Peter Lynn Pepper 3.5M

I have owned a 3.5m Peter Lynn pepper for 6 months now and feel it's time to share my experiences as I have used the reviews on this site quite a few times and they have really helped.

The pepper is advertised as a budget beginner's kite and I chose it for that very reason. I had flown Flexifoil Stackers and Super 10's for years but I fancied land-boarding and I wasn't getting enough controllable pull or lift with the Super 10.

I looked briefly at the Beemer but finally decided on the pepper after being advised that they were better flyers. I initially wanted a kite around the 5m mark but was persuaded to go much smaller by the man in the shop. I finally decided on a 3.5m but with hindsight I would have been better with a 2.5m as I like flying when it's pretty windy and the 3.5m can be a little much.

Out on the field the kite came out of it's slightly disappointing rip-stop bag (they call it a stuff-sack but it's a cheap bag) but when it was opened out I was more than happy with the quality of the build. Granted it's not double stitched, the bridles are knotted and the handles feel a little cheap in comparison with Flexifoil or Ozone offerings but overall it felt like a decent kite and good value for money.

My kite was yellow and red and whilst I wasn't too keen on the pattern the pure white underbelly with the pepper and peter Lynn logos looked good. The lines were colour coded and fairly easy to attach but no numbering system like Ozone or Flexifoil.

Once it was all hooked up and with the wisdom 'don't launch it into the centre of the window' ringing in my ears I positioned it diagonally across the field, released the brakes and pulled.

The pull in light/moderate winds was awesome in comparison to a Stacker or Super 10. It was smooth, progressive and infinitely more controllable. I whizzed it about the sky for 20mins until it went dark, and packed it up exhilarated.

The next time I flew it was in far windier conditions, it was gusty and the wind was unpredictable. I also had my MBS Sol 16 mountain board with me this time (see other reviews) desperate to get some traction. I set up the kite and got it into the air and then attached myself to the board. Each time it gusted I was pulled off the board with no movement. After two hours of total irritation I repositioned the board in the right direction and finally I was moving!

Two things then happened, the wind picked up and I began to get cocky (I hadn't found this website at that point!). I should have packed up and gone home with a couple of downwind runs under my belt but I didn't and the awesome power of the wind, the kite and my stupidity combined and had its revenge.

I decided to have a run on a concrete runway (I know but it was my brothers idea) as the grass was very lumpy and with the combination of the gusts and the unexpected speed (mountain boards bloody shift on tarmac) I got myself into a nasty situation.

I was going fast (faster than I can run anyway) when the kite folded in on itself at the top of the window and re-inflated in the very middle of the window. In the stormy conditions this created so much pull that it tore me off the board and dragged me face first down the runway...and the kite killers didn't help as they were safely packed away in my bag.

I learnt a number of things from this I'd like to pass on...

Buy a helmet and pads and wear them even though you look like a t*tUse kite killers even though they can get in the way sometimesLearn to fly your kite in a range of conditions before you try to get tractionUnderstand the weather and the consequences of different conditionsPractice downhill on a mountain-board before using it with a kiteGet insuranceFly with someone elseHave a mobile phone with you

This event made me much more cautious and as a result I have actually enjoyed flying the kite more. Granted I haven't gone as fast on the board since but with more thought and care I can now traverse the wind window rather then bomb down it which is not quite as exhilarating but infinitely more satisfying.

Over the months since then I have found the Pepper to be a good starter kite but it does have it's quirks like all kites. It pulls well and provides steady power but it does fold more often than a Samurai or Bullet in gusty winds or at the edge of the window. It is a bitch to fly back up a field whilst kicking your mountain board forward and if you apply the brakes it often twists as it comes down.

I now own a Samurai 2.0m for windy days and have flown a Bullet 2.5m on a number of occasions and they are better kites, the Samurai in particular is a delight, but they are roughly £100 more than the Pepper and that's a massive investment in a sport you may not enjoy or carry on.

As a beginner the Pepper was perfect for me and I would recommend it as an excellent way to introduce yourself to powerkiteing and don't be afraid to go small, a 2.5m or 3.5m is more than enough to start with...why else would all those nearly new 4.9m Flexifoil Blades keep appearing on E-bay?

By : monkeyherbet