling. You’ll also want to make sure your bridles are all on the inside of your kite when rolling it, to ensure they don’t get snagged on anything.

If your kite unravels while you’re trying to roll it, feel free to use your board to stop it. It’s light enough not to damage your kite but heavy enough to act as another pair of hands while you move to the other side of the kite. Just keep in mind the other care items we’ve spoken about – you wouldn’t want your board to sprinkle sand or wet your clean, dry kite!

Doing it like the professionals

If you’re meticulous about folding your kite as tightly as possible, use the struts as a guide, folding at intervals of about a hands-width, and pressing the air out of each strut as you go. Once your folds meet in the middle, it should be compact enough to fold up four times, leaving you with a really small package to stow away in your kite bag – almost as small as it came out of the factory!

That wraps up these tips and tricks for getting your gear in and out of your bag safely, as well as looking after it while you’re using it. Ultimately, kite surfing equipment can be pretty pricey, so looking after it is always a good idea. Better yet, rent it from Salty Lemon, so that you know you’re getting fresh, new gear and age-related damage won’t ever get in the way of you catching that wave!

 

About the Author

Meet Stefan, the co-founder of Salty Lemon, who swapped his corporate job for a kite dream. From kitesurfing on Fuerteventura’s shores at 14 to navigating corporate waters at Vattenfall, he united passion and profession by launching Salty Lemon with his partner Timo. No regrets, just waves of flavor and a zest for life.
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