No need to lower your Coopers consumption level; after a hard session on the water you'll need all the calories you can get!
In regards to the gear; i'd pass on the Cab CO2 unless your really trying to get into the sport on the cheap. It WILL adversely affect your learning curve as many people will attest it's far easier to learn on a high depower kite like a bow/SLE/hybrid.
Whilst you've probably heard it before... get yourself a lesson or two so you can trash an instructors gear and get some proper experience before you even consider buying your own gear. The lessons do look expensive but they'll save you a heap of money in the long run if your keen to get into kitesurfing in the long term. Think of it this way; 2 hours of professional instruction is cheaper than that Cab CO2 kite, and you'll learn a helluva lot more with the instructor than you will by yourself with that CO2.
