Hi Everyone,

I had my first lesson / first time at flying a kite on Saturday on the Sunshine Coast (Golden Beach) with Perry at FreeRiders. First off, just have to say that he was an excellent instructor and a great guy too.

Secondly, Wow! What amazing fun! Just Fantastic! I can fully understand the "you know when you’re addicted" thread now.

Towards the end of the 2.5hrs I had with Perry, I became fairly comfortable with the moving the kite around and bodydragging etc, so he decided to get the board out for the last 20-30mins or so. I got up a couple of times, and of course stacked it a few times too :)

So, now I’m in the situation where I want to go out again, (will probably need/have another lesson), and looking at getting my own gear too.

I'm pretty sure I'm 70-72kg, and 175cm tall.

What gear should I look at getting, considering I don't want to "outgrow" it too quickly? Perry suggested a couple of things and emailed me some links to go through, but I haven’t put together much yet.

• Cabrinha Switchblade 10m 2010 (pretty sure I used the 09 12m Cab Switch at my lesson)
• Also love the look of the Fone Bandit, but have no idea how much they cost, or how they compare to the above board?
• A 137cm board?
• Harness - dunno
• Straps vs Bindings - dunno

I understand the kites come with the bar and lines come with most kites but the Harness is purchased separately? Same thing with the board and straps, separate purchases?

Also, what 2nd hand options do I have?

I don't have a strict budget, mainly because I've got no idea what I should be looking to spend. I'm just after good value for money, and hopefully for something that I won't have to upgrade for a few seasons.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the help, and I'm really looking forward to getting into this sport. Its like nothing else!

Thanks for the reply old4dy, Yes I'll definately look into demo-ing some gear.

Would I be better off spending another $250 on another lesson or putting it towards the gear?