Trash Bag Kite in the Sky

by Tomas
(Vilnius, Lithuania)

I have made this type of kite for my son using your instructions. Must say these are really well-written instructions, with links to helpful knot tying tutorials etc.!

The kite flew perfectly and my son was really excited to run with the line as wind took the kite to the skies. So thank you very much for this guide!

Some details and notes:

1. I used simple utility line (synthetic and cotton threads combined), and it worked fine. I was afraid it's gonna be too heavy for flight but the wind tore the kite out of my hands. The only trouble with this line is the ends - they tend to separate and unweave. I had to tie firm knots on all ends.

2. The weak part of this kite design is the top pocket for vertical spar. I used 1.4cm electric insulation tape for the corner strap, but it was too small and the spar kept slipping out, especially after hitting the ground or catching stronger wind. I recommend using wider tape. After some flying I just added some more tape on both sides of the strap to form a wider pocket.

3. For the 3 holes needed I used a match. Cool! Just light a match, blow it out and quickly stick through the plastic. It will melt a nice small round hole.

4. I didn't have the glue for line ends, so I used the same insulation tape to fix the line ends to the straps. Holds like hell and doesn't need time for drying.

5. After some flying I noticed that the 3 holes in the plastic were beginning to tear because of pressure on the line. I fixed 4 pieces of clear tape around each hole (to form a square) and it solved the problem.

6. My kite was around 5cm shorter on vertical side but other measurements were exact. It flew OK.

7. Most interesting: I used lightweight bamboo straws for the spars instead of straight balsa wood sticks. They are asymmetrical as hell but worked well! Bamboo bends really well too.

Thanks again for a great kite making tutorial!