Any other kite-surfers out there?
Mustachian Pros
- Wind is free and very abundant where I live. I kite 3-5 times a week from October through March.
- it keeps me quite fit. Not many fat kite surfers out there.
- It brings me closer to nature and helps keep me environmentally conscious.
- For me, it's very local. I can go kitesurfing about 5km from home. I can bike there with my gear in my bike trailer but I usually drive, justified by....
- it's awesome and brings me great joy. It is the most fun I know how to have with my clothes on.
Mustachian Cons
- Kites and related gear are quite expensive and rapidly depreciate. And one kite is generally not enough...most guys have 3 to cover a range of conditions, at least 2. This does manifest in large numbers of used kites being available in my area for far less than they cost new, but it's not always easy to determine the true condition of a used kite, so people (myself included) generally do not want kites with unknown history.
I just bought a new one a couple of weeks ago at a big sale at a local shop. A superseded 2013 model still in the manufacturers plastic. Today's 2016 model is about $1700 AUD, I paid $600 for the unused 2013 model. I will get probably 5-7 seasons of use out of it. My other kites are 4-5 years old, maybe worth $300 apiece now... paid far more than that back in 2011-12.
Many people of course buy 2-3 new kites every year. To me this is definitely consumer sucka behaviour.
I am in no way considering giving it up, I love it far too much. Just wondering if there are any other Mustachian kiters around here so we can trade tips and stories.
