LaunchPad User's Guide
Welcome, and congratulations on picking up our new LaunchPad Kite Bag - we hope you'll love it as much as we do! In this guide we've put together all the info you'll need to get the most out of your new gear - you can either read through it all at once, or use the table of contents to jump straight to the info you need. If you have any questions once you get started feel free to let us know and we'll get back to you ASAP.
Have fun, and enjoy your new gear!
The Prism Team
Features
Full Length Configuration
Half Length Configuration
Dedicated pockets for 9 kites and 8 linsets, with capacity for 20+ kites fully loaded.
Rolls up at full length, half length, or anything in between.
Detachable ground cloth so you can go fast and light with just a few kites rolled in the exterior shell.
Mesh pockets drain sand so you don’t bring home the beach.
Rugged, padded outer shell protects your collection from the elements and airline baggage belts.
Contoured, grippy shoulder strap for a comfortable carry.
Fits odd-shaped items too, like soft kites and hoop winders.
Zippered internal pouch for small items, accessible without unrolling the bag.
Oversized buckles and premium webbing for long life.
No dangling straps- strap ends hook in securely through the full capacity range.
Metal G-hooks secure dangling straps.
Mesh pockets drain sand.
Wide velcro closure for easy closure/access.
Oversized buckles and straps for durability.
Tips & Tricks
The basics of using your LaunchPad are pretty straightforward - just slide your flying lines and kites into their respective slots and then roll the bag up before securing the velcro closure and buckles. When the roll is all cinched up, secure the two metal hooks on the strap ends wherever they fit into the webbing ladder to keep them from dangling.
Here are a couple tricks that can help you get the most out of your LaunchPad in some specific scenarios:
Traveling Light
Don’t need your whole collection? You can reconfigure the LaunchPad for use as a lightweight 'speed bag'. Just pull apart the velcro that joins the two halves of the bag and set the larger 'groundcloth' section aside. Roll your gear up inside the padded section, clip it closed and you're ready to go fast and light!
Prepping for Baggage Check
When you're flying with your kites and it's time to hand your gear over to the baggage (man)handlers, there are a few things you can do to make sure everything is secure as possible:
Adjusting the straps on the outside of your bag as shown will make your bag extra secure in transit. In this configuration the straps not only cover and help protect the buckle hardware, but will also hold the bag shut in case the buckles are damaged or come undone. That's not likely, but it helps to be prepared!
Remember to remove the shoulder strap and store it in the zippered pouch inside the bag.
Double check that kites are secure in their pockets and not accessible from the ends of the rolled bag. Kites should have both ends trapped under the groundcloth flaps to prevent them from slipping out of place, as shown in the Half Length Configuration diagram at the top of the page. When in doubt, give your bag a good shake before handing it over to the baggage handlers.
Standard Setup
Normally the straps on your bag feed through their clips and then fold back in the direction they came from.
Extra Secure Setup
To make your bag extra secure when checked, flip the straps OVER the buckles before securing the G-hooks.
Keeping Things Neat
Depending on how you load your LaunchPad, you might find that the end corners of the groundcloth are sticking out a little awkwardly when the bag is rolled up in its full-length configuration. To tidy this up:
Instead of rolling the bag up from the very bottom edge, fold the groundcloth segment in half first, sealing the two velcro edges together, and then start rolling up the bag - you'll end up with a cleaner finish when you're done.
Alternatively, for an extra-secure roll you can use the two double-sided Velcro straps provided to cinch around the full-length groundcloth ends.
Care & Feeding
The LaunchPad is built tough so you shouldn't need to do much to keep it in good condition. If your bag gets dirty, a rinse with some warm water (mild soap is ok too) and a soft cloth should be all you need to get it cleaned up. Just be sure to stay away from harsh chemical cleaners and abrasive scrubbers as they can degrade fabric coatings and make things wear out faster.
Sand: To avoid bringing the beach home with us we like to give the bag a shake like a beach blanket before rolling it up. Loose sand will sift out through the mesh pockets. Just make sure there’s nobody downwind to get a face-full before you shake!
Compressed air also works well if you need to give your bag a deep clean.
If you run into any maintenance issues that you aren't sure how to handle, feel free to contact us and we'll be more than happy to help you get things sorted out 👍