How much should I spend on my first kitesurfing gear after my kitesurfing lessons?

One of the most common questions I am asked after teaching someone kitesurfing is “how much will it cost me to get into kitesurfing?” Most people don’t want to spend hundreds of pounds on a new team in a sport they haven’t mastered yet. This is a fair concern and one that has been taken seriously, as kitesurfing can be quite expensive. So in this article, we will see how much you should spend and some tricks to reduce the cost of entry.

The first thing I would say on this topic is that if you don’t want to be one of those people who takes kitesurfing lessons and then never kitesurfing again, make sure you buy your own kit when you’ve completed your kitesurfing lessons. The number of people I teach who I see a year later and they tell me they haven’t been kite since then, when I ask why not, the answer is always the same … “no kit”. Buying the kit not only means that you have the kit ready and available at your home, looking at your face saying “Use me … Use me”, but it also means that you have made an investment in the sport and therefore are very much more. You probably force yourself to get up and hit the water. Now the costs of dong a course and buying a kit can push your budget to a breaking point, so let’s look at a couple of options to make the whole process a little more wallet-friendly.

Learning with a friend is a great way to cut your costs, that way once you are done with your kitesurfing lessons you can buy some kit from each other and practice together, this not only halves your costs but means that has someone to take care of. you at the beach when you are learning (and someone to laugh at you when you mess up!).

Ask the school you are learning from if they have any old school kits they want to get rid of, at Tantrum Kitesurf we are constantly trying to change the school kit as it offers a great and inexpensive way for beginners to get involved in the sport excellently. kit and it also means that we are constantly teaching about new kits, so that everyone wins. Many other schools adopt this policy and it gives you an excellent route for you to get into the sport for little money.

Hiring the kit is generally not something that I would recommend, due to the high probability that the kit will be damaged, the rental costs are usually very high, and after a few sessions you may have spent more than you would have cost to simply buy the kit in the first place. Buying second hand is a great way to cut your costs and the second hand kitesurfing market is booming right now.

Actual kit costs will vary, but generally for the first kite you will be looking for something around the 350-600 pound mark, this should ensure the kite is in good enough condition that it won’t fall apart the first time. I dropped it. the beach and that it will be modern enough to fly well and safely. There are also many cheaper brands popping up on the market these days, many with the express aim of getting more people into kitesurfing by offering cheap entry level kites, brands like Griffin, Faith and Kangaroo are some examples. These kites tend to be very well made and simply lack the magazine coverage and marketing power of the bigger brands, as these companies obviously spend much less on marketing as they try to keep their overhead low. The kites fly just as well as any other major brand and are a great beginner option as a first kite that will take you to becoming an intermediate. For a detailed discussion of kites, see my article on the C vs Bow kite debate.

The board is quite a simple kit (as far as the beginner is concerned) and it is indeed possible to go kitesurfing on a tea tray … although not recommended! For a beginner size is the most important, aim for something between 135cm and 150cm depending on your size and weight, as you get bigger / heavier so does the board. But other than that, pick the cheapest you can find until you’re sure, at which point you can buy yourself a shiny, expensive new one. With a board, you would be looking to spend £ 150-300 on the first one, but you may be able to get some real bargains for £ 50 or less. As long as it has toe straps and at least fins on the heels, it will get you going! Again, check out my other articles as I will be posting a few that focus specifically on kitesurfing boards.

Harnesses can be purchased very cheaply, starting at 25 pounds, many schools will have old harnesses that they want to get rid of, so ask during your kitesurfing lessons, as with all other equipment, this is a great place to start. I would recommend that you spend a little more on your harness, as a comfortable harness can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the sport. Plastic molded harnesses are often the most comfortable and will make your day on the water that much more enjoyable without having it under your armpits all the time!

Well I hope some issues have been cleared up, as always if you have any comments on this article please leave a comment, I love hearing from you and your opinion is the most important thing to me