Kite Bag
This is an unusual entry in my build log because it isn't a kite; it's a kite bag. This was a big enough project, that I thought it was worth sharing. This isn't the first kite bag that I've made, it's actually the 4th. Here's the rough rundown:
- My first bag was a rollup bag. The concept was that it was a rollup bag with no pockets. Instead of pockets, it had a grid of button snaps. The idea was that I could button snap everything into place, creating a flexible bag. The button snaps ended up being annoying to work with, and getting button snaps onto existing kite sleeves required cutting into the sleeves, and I didn't really like that.
- A simple small duffle bag with a pcket on the side. This was meant to be a bag just for my indoor kites. I still use this one for that purpose.
- A large duffle with a rollout tongue. The concept here was that I like the rollup bags for the organization, but I get annoyed that small things are hard to get to. I tried to strike a balance between the organization of the kites in a rollout tongue, and the easy access to line sets and other accesseries with a surrounding duffle bag with many pockets. That worked pretty well, but it was a bit bulky, and a lot of the pockets ended up going unused. This is the bag I've been using for the last ~8 years, but recently the main zipper gave out, so I needed a new bag.
Now we come to this bag. This is another take on a rollup bag. One big call out is that, I tend to carry a lot of kites. I often have a full 4-person set of quad kites, a few pretty quad kites, a set of trick dual lines kites, some team dual line kites, a stack, and maybe some prototypes for good measure. That can get up to ~30 kites pretty easily. I don't always carry all of that though. So I wanted a bag that can adjust to my needs. A big concept here was a rollup bag with column segments. Each column is lined with 2" velcro on either side. So, if I am traveling with less, I can take off parts of the bag that I don't need. This also has an added benefit of making the bag more upgradeable. If I want to change or repair part of the bag, I can take it apart to just work on one section, or replace a section altogether.
Here are the columns I have so far:
The carrying column
This section is all about carrying the bag.
Backpack straps
This was my first time making backpack straps, and I think they turned out pretty well. I tried including lifters (I think that's what they are called), but it didn't really work out. Lifers are the extra strap that goes from the top of the straps up higher on the bag. I didn't connect the lifters far enough forward on the straps, but I can easily adjust that. However, the upper connection point on the bag is kind of loose being a rollup back, and so I don't think it has a big impact anyway.
Carrying handle
I integrated a carrying handle one on side. I took some inspiration from my Prism rollup bag an inserted a carbon spar into the edge binding connecting the two wrapping straps. This makes it so that when I life the bag with the handle, the fabric doesn't deform around the handle.
Padded backing
The bag is padded where it presses up against my back, both with spacer mesh and some closed cell foam.
The pocket column
To address my original concern about balancing organization of the kites and accessability of the peripherals, I had a new idea: a rollup bag with exterior pockets that can also be opened from the inside. So that's what I've done here. There are three raised pockets with zipper openings on the outer side of the bag. On the inner side, those same pockets are visible with a mesh front, and a velcro flap for access. I may still make a second section like this, or maybe a slightly smaller one, to carry spare line sets.
The kite columns
The final sections are for holding the kites. There are a couple lengths here that are velcrod together. Each section is only ~12" wide with mesh tubes that the kites can sit in. My kites all come with their own personal bag, so I don't need extra fabric to go around all of them. The width of these sections is just enough to keep the kites aligned and easy to manage. I may use more or less of these sections depending on how many kites I am carrying at any given time.
