Big guys and BASE canopies.

[980 0]

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My one personal recommendation to a larger BASE jumper would be to try and build up a lot more upper body strength (which i lack in spades). It could prove very useful for climbing over fences, builders hoardings, suicide nets and barriers,hoists, trees, ladders, ropes and cliffs. You'll be wearing big sturdy boots which make it really difficult to climb in so you need to rely on your upper body strength (or the shoulders of a friend) and it means you'll be able to punch them harder when they start taking the piss out of you.

I'm certainly not a big guy at 6'0" and 168lbs and I'm only an average rock climber, but the mechanics of climbing work pretty much the same for most people, so your advice of focusing on adding upper body strength to facilitate easier climbing confuses me, as it goes against conventional rock climbing wisdom, which is to focus on using your leg strength for climbing, especially on the relatively easy climbs needed to access most basejumps, improving your climbing technique and footwork will be of much greater benefit to you than some increased upper body strength.

I also find my boots (hanwags) to climb much better than most casual footwear, i.e. sneakers and even most hiking boots, due to the good edging ability and decent rubber soles.

sounds like some time in the climbing gym will make your base life much easier

[sabre210 0]

Hi Sam

My own personal experience is the absolute opposite. Leg strength (which i have) is of very little use to you when you're trying to clamber over a smooth builders hoarding around a site. You end up hanging off the top, scrambling away with your legs trying to get a toe hold on anything (a screw head or splinter of wood) to push up off . If you had upper body strength then you'd jump, catch the top of the wood and pull yourself up without all the kicking and thrashing and noisiness.

The most common barrier for BASE jumpers i would say is your standard link fence with barbed wire across the top. They also tend to overhang to hamper climbing them. My experience is that climbing anything which overhangs requires upper body strength, arm strength, chest strength (again which i lack in proportion to my body weight). That famous shot of Cruise hanging in MI2. I don't see strong legs helping him out at that particular moment.

Now your experience may be different to mine but then your not as heavy as me, and they don't call you 'hippo'.

What i can tell you with 100% certainty is that if i could be arsed to work out and build myself into a better BASE jumper, the thing i'd be working on would be my upper body.

But then don't just ask me, ask the poor bastards I jump with.

ian

ps. and hanwags couldn't be further removed from the rock climbing specific shoes that are used in that sport (canyons etc)

[Pendragon 1]

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...and hanwags couldn't be further removed from the rock climbing specific shoes that are used in that sport (canyons etc)

Depends what you're climbing.

Anyway, I'd like to go back to Faber's comment:

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...but I like the fact that smaller canopies crack open faster.

Does anyone have any views on how true this is? I'm curious to know how much altitude is lost (or time taken to deploy; although I think this may give a slightly different answer) for a given canopy type over a range of sizes and wing loadings: has anyone ever compared this?

--
BASE #1182
Muff #3573
PFI #52; UK WSI #13

[skreamer 1]

Ian is right, he is fat and weak. Sam, try using more than one sentence per paragraph.

[980 0]

Dude, whereas you have moved to that bastion of civilization and highly evolved grammar, i have moved to the continent of bigger is better and as I start doing as the romans do i am permanently so caffeinated and sugared up that slowing down for anything is not really an option especially silly things like punctuation!!! that's why I climb 600 ft in the time it takes you to do 400 ft so give Ian a break at least he's NOT fat weak AND a saffer like you!

[SabreDave 0]

Now, as much as a size or so bigger would be nice I currently jumpa Troll MDV 305. I am hovering around 240 lbs in the buff! (down Jaap, I am still straight!)

I do wear armour and have a had a couple of hard-ish landings but generally I am very happy with the way it performs for me even at moderate elevations ASL like 4000ft. +

If it requires really sinking it in I am in PLF mode before I exit.

Feel free to contact me with any questions although keep in mind I only have 43 jumps and mostly terminal.
[email protected]

Later

SabreDave

[BlindBrick 0]

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Jumping skydiving canopies (which are available in larger sizes) isn't really recommended. Some people have tried to use military canopies, tandem canopies, etc, because they were available in such large sizes. Virtually every one of those I've ever seen has had some very strange (and undesirable) slider down openings.

Not just slider down. I finally got to see the BD '05 video and my MT-1 just looks all funky and scary as it's inflating. It's in the first jump section at 39 minutes. I'm the B.U.F.F. with the redshirt and chrome helmet. Watch the opening, it's just ugly, ugly.

Definitely broke me of any lingering desire to do anymore BASE with the MT-1.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[TomAiello 25]

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Does anyone have any views on how true this is? I'm curious to know how much altitude is lost (or time taken to deploy; although I think this may give a slightly different answer) for a given canopy type over a range of sizes and wing loadings: has anyone ever compared this?

Several years ago, I tested this out with several Mojo's of different sizes. All my factual data is from those jumps, all on Mojo canopies. While you can decide what to extrapolate from there, be aware that I'm not saying anything about any other parachutes.

My experience was that the difference between the smalles size we tested (Mojo 220) and the largest (Mojo 280) was between 35 and 50 feet (depending on the jump, as there was variability). These are all for slider down go and throw freefall deployments.

I am of the opinion that the canopy model is far more important than the canopy size in these kinds of variabilities (so that I'd rather jump a Blackjack 310 than an unvented FOX 225, if it was critical).

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Anvilbrother 0]

Got a clip of that?

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[yexotay 0]

I weight 260, 6'5" and had a fine time with my ace 310. In deep brakes there was air flow out the front of the canopy, which is not good, but wasn't bad enough to worry about.

[VictorSuvorov 0]

the big guy story made me cry. i think i am going to quit jumping due to all the "limitations" the "big" guys face.

[sabre210 0]

Yo baldy. Wind yer neck in.

ian

[BASE864 0]

So far, I am the biggest jumper to post on this subject. I currently jump a vented FLiK 322. It does well for me - better than my Mojo 280 did. I found the Mojo 280 was loaded up so high that it was very sensitive to body position on opening. Anything less than a perfect body position and I was off heading. This is not the case with my FLiK 322.

If you are jumping lower objects - get a vented canopy. I found it makes a huge difference on low objects, as the canopy will pressurize faster and thus get flying faster. This will give you a better flare. I originally bought the FLik unvented and it didn't do so well on low jumps (sub-300). I cracked my tailbone on a low jump because the canopy didn't have enough time to get flying before it was time to flare. ([URL "http://www.skydivingmovies.com/ver2/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=1850&string=FLiK"]Click here[/url] for a vented vs. nonvented video comparison.) I feel that the FLiK lands me well given my size. I land hard sometimes and that is par for the course, so I am prepared for it (i.e. PLF). However, I wouldn't jump it in a place that would require me to fly in deep brakes for landing as the flare would be on-existent and I would just pound in. I prefer to fly it in as little brakes as I can so that I can get some flare out of it.

I have jumped a larger canopy and it landed wonderful - even with just rear risers. But, there's a reason tandem masters like their passengers to help them steer and flare. On a canopy that big, I didn't have the strength to fly it in deep brakes very long and toggle pressure was very high. But, it did land me great. This is something the canopy designers will have to work on.

Also know that, generally, the bigger the canopy, the longer it takes to get open and flying (i.e. pressurized and creating lift). And your PC sizes will most likely be a size bigger than you smaller buddy’s. What this means to you is that when your 160 lb buddy freefalls a 210' object jumping his 220’ canopy, you probably should not. I won't even consider freefalling below 250' just because it takes longer for my canopy to get open with full pressurization. As for the PC, when your buddy is using is 38" off an object - you might need a 42" because you have all that extra fabric and weight to get off your back. The gear manufacturers can tell you exactly what size PC you need for you canopy at a given delay - so don't quote me.

You're doing the right thing - asking other big jumpers about their experiences and opinions. Check with the various gear manufacturers too. They make the big gear and know the details about jumping it and how it differs from the smaller gear.

Later,
BASE864

[fueler 0]

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So far, I am the biggest jumper to post on this subject......

and you are how big? or..what is your WL on the 322?

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what!?

[DaveO 0]

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This is something the canopy designers will have to work on.

I think your absolutely right on that one. I only have an exit weight of 235 lbs so the larger 300+ square foot canopies are ok for me, but I think it's high time someone designs a BASE canopy for the bigger jumpers. Not just scale a 240sq ft up to 300 sq ft or more.

"When it comes to BASE, I'll never give advice, only my opinion"

[piisfish 135]

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(Click here for a vented vs. nonvented video comparison.)

was it at the same wingloading ?? the difference is huge indeed.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[BlindBrick 0]

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So far, I am the biggest jumper to post on this subject......

and you are how big? or..what is your WL on the 322?

Yeah, I am interested in that info. Right now I'm tryign to decide between the Flik 322 and 350. A 350 would give me around a .9 WL while the 322 would be a hair about 1 to 1.

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[Treejumps 0]

They make a flik 350?

[BASE864 0]

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(Click here for a vented vs. nonvented video comparison.)

was it at the same wingloading ?? the difference is huge indeed.

Wing loading was the same for both jumps although they were done some time apart. I didn't lose/gain any weight and wore the same gear in each jump. The first jump (unvented) is when I busted my tailbone. Thank goodness for those inflatable doughnuts!

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So far, I am the biggest jumper to post on this subject......

and you are how big? or..what is your WL on the 322?

I will not post my weight or wingloading in the public forum - don't care to get flamed. If you want to discuss it via PM, then I'd be happy to. For the few that know me, they know my statement is truthful.

Later,
BASE864