People always ask "Whats a good beginner kite?" But honestly there is no such thing, and they always seem perplexed when we tell them this.

But the fact of the matter is that, whether it be Single-Line, Dual-Line, or even Quad-Line, if you've flown one of that respective type, you've flown them all. While different kites can have different handling and flying dynamics, the basic controls and mechanics are all there, and only require a little bit of tweaking to switch to a different kite of the same type.

Flying any kite is not difficult; for even the most intricate and hands-on kites, it's mostly about what the wind and weather is doing. If the wind is right, the kite will fly and you will likely have no problem keeping it up! If it's not, well dont count on it. It is as simple as that.

That being said, there are certain kites that are easier to get started with, but that has almost nothing to do with mechanics and more to do with cost, materials and construction.

Single-Lines

For instance; Single-Line kites are very self-explanitory. They are your standard kind of kite to throw up into the wind and not have to think about; you just enjoy it doing it's thing! In the right wind, these things will almost never fail. Very, very, very few times has it anything to do with a defect or problem with the kite itself.

However, certain kites do have different behaviors. When it comes to Single-Lines, your most dead-on, never-have-to-think-about-it kites are going to be Deltas, Dragon-Type Kites, and Parafoils.

Deltas are self-explanatory; they are triangular-shaped kites that have a very wide, straight bottom edge and taper up into a point at the top. These kites have a lot of surface area for lift from the wind, and the pointed shape means they cut through that air to get up quickly.

Dragon-Type kites are somewhat of a Misnomer in a lot of instances; while they can indeed be Dragons, typically what constitutes a Dragon-Type Kite is that it has a very large sail and a long, thick tail. These kites are typically very large, and in many cases have very little in the way of frames to put together. They are also relatively inexpensive for their sizes. However, they do take up a lot of space, and their sails are often one-piece that do not come apart, meaning you need to account for a minimum amount of space when transporting or storing them.

Dual-Lines

when first getting into Dual-Line kites, especially when you have no prior experience, we always recommend a Parafoil like the 50" Sport Foil from In The Breeze. This is because it has no frame. Now, without a frame, this kite may be a bit slower, and unable to do super intricate tricks that traditional framed kites can do, such as with slack-line flying.

However, it still has the same basic handling dynamics as other Dual-Line kites, and the lack of a frame means a lot of great things: for instance, nothing to put together, nothing to take apart, less space to store, less parts to lose or replace, a lot less damage to anything it may crash into, and most importantly, they are almost impossible to break! It is also an exceptionally inexpensive kite, meaning that you are not spending a lot of money on something just to try it out. Remember; you could get the biggest, best kite in the world, but if you find out afterwards that you dont actually like flying kites, well, thats a lot of money wasted.

Aside from all that, it is just plain well-made, and we have many years and thousands of examples that have gone out the door with very few of them ever coming back because of any issues. If they do, there is a 99% chance it was Operator Error, such as trying to fly it in too high a wind. Which we tell people that we cannot recommend that they do, even if the kite can handle the abuse. Especially if you are new to flying Dual-Lines!