The travel kite kit, packed honestly

Every trip we take, the bag lands on an airport scale and we hold our breath. This is the kit we've refined across dozens of kite trips — two kites, a board, a pump, a bar, a harness, and everything else — packed to 21kg before the buffer.

01The 23kg reality

The 23kg airline limit is real, enforced, and worth taking seriously. Excess baggage on connecting flights compounds — we paid €180 on a single Amsterdam–Cape Town itinerary because a bag was 25.4kg. That money buys a week of lunches. Pack with discipline.

Buy a travel scale (€10). Weigh your bag at home. Weigh it again after you've added the wetsuit you forgot. Airlines round up, not down — a 23.1kg bag is a 24kg bag at the check-in counter.

Your bag is 24.2 kilos, sir. That will be €45.

02What goes in the bag

For a one-week Mediterranean trip, this is the kit. It covers 10–30 knot conditions for a 75kg rider and includes margin for breakages.

• Two kites (9m + 12m).
• One bar with lines.
• One twintip with fins, pads, straps.
• One hardshell waist harness.
• One manual pump with gauge.
• One 3/2mm wetsuit, one rash vest, two boardshorts.
• Repair kit, strap spares, bar tool, one spare chicken loop.

03The weights, itemised

Actual weights from our last trip. Your numbers will vary by model and kite size.

04The carry-on, always

Carry-on is protection. If your hold bag is lost, these items let you still ride. In ten years of kite travel we've had one lost bag (returned in 48 hours) and the carry-on kit is what saved the first two days.

• Helmet (bulky but fragile; check it, you lose it).
• Bar trim system + chicken loop (removable from bar; lets you ride a rented kite to your bar spec).
• Harness (in a day pack; it's soft and personal).
• Any camera / battery-powered gear (IATA rules require Li-ion in cabin).
• Sunscreen, lip balm, the annoying small things.

05What we stopped bringing

• A second board.Rare that you need one. If you're going for more than two weeks, yes. Otherwise, no.
• A third kite. Pick your wind range. Two kites covers 12–28 knots; anything outside, rent.
• Full-size pump electric. Cordless electric is airline-compliant but the weight penalty is brutal. Take a manual; rent electric at the spot.
• A dry suit.For tropical trips you'll resent packing it.
• Printed maps. Not joking. We all still have one. Stop.

06The cheap item we replace every trip

Zinc stick sunscreen

€8, dies within four days of Caribbean sun, always runs out at the worst possible moment. We buy a new one every trip, pack a backup, and still manage to end the week wearing the backup of the backup someone else brought. Accept it.

Other expendables

• Bar handle grip tape (comes off by day five in hot salt water).
• Flip-flops (die on the second walk back from the beach).
• A cheap rash vest (we wear through one a year, no matter the brand).