HQ Bongo

The HQ Bongo is a small, 2 line, soft foil, high wind kite, a very small, 2 line, soft foil, high wind kite; I'm not going to write an epic thesis because you can't do much in the way of traction sports with it.

It has the classic HQ Symphony Arc and rainbow colours it packs away to quite literally pocket size and comes with a little draw string stuff sack. The lines are wound separately round two rings which are also used as the handles, there are no worries of these being too week or uncomfortable for the pull that this kite gives they are fine, nicely rounded loops. The loops also make packing and unpacking easy and quick, if you have got some one to hold down the kite for you it's just a case of running back wards, but if there is no one to help you it is still a quick job of unwinding them yourself.

If you haven't got some on to hold it down for you it does seem to have a horrible tendency to fly a meter off the ground and un controllably spin leading to some frustrating minutes of unwinding. Once you have got the handles at the other end of the untangled lines of the kite it comes to launching it, this usually takes a good few fast steps backwards but once done it will fly up to close to the top of the window but not quite get there.

Before I carry on I would like to emphasise the fact that this is written in the perspective of someone flying it in a wind just above 20 miles per hour. I do find my self having to slowly walk backwards to keep it in the air, bring us too the fact that this is a high wind kite, if there isn't sufficient wind or walking/running backwards it just turns flat to the wind and falls to the floor.

Due its small size it is very quick through the air and can be fun to static fly but doesn't absorb gusts too well, but the lack of any traction means this doesn't matter, you just get an arm massage/shake. The build quality is fine, nothing like mesh vents but it holds together. Although the bridle attachments are just knots through holes. All in all I think this would be a good kit for the young or old to play around with on a particularly windy day at the beach. Not a kite for anybody who wants any traction.

By : gammajonny