I have been kiting for over 20 years, and since retiring a year ago at the age of 68, find myself kiting more than ever, sometimes 4-5 days/week at my local. The last couple of months have been incredible with 15-20kt sea breezes along the coast of Adelaide, coming in most afternoons, but found myself getting tired pumping up my kites. I have a excellent electric pump which I bought for my inflatable surf SUP, but have started using it to pump up my kite, which it does in about 3 minutes to 7psi. I now seem to stay out longer, but wonder if I am missing out on a pre-kite workout? I personally don't feel that kitesurfing is a very physical sport, but it surely has to be good for you! Am I kidding myself using the electric pump, or should I keep the manual pump?
Super easy question to answer. Just wear a garmin smartwatch and log the kite pumping.
If you want to then go to "real world" testing, log door to door. meaning start the recording as you leave your front door and get back to that door after the sesh everything identical somehow except one sesh use the pump one you dont.
Look forward to hearing your results
Id say at your age just do whatever hurts the least. Thats what ive been slowly learning and i got some time yet to go.
over the years i've developed an absolute controversial hatred# for compressors on kites/wings...the ultimate lazy persons toy.
ThE the way they rock up think the whole world is about them and generally I find people that use them are lacking alot of brain cells.& I'll go as far away from them as possible...(pumping up ribs, tyres etc different although repetative)
I find them ignorant arrogant self centred and egostistical and lazy...about eighty percent of them.its completely unnecessary..(!)
A windsurf friend reminded me lately that in Austria even if it's freezing cold people get fined for sitting having their engine &heater on!
In Australia I see it everywhere ..fat people go KFC sit there with their engine on no kids in car no care or awareness about carbon emissions at all. The same with compressors I've been at plenty of remote spots and noisy compressors arrive
Is the ozone layer getting better in Australia??
I detest the noise &lack of care for the environment...it's #unnecessary#....
&that's not to say I haven't put on weight the last year too but that was from other things.&that's besides the point.....
Those little electric pumps arn't half as bad
But yes I am of the belief that using the pump for alignment/yoga and to connect with nature&tune into 360` is what you should be doing
Frothgoth had a good point
By the way there's a really good airpump on temu
Thanks guys for your comments! I'm not sure of your ages or fitness, but as you age, I certainly don't have the stamina of say, of when I was fifty. I can certainly pump up my kite manually and this is what I do when I travel with my gear as a electric pump is not worth the hassle. It just takes longer and I have used up energy that I may have used out on the water. I use this pump and it is very quiet, so certainly won't upset too many people that may be around on a windy beach, and it is powered by a 4000mamp LiPo 3S battery from one of my RC aircraft. This will give about 6 inflations before requiring recharging, so the pump must be reasonably efficient. Looking at this thread, maybe I'm not alone in using a electric pump! www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Electric-PUMPs?page=1
www.bcf.com.au/p/tahwalhi-watersports-12v-electric-pump/619897.html?utm_content=paidsearch-pmax&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA7Y28BhAnEiwAAdOJUDvWHLpySaPiufsV9D6doBX3Zp-RHvyJKt5mRNUlzGjV-pXuDE4hSxoCctUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Hahahhaa jesus timmy 
Coastflyer always remember to check the TIMESTAMP on posts to see if theyre posting at 8am or 8pm 
theyre maybe a few beers involved
Tho i do know a skydiver who changed to paragliding due to concerns on aviation fuel usage etc so timmy does have a valid point.
I actually have an environmentally friendly solution to this problem tho its just a large bag you hold up into the wind it fills the bag you then roll up the open edge connect a kite hose to the base of it and sit on it forceing the air from the bag into your kite.
And it doubles as a couch for the misses to sit on while your out kiteing. Which converts it from a windbag to a windnag.
Select to expand quoteFroth Goth said..
Hahahhaa jesus timmy
Coastflyer always remember to check the TIMESTAMP on posts to see if theyre posting at 8am or 8pm theyre maybe a few beers involved
Tho i do know a skydiver who changed to paragliding due to concerns on aviation fuel usage etc so timmy does have a valid point.
I actually have an environmentally friendly solution to this problem tho its just a large bag you hold up into the wind it fills the bag you then roll up the open edge connect a kite hose to the base of it and sit on it forceing the air from the bag into your kite.
And it doubles as a couch for the misses to sit on while your out kiteing. Which converts it from a windbag to a windnag.
Very good observation Froth! Timmy may have had a few, but who cares, as long as we all enjoy ourselves and operate within our limitations. As for your amazing idea, go for it, post a video, and I'll certainly watch it mate!
It takes 40-60 pumps to inflate most kites to pressure. That takes a minute or two. That's the equivalent of walking up a couple of flights of stairs. If you're finding that physically taxing then perhaps you should talk to your doctor about it.
If you just don't like pumping, and do like playing with electrically powered toys, then that's your choice. To me it seems like an unnecessary complication having to mess around with an electric pump then finish off with a hand pump.
I would have thought that at 68 you wouldn't give a flying fluck about what other people think as long as you're not being an arsehole. Perhaps I'll know more about that when I turn 68 .... next week.
Select to expand quoteGorgo said..
It takes 40-60 pumps to inflate most kites to pressure. That takes a minute or two. That's the equivalent of walking up a couple of flights of stairs. If you're finding that physically taxing then perhaps you should talk to your doctor about it.
If you just don't like pumping, and do like playing with electrically powered toys, then that's your choice. To me it seems like an unnecessary complication having to mess around with an electric pump then finish off with a hand pump.
I would have thought that at 68 you wouldn't give a flying fluck about what other people think as long as you're not being an arsehole. Perhaps I'll know more about that when I turn 68 .... next week.
You're right about one thing, and that is that I don't really care about what other people may be thinking of me as my little pump is doing it's thing. I'm pretty fit for my age and live in a two storey house which ensures lot's of up and down stairs on a daily basis. I also SUP surf, which gives me a much better workout than kitesurfing ever will, but for me, time and convenience are important things now, and the other thread seems to show many other people using a electric pump for wings and kites. Everyone is different, so what ticks my box may not tick yours. Does it also mean that people that use the Foildive system are somehow frowned upon? I'm surrounded by them on my local breaks on the Mid Coast and can only marvel at how many waves that they catch compared to me, but I don't want to spend 9 grand to join them!
And happy birthday for next week, nice to know that I'm not the only older person out there enjoying this amazing sport.
Hay, don't go telling me that at 68 I'm an "older person"!
I never use an electric pump myself because having to hike back to the car to secure it from lowlifes would negate any savings of time or energy, but if it works for you; go for it! It really doesn't matter what others think; you'll get good healthy exercise with or without manual pumping.
I tend to "cheat" (if you want to call it that) by simply rolling out a Peak more often than not, rather than pumping up a LEI.
Energy expenditure while kiteboarding can be as much or as little as you make it, and I don't believe any fitness device can give an accurate estimate of how many calories you've really burned, although the amount of time spent with elevated heart rate can give bit of a clue. Timmy has raised a very good point about people sitting in their cars spewing out emissions outside a KFC /Maccas, etc. I also see many of them and wonder how many of them are woke "climate activists"!
Whether they are or not, they're really annoying when they also have brake and /or reversing lights lit up as if they're about to back into me as I go past!
(Note how woke I am by not saying "fat people!" Sorry I couldn't think of a P.C. adjective to use there.)
Select to expand quoteSandee said..Hay, don't go telling me that at 68 I'm an "older person"!
I never use an electric pump myself because having to hike back to the car to secure it from lowlifes would negate any savings of time or energy, but if it works for you; go for it! It really doesn't matter what others think; you'll get good healthy exercise with or without manual pumping.
I tend to "cheat" (if you want to call it that) by simply rolling out a Peak more often than not, rather than pumping up a LEI.
Energy expenditure while kiteboarding can be as much or as little as you make it, and I don't believe any fitness device can give an accurate estimate of how many calories you've really burned, although the amount of time spent with elevated heart rate can give bit of a clue. Timmy has raised a very good point about people sitting in their cars spewing out emissions outside a KFC /Maccas, etc. I also see many of them and wonder how many of them are woke "climate activists"!
Whether they are or not, they're really annoying when they also have brake and /or reversing lights lit up as if they're about to back into me as I go past!
(Note how woke I am by not saying "fat people!" Sorry I couldn't think of a P.C. adjective to use there.)
Sorry about that mate! OK, Maybe we are slightly past middle age, or actually along way past, but it's great to realize that their are others kiting around our age, it's just that I haven't met many around here. And totally agree with you about all the woke BS out there.
Kited in Egypt last year and everyone on the boats / islands was using scuba tanks. At resorts they had air compressors. I didn't see a single pump being used the entire trip. Actually I didn't even bring one to save on luggage space and I didn't miss pumping up one bit.
It's no more 'cheating' than using a ski lift is to get to the top of a mountain. You do you bro, nobody cares.
Oh, sure, because using a manual pump instead of a powered one is totally going to save the planet. Bravo, you're a hero. If the pump means you can stay out on the water longer for just a tiny bit more environmental cost, then by all means, pump away. But if you think that's the epitome of eco-friendliness, you must feel like a real saint. If you genuinely cared about the environment, you'd ditch your modern life for an Amish one, but no, let's just keep up appearances with our little pump, because clearly, that's the big difference between us and the earth's doom. Go on, feel good about your choice while we all just keep manufacturing those massive plastic kites.
