Peak 2 4m 8

Beautiful, simply beautiful!  

Is this a new addition to your quiver John?  I have really enjoyed my 4m P2 for high wind buggying in the 25 knots+ range.  I had a fantastic time with it on the Ivanpah playa last Fall.

4 minutes ago, windstruck said:

Beautiful, simply beautiful!  

Is this a new addition to your quiver John?  I have really enjoyed my 4m P2 for high wind buggying in the 25 knots+ range.  I had a fantastic time with it on the Ivanpah playa last Fall.

Yep, pulled it out of it's wrapper yesterday on the beach for a run.  Ridiculously light wind for a 4m depower though.  When I finished I wandered up the dune a bit with the wind meter and got 9 - 11 knots - but the 4m had been pulling well in that.  

Goof stuff John!  I'm assuming the resistance must be pretty minimal on those beach runs of yours.  I'd barely get budged in those winds in grass with a 4m P2, much less a 6m cheeseburger wrapper.  In grass in those winds I think I'd be pulling the 9m P2 out of the bag.  Reminds me of my (so far) one trip to the Ivanpah playa - I sized down two kite sizes because of how much lower the rolling resistance was compared to my plush long grass fields I'd be putting in most of my time.  For long beach runs under brink wind conditions I think you will really like this little red gremlin, particularly with that sporty little ball to slide down to choke the bar in a pulled in position.

@jhn.holgate, may I ask, compared to a NASA Borne kite of similar size, does the FS Peak2 pull harder than the NASA, or has it got a good low end of the wind window? I am thinking of buying the Peak2 12m for light wind days below 10knots.

The one time I flew the 6m Peak 2 back to back with the NS2 5.5m, I felt the Peak 2 easily had more grunt.  Plus way more speed and upwind ability.  Down here, with colder winds, the 6m P2 will park and ride pretty easily in 8 knots.  I would imagine the 12m will be perfect for what you want.  @windstruck has the 12m P2 and had similar size Nasa Star 3's - he might chime in with some more info.

@jhn.holgate has it right, the P2s seem to have more grunt per m2 than the NS3s (assuming here that NS3s and NS2s are more or less comparable).  In terms of a low wind kite I personally love the 12m P2, in fact its my favorite kite of all time.  I know it's silly, but I even named my Session Saver I liked it so much.  As a low and variable wind engine it is hard to beat.  I can directly attest that it is a superior low wind engine to the 10 and 12m NS3s, as well as the 12 and 15m Summits.  The caveat here is that I am an inland janky wind flier.  Around where I live when the wind is light enough to need to pull out Session Saver it is also quite variable, often going to absolute lull to periods lasting a couple of minutes of wind pretty much above comfort level for that size kite.  I'm not saying "gusty" in a punchy sense as much as the being variable from minute to minute.  Having a 10 or 12.5m NS3 in the air when the wind speed exceeds their range in these settings is a hairball experience as you don't have any way of letting off the gas.  I've found that the 12 and 15m Summits are a real challenge to get off the ground and keep off the ground in the winds I describe, though both fly and pull nicely when they are in the air and the wind is just right.

So.... I'm a big fan of the 12m P2 for my conditions.  It will get off the ground in a puff of wind, generally stay afloat with the bar out during low wind lulls, sits rock steady in a park and ride position, and if the wind picks up when you have it in the air you've got the trim strap to further throttle down.  I've pulled the trip strap near all the way in (it flies pretty weirdly all the way in) let the bar all the way out and pointed upwind to save my ass many times.  She'll flap and surge around like an angry bird but she won't be pulling hard.

Last thing I'll say, and I learned this from @jhn.holgate, is the little magic ball as he puts it (a grape sized black ball that can be slid down the trim lines to hold the bar in place) is absolutely a wonderful thing when in a setting where you can park and ride a Peak2.  I know John has his ocean beaches which look spectacular.  I live about 7 hour drive away from Lake Ivanpah on the CA/NV border and can get endless long runs on the playa there.  Take a gander here of some Peaks in action on the playa including the 12m, each with the magic ball in place.  Great fliers!