Old basket types

 Floor Design

Open baskets are made in two basic configuration - with either rounded or right-angled lower edges. All our baskets have floors made from marine plywood except for the light-weight K13S competition baskets that has a composite floor.

• ●Baskets with rounded lower edges have their wicker bent so that it goes about 20 cm (9 inches) underneath the basket, where it is covered by 5 mm (0.2 inches) of thick leather. The floor is made out of ash. This curving gives the basket an elegant shape and it is very practicall, softening fast landings because, without sharp lower edges, the basket slides more easily. The trade off is that the basket is a little heavier. This style is restricted to the smaller baskets K7, K10, K11, K12, K15, K16, and K18.
• ●Baskets with right-angled bottom edges are built slightly differently. The bottom part is formed by a steel frame, which is part of the basket’s skeleton. The edge is covered by white hide. This design is traditional among many balloon manufacturers and it works well. We use it for baskets K13, K17, K22, and for all compartmented baskets.

The difference between these designs is clearly visible in the following pictures: