Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels
7
Aug 08
Travel tip: PACKING (part 3) SPAREPARTS & EQUIPMENT
SPAREPARTS & EQUIPMENT:
Generally it’s recommandable to check the airline’s excess luggage policy in advance (depending on how many kilos excess you’re most likely to have, this is advisable and should be done even before booking your ticket!). Me personally, I always reconfirm before deciding with which airline to travel that in the worst case scenario (i.e. airline staff at check in is having a bad day and really wants to screw you) there’s at least the option of paying a fixed exess luggage rate for windsurf or surf…and won’t get charged per kilo!
Besides I would advise (this is again for the ones amongst you who travel with a considerable amount of gear) to have a spare bag in your quiver in case that airline staff is giving you a hard time for the weight but just because it’s all in one bag. It happens more and more often that bags must not exceed a certain weight limit, however, you would be allowed 2 bags instead if you’d split up content. These policies are based up airline baggage staff who are not allowed to lift beyond a certain weight. Most airlines set the limit at 32 kg, however, pay attention to overhaul flights to f.ex. the US, where ‘biz concept’ applies and that’s usually: 2 bags allowed 23kg each !!
Thus if u have a spare bag in your quiver and the airline suddenly comes up with stuff that you haven’t reconfirmed in advance, no prob, you simply re-pack a little right there and thus escape horrendous excess baggage fees!
– As a rule of thumb: always bring ALL the kites that you’ve got even if the forecast predicts differently! Yes, I learnt that the hard way too, cause honestly, every time you leave one ‘baby’ behind, rest assured there will be this ‘perfect day’ e x a c t l y for that very size!! Obviously I am not talking about some 20m2 if you have any. That would be way to heavy and space-consuming.
– 2 bars if you have
– a spare line as clothesline.
– repairkit: for bladders (patches and ideally a piece of old tube as well for larger repairs!) and kite (canvas-repair textile & tape).
– a spare set of lines (if you don’t have a complete set, already 2 lines of the same length can come in extremely handy!).
– 1-2 spare fins
– screwdriver as well as spare screws (cause it’s easy to drop one in the sand..and once in the sand, usually extremely hard to find again) for footstraps, fins etc.
– strong ropes and lines (for various stuff: repairs on the bar or harness, or to fix a suicide leash at the back of it, ripped pigtails etc.)
– super glue
– spare safety leash
– DUCK TAPE !!!! there’s almost nothing in the world that can’t be fixed with duck tape, kind-a-kiters’-sacred-silver bullet 🙂
– obviously guys if you have a spare harness it’s always good to bring it! yes, sure, it’s another kilo or two in your quiver but imagine your harness gets stolen or rips, the wind is blowing and you can’t go kite…a mental killer !! depending on the destination, it’s often impossible to get a replacement harness at the location if there’s no kteschool or shop around. One option also is to perhaps bring the oldest harness that you have just for emergency cases and then save the weight on the way back by leaving it behind at the destination. There’s a l w a y s somebody who is h i g h l y appreciative for a harness, whether it’s a local surfer who would like to give kiteing a go, or some teenager or worker of a school who can’t afford his/her own and you make him/her the happiest person on Earth with this present (alternatively you can sell it of course, depends on its condition).
Please check out more of my travel tips on PACKING – part 1 on general packing, part 2 on your travel pharmacy essentials as well as the intro and my thoughts on travel in general !
Safe & happy travels guys … and send me a mail, I L O V E to hear about your adventures !!!
Yours Gabi