From: kiteyak@aol.com (Kiteyak) Subject: Re: Airplane travel and kites! Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 09:19:39 -1000 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Message-ID: <4k6g4b$dfv@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Drew & Co: Can you stand one more response? After USAir LOST my kites (and fortunately found them the next day-longest 24 hours of my life) on a trip last year, I vowed to never check kites through as baggage again. My solution has been a short (41") kite pack >From Into the Wind (MLD makes a short bag which holds more kites), which is small enough to fit in the overhead bins in most commercial aircraft yet long enough to let me carry 5 kites (3 full-size deltas broken down, 1 rev II, and a 3/4 size delta for those windy days) plus the stuff I need to fly them. I haven't had any trouble from ticket counter people so far about the length. I flip the bag over before I go up to the counter so it doesn't stick out over my shoulder and therefore looks shorter than it is. Most Excellent Winds, Yak (Matt Rogers) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: hayden1009@aol.com (Hayden1009) Subject: Re: Airplane travel and kites! Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 12:26:20 -1000 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Message-ID: <4khcic$32c@newsbf02.news.aol.com> > worry about them getting munched while in flight? > Should I check the bag in or make it a carry on? Last time this thread appeared, someone suggested going to a carpet store and begging for some of their empty rolls. We did it, cut them down to fit our MLD bag. We fit 3 carpet rolls in the 1 MLD bag and get 3-5 kites in each tube. We took a bunch of kites to Tulsa and most recently Berck Sur Mer. We checked the bag and had no problems. It just counted as 1 of our pieces of luggage. Yes it exceeded the luggage size limitations, but airlines tend to make exceptions for sports equipment. Just don't ask about the kite bag arriving in Berck 3 days after we did...don't you just love changing planes ;-) Alice Alice Hayden 8^) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: hayden1009@aol.com (Hayden1009) Subject: Re: Airplane travel and kites! Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 12:26:20 -1000 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Message-ID: <4khcic$32c@newsbf02.news.aol.com> > worry about them getting munched while in flight? > Should I check the bag in or make it a carry on? Last time this thread appeared, someone suggested going to a carpet store and begging for some of their empty rolls. We did it, cut them down to fit our MLD bag. We fit 3 carpet rolls in the 1 MLD bag and get 3-5 kites in each tube. We took a bunch of kites to Tulsa and most recently Berck Sur Mer. We checked the bag and had no problems. It just counted as 1 of our pieces of luggage. Yes it exceeded the luggage size limitations, but airlines tend to make exceptions for sports equipment. Just don't ask about the kite bag arriving in Berck 3 days after we did...don't you just love changing planes ;-) Alice Alice Hayden 8^) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: "H.Stiles" Subject: Re: Airplane travel and kites! Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 07:36:42 -1000 Organization: IFCS Message-ID: <316D432A.347B@beachnet.com> Hayden1009 wrote: > > > worry about them getting munched while in flight? > > Should I check the bag in or make it a carry on? > > Last time this thread appeared, someone suggested going to a carpet store > and begging for some of their empty rolls. We did it, cut them down to > fit our MLD bag. We fit 3 carpet rolls in the 1 MLD bag and get 3-5 kites > in each tube. I have had a lot of luck with capped plastic drain pipe. It weighs less and costs less than PVC and is less bulky than cardboard. Good luck! -- Harrell (Hal) Stiles "May the hair on your toes mailto:hstiles@beachnet.com never fall off" http://www.beachnet.com/~hstiles/index.html - frodo baggins = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: dickbell@netcom.com (Dick Bell) Subject: Re: Airplane travel and kites! Message-ID: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 15:38:49 -1000 Kites and airlines!! Two summers ago my company decided to send me to Singapore. While there I started to collect kites from many sources. I figured that just before I was to come back to Texas I would just call the UPS man and have him come and pick up my packed kites. Well I ended up with around 100 kites of which four where full size Chinees Dragons (one box each for the body and one each for the head) and many other silken kites. My motel room was full to the ceiling. Any way when the UPS man came to pick all of the box's up he kindly explained that they charged by the volume and not by the weight and the bill would be $1200 and not the $100 that I expected. Instead of paying the $1200 bill I loaded all of the box's into a big van taxi and off to the air port we went. I ended up talking to several people flying into the San Jose airport and talked them into checking one box each with there luggage. When we all landed in San Jose I just claimed all of the box's and took them through customs. I then shipped them back to Texas from there. ii H.Stiles (hstiles@beachnet.com) wrote: : Hayden1009 wrote: : > : > > worry about them getting munched while in flight? : > > Should I check the bag in or make it a carry on? : > : > Last time this thread appeared, someone suggested going to a carpet store : > and begging for some of their empty rolls. We did it, cut them down to : > fit our MLD bag. We fit 3 carpet rolls in the 1 MLD bag and get 3-5 kites : > in each tube. : I have had a lot of luck with capped plastic drain pipe. It weighs less : and costs less than PVC and is less bulky than cardboard. : Good luck! : -- : Harrell (Hal) Stiles "May the hair on your toes : mailto:hstiles@beachnet.com never fall off" : http://www.beachnet.com/~hstiles/index.html - frodo baggins -- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dick Bell dickbell@netcom.com Dallas, Texas = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: dgomberg@ednet1.osl.or.gov (David Gomberg) Subject: Re: Airplane travel and kites! Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 12:59:31 -1000 Organization: Eastern Oregon State College Message-ID: <4kk2sj$nte@ednet1.osl.or.gov> I've probably traveled the equivalent of several times to the moon and back with my kite bags. How far is the moon, anyway? United Airlines says I've done over 500,000 actual miles with them in the past six years. Anyway, the point is that I have *never* suffered a damaged kite in checked baggage. In fact, the *only* thing I have ever broken is an "unbreakable" Shanti spool. I use MLD bags. I pack them tight. That means the kites support and protect each other. A single spar, extended or exposed, is an accident waiting to happen. Many people reinforce their bags with PVC or cardboard tubes. I've never done that. Limits my space and adds to the weight. BTW - remember to tuck-in loose shoulder straps and handles. They catch on airport equipment. I once saw a kite bag literally torn in half when a handle caught. Messy... Anyway, I'm off to China on Tuesday. Take care! -- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Gomberg Kite Productions, International Spring Parafoil Specials: 50 sq ft $300/75 sq ft $400/125 sq ft $650 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =