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NathanG said..
Just wondering if a small Flysurfer Peak or new Hybrid foil kite on short lines could also do the trick?
Maybe get better upwind angles, less tiring to get to the start of the downwinder, can carry a smaller front foil, light and packs down into a backpack.
Downwinding without extra toys or car shuffle sounds appealing. Probably dreaming...
As a long time user and also a reseller of the Flysurfer Peak and now also Hybrid kites, I think you are right on the money Nathan. The kite-only weights of both of these kites is under 1 kilogram in up to 8m sizes. They also pack down very small and with a simple lightweight bar and lines you would have an ideal setup.
You could easily get out from shore a good distance quickly for a downwinder as well as crank back upwind for another run.
The Peak and Hybrid are both easy to fly, hang in the air in light winds and are very powerful for their size. For my 67kg on a kitefoil setup with front wings under 1000sq cm, I mainly use the 2.5m to 4m sizes with a 5m for light winds around 8-10 knots. The Peak is not guaranteed water relaunchable, though I've been successful relaunching most times I've dropped them. The Hybrid is extremely easy and quick to relaunch every time. These kites have relatively simple bridles which give no problems if you pack them methodically and are very quick to set up and launch, no pump required

Here's a vid of Armin from Flysurfer using very short lines on a 5.5m Hybrid and 90l wingfoil board