What's your takedown routine?

[ddubwinokur]

Now that the season has really picked up at 3rd and Sherman, I am kiting every chance I get and loving it. Only downside to spending so much time kiting is that it doesn't leave time for much else.

I've been thinking how I spend time in kiting, and noticed that the longest/least fun part starts once I get off the water, in terms of gear packup, rising, hanging and drying. So my question is: what's your routine for packing up/putting away your gear, and what tips do you have to make it go faster?

To get things started, here's how I do it, and rough time it takes... (modeled on time @ 3rd)

WATER -> CAR (~40 min)
1. land kite, stretch lines for easy winding, put board somewhere to dry
2. put non sandy gear (vest, helmet, harness) in sun to dry
3. detach lines, wrap them, put in water if sandy
4. pack up kite (should be mostly dry by now)
5. dump semi-dry, non sandy gear into Ikea bag, walk back to car
6. Strip off wetsuit (still wet) and go

AT HOME (SMALL CITY APARTMENT) (~30 min)
1. Stash kite and board in garage
2. Dump all items (booties, wetsuit, harness, helmet, vest, lines) into shower
3. rinse everything, sand goes down the drain (to cause future drain clog)
4. dump all wet items back into Ikea bag
5. bring out to porch to hand everything up to dry

Questions:
- does the board really need to be rinsed?
- is there any gear that doesn't require rinsing (other than kite)?
- are there any things that can happen simultaneously that I'm not doing now?
- is there more takedown stuff that car happen at the car/beach?

Thanks all - ddub

[Captain John]

Keep your lines attached to the kite when de-rigging. Just de-flate your kite, wind up your lines around your bar, and lay your bar in the folds of the kite then bag it. When rigging back up, unwind your lines and it should be all ready to go. You may come across a tangle if you accidentally loop a line around your bar, but it can be fixed with a little un-doing from the bar end. The person launching your kite should have enough patience for a little line check before letting go. It's a great time-saving habit to get into.

It's nice to fresh-water-rinse everything. But I would limit drying time in the sun, instead recommend shade for drying time.

[ddubwinokur]

That's a great tip about leaving the bar with the kite! Thank you!

[ddubwinokur]

Captain John -- does that also mean that a bar and lines don't need a freshwater rinse?

[kingfisher]

I drive home in my wetsuit and take in off in the shower. Its the only thing I rinse off. everything else just goes in a bin in my truck. But I have the luxury of living a few minutes from where I ride, and I not being overly concerned with my truck seat, just put a towel over it sometimes. If i was in a hurry I can be de-rigged and home in 10 minutes. Or on the water =-

[kitecrazy]

Watch other kiters at your spot. I think you'll be able to observe and use their techniques.
Ditch the ikea bag and get a 18 gallon rubermade tub (UHMW Polyethelyene, not polypropylene or PP). Makes a great container for carrying and rinsing wetsuit's and harnesses in.

[OliverG]

When done kiting at local spots during the week after work, aside from any time socializing, if need be I can be in the truck and off in 15 minutes tops. (Same for rigging, I can be on the water in 15 minutes) No need to leave bar attached, I find this is more trouble than it's worth as things will more often than not get tangled.

Land kite, roll up bar, unhook lines. Go change out, throw all my wet crap in my Rubbermaid bin, go get kite, bar and board, carry to pump/deflate area, deflate roll up, put kite and bar lines in bag, put it in truck and go. 15 minutes or less.

I never rinse anything. If at Alameda in spring, maybe rinse bar/lines off and board and maybe myself at shower, but thats about one minute. I throw my rashies, harness, shorts and suit in the bin and that's it. When I get home I take another 90 seconds to move it from truck to garage, and hang the wet stuff up on a horizontal steel bar I mounted. I wash the shorts and rashies in the laundry once a month or two.

That's it, no fuss and believe it or not, things seldom get funky. Fresh water will make things more funky if the stuffs not hung up to dry well...

[adamrod]

i've been kiting for well over a decade and i never do anything in your "at home" category. (i also live in an sf apartment).

i don't rinse anything. after kiting, wet or dry, it goes in the thule box...ready for next session. the wet wetsuit dries in the box over the course of the day.

i've never had a problem with things wearing out or falling apart due to lack of rinsing.


there! i just saved you 30 min!

[ddubwinokur]

Holy crap, you guys are blowing my mind. No rinsing anything?!?!?! My brain just exploded.

I am going to try your advice right now. All wet stuff has been hung up to dry with no rinsing. None at all! I now have 30 minutes of my life back. Wonder what I'll use it for?

I'll post again if huge mold spots or tears emerge as a result of this drastic change....

[behindThePeak]

i really like this thing:

http://www.swell-stuff.com/cinch_sac.html

i put everything wet in there, harness and all. then i can throw it over my shoulder and carry it to & from the car. nice thing is that it hangs and dries right next to my suit and doesn't stink up my trunk like the bin used to.