21 replies to this topic

[websternoah95]

I've recently just purchased my first rev a few days ago, I've settled on a B-Series Pro Std, after researching the different types, checking them all out on the forums, and asking around. I have been borrowing a buddy's full vented SLE, and that's why I chose the standard sail, as most days I have lighter winds rather than full force gales, although after flying this afternoon with some really strong wind, I really appreciated that it was a full vent I was flying. Now, I have a feeling one day I will be getting a vented version some day. But, there is different types of venting, there's a mid-vent and full vent. I imagine the full vent will be smoother when the wind is a bit stronger, but is there a huge difference between mid-vent and full vent? If I'm planning on 'eventually' getting a vented is it worth a mid vent then another full vent? or is the mid-vent transition even necessary? It seems the more vents the smoother and more precise the flight is, but I was just confused if just having a standard sail to cover lighter to medium and a full vent to cover higher winds would be enough to cover most wind ranges, or will a mid-vent help bridge the gap?
I think having the whole trio would be kinda cool for a stack some time, or just for completing the b-series collection but i was wondering if a mid-vent really bridges the gap from lighter winds to higher winds.

Can't wait for it to come, although these next couple weeks are gonna kill me with the suspense!

[Bri]

Until last month when I got my Pro's, I flew a 1.5 SLE std and a full vent B series. With those two kites, I was able to fly in most wind conditions. Things were fine when I was flying by myself, but I started to wish I had a midvent when I started flying in a team more frequently. It's much easier to fly with other people if you have the same kite because your speeds will be relatively matched. If you have less sail area than your team-mates, you're going to be working harder to keep up with them and if you have more sail area than them, you're going to have to work harder to slow down and keep control of the kite. The mid-vent certainly does bridge the gap, but I would hold off on buying it until after the std and full vent. If I'm honest, I don't use the mid-vent as much as I probably should, likely because I got used to flying with just the two kites.

My $0.02, hope there was something in there that helped!
Bri

[katrina]

Congratulations! Good choice. Short answer: next is a full vent, after that comes the mid. Longer answer? pm me your email and I'll send you the primer.

[ahofer]

you need a mid, a full and an Xtra, plus an SUL or Polo, and a Shook 40%, 75% and 100%, plus perhaps a Zen and full, mid and std B2s. There, that oughtta do it.

More seriously, if you get an Eliot Shook 100% weave, you can fly that in a lot of different conditions. Not only will you not miss the full-vent, you'll find it more pliant in full-vent+ winds. Expensive, but covers a lot of conditions.

Dugard would say get the 75% and put sticks on it.

[ahofer]

er..you won't miss the MID-vent. sorry.

[kairusan]

Just for fun, I'll drop in and give the precise opposite opinion as everyone else. Since getting my midvent late last year, it's practically all I ever fly now. Even in very gentle winds where it would be hard to get the standard going, it will still fly, and do so elegantly and smoothly, especially if the wind is bumpy or shifty. In heavier winds, it powers up nicely and gives a very fun and visceral flying experience, feeling tighter and snappier than a full vent but handling gusts just fine. The other, oh, 90% of the time when I'm flying in moderate winds that shift, bump, and gust around occasionally, the midvent is absolutely perfect.

[bartman]

I fly my mid-vent 75% of the time.
Std about 15%.
Vented and Xtra-vent the last 10%.

My mid is my "go-to" kite, but I bought it third after the std and full vent. I'll also use the mid a lot of the times when I should be using something else. I just love the way it handles more than the others.

Bart

[Khal]

I'll insert here that my mid-vent is my favorite kite to fly. It's always what I pull out first if there's any wind.

Do you NEED a mid-vent? Not really. But you do WANT one.

Sent using Tapatalk 2

[katrina]

Here's the thing--midvents are great kites. And it's really nice to own a standard, mid and full vent. But it seems the OP is looking to add just one kite for now, not two at once. Bart, Kairusan, and Khal, are you recommending a midvent next, if he's not getting a full vent at the same time? I'm just thinking it leaves him out of luck if the wind picks up.

Websternoah, a standard with 3 wraps in can be flown next to a full vent with race rods (these are lightweight). Neither will be optimal at that point, this is where you would want a mid! but this goes to show that the gap between the two is small. It's something like this:

_______<-------mid------->
<-----std------>___<----fullvent---->

I can't put wind speeds to this, others can I'm sure. If you very rarely get wind at the top of the range, maybe you'd be happy with a std and mid only. Actually the shook weave option sounds pretty cool, too. Don't have one myself, but have tried, and they are nice!

[bartman]

No, it's a choice that has to be made based on what you will be flying in. I just don't want to discount a mid in the equation when figuring it all out. I personally started with the full vent which was hard to fly at the beginning because I kept trying to use it in too little wind then I got the std sail which was very responsive and twitchy in too much wind then I got the mid which was just right a lot of the time. Sort of like the three bears story.

The biggest problem with Rev kites and Rev pilots is everyone has their own take on what works best because we all have different conditions to work in. Expect lots of opinion is the rule of thumb here!

Bart

[SkyPuppet]

In North Las Vegas, Nevada USA.....
Flying in the middle of a huge master-planned community full of 2-story houses on soccer and general-purpose fields....
If I could go back and purchase them all again....
I'd get the Zen first, a mid-vent next, and then the full, and hold off on the standard till I pay down the credit card
Thing is, they all hold an important place in my kite bag now. I'm happy and fortunate to own one of each

The mid-vent shares more of an overlap of wind ranges with my standard sail compared to my full-vent, at least with my setup and flying style and location and intention.

[makatakam]

In the midwest (Chicago area) we normally get the extremes of no wind or gale force, so ultralight, full sail and full vent (on occasion extra vent) are the rule of thumb, with the ul and full sail seeing the most action. I flew from 10am to 5pm today in wind that went from 0 to 7 and back and forth and changed direction 90 degrees frequently, enough to frustrate even the best flyers. The solution? Set up both an sul and standard and switch from one to the other as necessary. It's a pain in the ___, but you do what you have to, otherwise you sit around and drink beer.

Does anyone know where I can get a really sweet deal on 10,000 industrial grade electric fans and several miles of extension cord?

[Kitelife]

I often get the question - "which one is better, std, mid or vtd?" or "which is your favorite?"

The honest answer is ALL of them.

Each kite has a "sweet spot" wind range all it's own...

There is enormous overlap, so much so that it's not actually necessary to have a mid-vent.

But to have the sweetest experience possible in any given wind condition, the Zen, STD, MID, VTD and XTRA all have their place.

My own tastes change regularly, but these might be my "sweet spot" equipment choices:

• 0-2 mph: Zen w/Race frame and 2 wrap center
• 2-5 mph: STD w/Race Frame
• 6-8 mph: STD w/3 wrap frame
• 8-12 mph: MID w/Race or 3 wrap frame
• 12-18 mph: VTD w/3 or 4 wrap frame
• 18 mph +: XTRA w/3 wrap frame

Of course, I prefer the PRO over the factory model... It takes things from a 10 to a 10-plus.

[John Dvoracek]

More seriously, if you get an Eliot Shook 100% weave, you can fly that in a lot of different conditions. Not only will you not miss the full-vent, you'll find it more pliant in full-vent+ winds. Expensive, but covers a lot of conditions.

I echo this. The mesh just flies better, "more like a Rev". I purchased the full vent for higher winds before I was aware of the mesh. The full vent felt sluggish, and some days I was flying in 30+ mph wind, so I purchased a mesh and never looked back. There must be an aerodynamic difference between a few large vents and several smaller ones.

[goestoeleven]

(Keeping in mind that I don't have a mid-vent (just SUL, STD, and VTD sails) so I can't really give you a recommendation on it.)

. . . and just to weigh in here with yet another opinion . . . I'd say that the acceptable wind range is also affected by the setup of the brake on your handles. You can have wind conditions that might seem unflyable for a particular sail and moderate them by applying (or removing) brake from your leaders. You may not be able to do everything you want with a particular sail in a given wind, but you may well be able to continue flying.

I think you are taking the right approach by getting a full sail first if your prevailing winds are lighter. If you are new to flying, you're (my opinion) better off being a bit overpowered than underpowered. As you get better at flying a rev, you'll be able to fly any given sail in lower and lower wind conditions. When you first start out, you might find you are challenged to stay in the air with a full sail when experienced flyers are flying a mid vent or even a vented with no problems. I bought a SUL in my first year of flying so that I could keep flying in the variable / light summer winds (thermals) in the midwest, but now I find that I could be flying with a std sail most of the time when I used to use the SUL - it's just slightly easier with the SUL as I tend not to swap out the spars. Full vents are great for the beach . . . when you get that continuous wind going. Most days, it will be one or the other (although I know there have been days flying with makatakam where we've had multiple sails set up and in the same session switched from SUL to STD to VTD and back within a short time) due to crappy thermally wind conditions.


//Really, really, really want a mesh . . . . I will be getting one at some point . . . most likely before a mid-vent . . .

[Kitelife]

It all comes down to personal taste...

To me, the mesh is basically perforated, as to say the only solid area is in the center.

For my style of flying, I rely heavily on being able to hard-load parts of the kite on command, and only well placed whole panels give me what I'm looking for.

I'd bet money that a typically vented 1.5 will out-snap a mesh any day of the week due to loading ability, but the mesh gives a totally different feel and response that a lot of folks like.

Again, all depends on the feel your looking for... Light, strong, smooth, snappy, just a frame or sail away.

[John Dvoracek]

I'd bet money that a typically vented 1.5 will out-snap a mesh any day of the week due to loading ability, but the mesh gives a totally different feel and response that a lot of folks like.

Could you borrow one of those Best Masterpiece Contest meshes submitted by Eliot for a few days of testing and let us know what you find?

[goestoeleven]

It all comes down to personal taste...

To me, the mesh is basically perforated, as to say the only solid area is in the center.

For my style of flying, I rely heavily on being able to hard-load parts of the kite on command, and only well placed whole panels give me what I'm looking for.

I'd bet money that a typically vented 1.5 will out-snap a mesh any day of the week due to loading ability, but the mesh gives a totally different feel and response that a lot of folks like.

Again, all depends on the feel your looking for... Light, strong, smooth, snappy, just a frame or sail away.

Good point. Very true that it depends on the style of flying you want to do on any given day. For me, there are times when I like to (attempt to) snap off turns and (attempt to) do a bit more precision flying, and more solid sail area helps with the loading. For me, that type of flying (lately) seems to be in more light to medium winds, so I'm usually not on a vent. And your style of flying absolutely calls for loading up the right part of the sails at the right point in time (in any wind conditions). I recall the massive (for me) amount of brake you had on your extra vent at Great Lakes this year - I could barely load the kite enough to launch - but for you it was just perfect, no problem, a walk in the park. I'm still trying to internalize the arm and body movements to load up the sail effectively and consistently . . . so it's a work in progress.

But then there are times when I just want to chill and relax with some tunes, and on a high wind day the mesh just smoooooths it all out like buttah . . . . and we have to remember the original purpose of the mesh - to solve the continuous high wind conditions on the Outer Banks. The full and extra vents also smooth it all out, of course, but the mesh spreads all the variations in the wind out more evenly (IMHO). Both are great kites, no question. If you really want to smooth it out in high winds (or even medium) . . . Alden's Vicky . . . fewer panels for you to use tho . . .

BTW, many thanks to Rich C. for lending me his mesh at various times . . . and to you and Jynx for letting me put hands to handles on extra vents. (The last time I flew Jynx's it was in lighter wind on 200ft lines )

[Kitelife]

Great summation.

[websternoah95]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. You guys really helped clear some things up for me.