i'm sorta new to kitesurfing and i want to know do most people wear impact vests here?

What do people reckomend?
and do you know where i can pick up cheap impact vests?

Are these the same as the wakeboarding bouyancy vests?


Thanks in advance:)
Adr (vic)

I've used a wakeboard vest since learning and it's been really good. The fact that it does provide floation helped no end when I was downing the kite a lot. It meant that I could concentrate on getting the kite back up without wasting needless energy treading water.

I still wear it today and wouldn't kite without it. I've had a couple of hard hits as well; and although probably not as strong as an impact vest, it certainly took some of the force out of the impact.

Thanks for the info people..

Its cleared up alot of uncertainty... Cause i'm a begginner i think i will go for the wakeboard flotation rather then an impact vest... i was after something for bouyancy rather then impact protection but all i saw on kite sites were about impact vests.. and reading on the forums about lofting etc.. made me think that this is a neccessity...

But again thanks for clearing it up.. i think i will wait till i get my kite skills up and start jumping before i start investing in a impact vest.

Again many thanks
Adrian

G'Day Adr,

Just a few additional thoughts for you. As a beginner you tend to spend a bit of time with your kite in the water floating around relaunching hence your desire for a floatation device such as a bouyancy jacket.

There are two problems which arise from using a floatation jacket when learning, the first is irritating. Unless you have a VERY SNUG fitting jacket, they tend to ride up a bit around your neck and head which can make vision to your hook and maneuvreability (swimming) in the water a problem.

Secondly and much more serious is that if you use a waist harness (as so many of us do) the harness rises up on your torso when your kite is over head, which will be a fair bit of the time when you are learning which makes the trim loop or harness loop VERY DIFFICULT to unhook. It can also make the safety quick release IMPOSSIBLE to reach in times of trouble which is of course when you dont want problems.

A seat harness is a little better but will still get in the way of seeing your hook and the loops you are trying to get rid of.

As an IKO instructor I recommend wearing a jacket in lessons with a school as you can be closely supervised by your instructor who can also ascertain whether a jacket is right for you, but not afterwards unless it is a very comfortable, non intrusive, snug and simple jacket that does not impede your ability to unhook and deploy the safety quick releases.

A combo impact/bouyancy aid would be more suitable which will give you a little less bouyancy, but will not get in the way is a much better proposition.

Hope this helps.

I was going to ask the same kn thing.

The only person from a shop did not say where she was from and suggested to hold off buying now, and buy secondand.

Seems kn reasonable to me!

Just like to respond to Jess's post. I disagree about not needing chest protection when learning. I learnt to kite through a reputable shop two seasons ago and had three lessons, brought some gear and in fact, brought my board off Jess. Headed back down the river where I learnt, found it to be too crowded so decided to go to North Scarborough where there were only small waves and no one around. Went in and out a few times, had to do the walk of shame a bit until the SW picked up to around 20 knots. I was just off the shoreline flying the kite at 12 oclock and trying to get my feet into the footstraps when a small wave washed me up and took my attention away from the kite, before I knew it, the kite was doing a vertical dive, I did what I thought was best in the split seconds you have to re act and that was to steer it out but it hit the sand and yanked me out of the water and slammed me into the hard band of the shore and because it happened so quick, my bar was 90 degrees to my body from trying to turn it out of the turn. The bar drove into the sand first and I came down on it. I was winded and in some pain, I had cracked two ribs. If my bar had pointy ends on it, I would not be here to tell this story, it would have gone through me like a sword! I would have loved a vest that day, my first day in the ocean!
Other moral of the story "always know where your kite is"

I had some lessons in a seat harness when learning then bought a impact vest with integrated harness (while still learning) and I highly recomend it to learners (or anybody for that matter.)
Really comfortable, doesn't ride up like a waist harness, keeps you warm (really like that one at the moment), protection is nice and I think it's more 'balanced' than a seat harness. What do I mean by 'balanced'? well let me share an 'experience' I had while learning. I was on a seat harness did something silly with the kite and before I knew it was getting dragged through the water with the kite in the power zone pulling me from my waist and my body being bent literally like a bannana - the water pressure was pushing my legs backward and my chest backward so I had a massive wall of water ramping off my chest and face so I couldn't breath and I couldn't see the kite so I just wanted to crash the Kn thing. So what does a learner do to crash the kite? pull hard on one side of the bar! Yeah I know, I soon learn't that was the worst thing I could do when I got pulled even harder and briefly got a glimpse of the kite through my personal water wall to see it 'death spiralling' along just above the water. It was at this point I managed to unhook my chicken from the spreader hook - manually. I dont know if there was a safety on that chicken but I could grab it at the time if it was there. Anyway, the thing I got out of that is that being pulled from your waist is not ideal because I reckon if you were dissected in two at the waist and put on the scales you'll find your upper body weighs a whole lot more than your legs. Some people may argue with my line of thinking here but I think this balance issue is especially relevant when your learning (like trying to get on the board) and also when being pulled through the water as your less likely to rotate when using a impact vest (or waist harness) and your legs have more 'drag' and act like rudders.
You can hold down the power a bit easier on a seat harness and a waist harness may give a little more freedom of movement but it will ride up when you keep the kite overhead which happens a lot when learning.
It may seem expensive but its worth it, spend the money on an impact vest with integrated harness.

trust me - the bananna man.

Hey Hoots - you've convinced me mate. I'll make sure I borrow yours next time we go out

Personally I love the figure hugging aspect of the seat harness and the extra-manly look of an impact vest - but i am open to wardrobe swapping.

Impact vests look daggy - but they offer good protection, bouyancy and warmth...plus a pocket to stick your car key in. My only rib injury was achieved without my impact, kiteboarding with a foil in way too much wind to be safe...took me about a month to get over it and it felt like I had a punctured lung..

Roll on spring/summer/sunshine - think I'm suffering Seasonal Affective Disorder...