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Psychoz

Questions for guys around 230 lbs.

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And who might be the biggest of them all then?



DUDE of all the Anvils I have given Amazon hugs to.. you are by far the heaviest.. BUT.. I did get your ass off the ground on the second try now didnt I;)

NOW.... you better get your butt to Lost Prairie this summer.. come have some fun. We SOOO need a chase Aubrey load again..

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I myself weight 230 lbs., this is not an exit weight but my true weight, and had a few questions, what size and type of canopies do you fly, both main and reserve. Next week I will be off student status and want to try some different canopies but want to stay conservative. So I was wondering what people of my same size suggest. Also what type of suit if any do you wear, I have been looking at the Bev suits "Polycotton" which seems to be for jumpers of my stature.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. And just so everyone knows I am not looking to jump a smaller canopy, just want to get ideas of what I should be trying.




Won't repeat the other's good advice, but will pass on my stats...

Off student status in 1991 @~225#s actual
First rig: Vector II w/ PD-260* (9cell-f111), Fury reserve.
Current: same rig/reserve w/ Spectre 230 @~235#s actual

*BTW- was told MANY times before buying the 260 that I was waisting my money and would be tired of it in no time... and they were (almost) right... ONLY put ~600 jumps on it over ~10 years.:P DO NOT buy what you will be comfortable with later. Get what you are safe with NOW.

And if you get used, make sure a rigger inspects it before the sale is final!!

Jim
Chicken-shit skydiver
Rigger
"The Flying Brick"

PS - So exactly how fast must you fall (belly-fly) to be an official "Anvil?" I can keep with most freefliers...
Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

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When it comes to jumpsuits for big boys, you have to realize one very important thing: if those floaty folks can't keep up, they're just not trying hard enough. :P Despite this, everyone will tell you that you need to fall slower. Lazy bums...

I'm about 245 and 6'-1" for reference, and I have both a Bev polycotton suit and a Bodysport crater suit. The Bev suit wasn't slow enough to let me stay with most RW groups, so I had it converted to a camera suit with booties, afterburners, and wings. It's been a great camera suit, and I can really pop up on even the lightest tandems & RW groups with minimal effort.

I ordered the crater suit around the same time for RW and coaching, and it's pretty good for slowing me down. Drag-inducing options that worked for me were: double fabric, cordura booties, loose cut, & wing material under the arms w/ swoop cords. The booties don't seem quite as effective as Bev's afterburner booties, but the extra fabric helps over not having them at all.

Another good tip I got from a very experienced, fast-falling AFF instructor is to unzip your jumpsuit part way for extra drag. I still do this on coach jumps with light students, and it's pretty effective. Be aware that you risk blowing out your zipper by doing this, but I haven't had it happen yet.

Consider going to a tunnel at some point to specifically practice slow fall techniques. This was the most helpful thing I did to slow down, since it's pretty easy to tell if your flying is the issue in the tunnel. In the sky, others tend to compensate to match fall rates, which doesn't allow you to see the effects of changing body position as accurately.

You should have a pretty good range of options for canopies in your weight range. Lots of student rigs are in the sizes you'd be considering, so the gear is out there.

Good luck with the rest of your training,

Lance

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TallGuy is to whom I was referrring regarding my now being the second biggest skydiver in the U.S. In the early 80's there were some heavier than me, but no one as overall large - course I had 21" arms at the time.
Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

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I myself weight 230 lbs., this is not an exit weight but my true weight, and had a few questions, what size and type of canopies do you fly, both main and reserve. Next week I will be off student status and want to try some different canopies but want to stay conservative. So I was wondering what people of my same size suggest. Also what type of suit if any do you wear, I have been looking at the Bev suits "Polycotton" which seems to be for jumpers of my stature.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. And just so everyone knows I am not looking to jump a smaller canopy, just want to get ideas of what I should be trying.



I'm about 230lbs or so as well. My first rig @ 44 jumps was a new Infinity articulated container with mini risers and a Fusion 210 main, and a Smart 220 reserve. The wingload was probably a bit aggressive at those jump numbers, but what's done is done.

As for the jumpsuit, I've got a heavy polycotten Tony Suits freefly suit, and it's doing the jump for now.. doesn't fit super well though, I bought it off someone a couple inches shorter than me.
:|
cavete terrae.

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dude you're not as big as you think you are. i am 6'0" and 250 with about 6% body fat. i jump a safire 189. eric butts is 6'4" and weighs 270. he jumps a cobolt 120.
i never take my shirt off or wear a sleeveless shirt. dressing like that is very uncool. i hope you don't either.
as far as jumpsuits go the only way to go is deep arms, almost to the waist some call this an angel wing, baggy legs and ZP lining in both the arms and the legs. poly cotton is ok and seems slower but it looks like crap. supplex is much nicer to look at and is also more comfortable. nobody falls faster then me and with this jumpsuit i can fall with my woman who is a petite 110LBS.
i you go with a bev rw suit you can also get afterburners in the legs. these kind of inflate when you're on you belly and work to slow you down as well.

ciao

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I was about 240-250 or so when I graduated AFF, I put about 100 jumps on a sillouette 230 before getting a sabre 2 - 210. Like its been mentioned, a young fit 240 is a much different than an out of shape 240. At that time I was a relatively fit, athletic 20yo. I loved the sabre 2, everything about it, but demo everything. Something to remember is that wing loading is relative, us heavier boys have a great advantage under canopy being able to fly larger canopies to get the same wingloading others need significantly smaller canopies to get obtain. That translates into effieceny. Im 275ish out the door now flying a 120 velocity, I wouldnt advise that for you.

D

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I'm about 240lbs out the door and spent my first 60 jumps off student status on a Nav 240. My DZ has nothing in between that and the Silhouette 190s which I'm too heavy to jump fullstop (according to the PD website). I wanted to get my own rig ASAP and could afford to go for new, so I ordered an Icon with Pilot 188 and Smart 190. Both my instructors and the Aerodyne dealer were happy for me to go with this (almost suggesting it - the latter requesting that I downsize over about 30 jumps and do a canopy course).
So, I went out to Perris for 2 weeks just and rented a load of canopies, working my way down through a Spectre 230 and 210, a Sabre 2 210 on which I put about 15 jumps and finally did a few on my Pilot. Yep, alot of people will say my loading is too high at 100 jumps, but at the end of the day, both my AFF instructors who have been following my progress are happy for me to jump it (as am I). I do plan on losing weight too...!

As for suits, I have the original Tony suit, all in 4-ply with baggy arms (no lining). The legs are all cordura with vented mega-booties. I seem to be able to achieve a reasonable fall rate with this.
Skydiving is more than a sport and more than a job: skydiving is pure passion and desire which will fill a lifetime.

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I am 5'-10" and constantly losing weight, about 5 months ago I was 250. I would love to get to 200 but that won't be for awhile. Any help you can throw at me, please do, I am a good listener.

Here are my plans for buying gear, first I will get my Cypres2, then my reserve "I am thinking of a PD253R" then my main "no ideas on that yet", then my container.



I think a PD253R would not be safe for you because its maximum allowed exit weight is 254 lbs ( http://www.performancedesigns.com/reserve.asp ). Your rig will be heavier because you need a bigger reserve, main, etc so you should add 30 or more pounds and your weight could increase ...
Gonzalo

It cannot be done really means I do not know how to do it ... yet

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I am 5'-10" and constantly losing weight, about 5 months ago I was 250. I would love to get to 200 but that won't be for awhile. Any help you can throw at me, please do, I am a good listener.

Here are my plans for buying gear, first I will get my Cypres2, then my reserve "I am thinking of a PD253R" then my main "no ideas on that yet", then my container.



I think a PD253R would not be safe for you because its maximum allowed exit weight is 254 lbs ( http://www.performancedesigns.com/reserve.asp ). Your rig will be heavier because you need a bigger reserve, main, etc so you should add 30 or more pounds and your weight could increase ...



I kind of disagree on the weight requirement, if I am under reserve canopy then I will not have the weight of the main canopy since I will have cut away from it. Or am I wrong on the weight issue?
So long and thanks for all the fish!!!

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I am 5'-10" and constantly losing weight, about 5 months ago I was 250. I would love to get to 200 but that won't be for awhile. Any help you can throw at me, please do, I am a good listener.

Here are my plans for buying gear, first I will get my Cypres2, then my reserve "I am thinking of a PD253R" then my main "no ideas on that yet", then my container.



I think a PD253R would not be safe for you because its maximum allowed exit weight is 254 lbs ( http://www.performancedesigns.com/reserve.asp ). Your rig will be heavier because you need a bigger reserve, main, etc so you should add 30 or more pounds and your weight could increase ...



I kind of disagree on the weight requirement, if I am under reserve canopy then I will not have the weight of the main canopy since I will have cut away from it. Or am I wrong on the weight issue?



What about a total malfunction on your main?
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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I'm 220 lbs, and 245 lbs. out the door. I jump a 260, and that's conservative. I could go much smaller, but don't feel the need or the urge to do so.

You don't need a modified tandem rig. There's plenty of big boys jumping regular gear.

Get a somewhat baggy jumpsuit for more drag to slow you down a bit, so you don't sink-out on others in freefall.





I'm 220-230 lbs. nekid, depending on the season, and
standard sport gear is fine.

Using a 260 is safe and conservative...a good place to start.

I have several 260's I use for demo jumps.
...for fun jumping I use a 190 or a 170 main depending on the winds and landing area.

My reserve is a 220.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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I am 5'-10" and constantly losing weight, about 5 months ago I was 250. I would love to get to 200 but that won't be for awhile. Any help you can throw at me, please do, I am a good listener.

Here are my plans for buying gear, first I will get my Cypres2, then my reserve "I am thinking of a PD253R" then my main "no ideas on that yet", then my container.



I think a PD253R would not be safe for you because its maximum allowed exit weight is 254 lbs ( http://www.performancedesigns.com/reserve.asp ). Your rig will be heavier because you need a bigger reserve, main, etc so you should add 30 or more pounds and your weight could increase ...



I kind of disagree on the weight requirement, if I am under reserve canopy then I will not have the weight of the main canopy since I will have cut away from it. Or am I wrong on the weight issue?



What about a total malfunction on your main?




By total malfunction of the main, do you mean that the main is still with me, even though I cut-away? I am not trying to argue, I am just trying to understand. Remeber I am new so I might not be understanding things correctly.
So long and thanks for all the fish!!!

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By total malfunction of the main, do you mean that the main is still with me, even though I cut-away?

Yes. If for some reason your main doesn't get out of the container (e.g. hard pull on your pilot chute), even if you cut away you're going to have the weight of the main with you.

Extra leeway in weight allowances is a good thing. Just as a bridge shouldn't be engineered to the minimum strength required, neither should skydiving gear.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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By total malfunction of the main, do you mean that the main is still with me, even though I cut-away?

Yes. If for some reason your main doesn't get out of the container (e.g. hard pull on your pilot chute), even if you cut away you're going to have the weight of the main with you.

Extra leeway in weight allowances is a good thing. Just as a bridge shouldn't be engineered to the minimum strength required, neither should skydiving gear.

Wendy W.



Now I understand, thank you very much.
So long and thanks for all the fish!!!

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I was in your position and downsized PD 340, Nav 280 (control course), Nav 260, Nav 240 to a Spectre 210 and then a Sabre 2 210. Both 210s were mistakes, but the Spectre was more forgiving.

I should have downsized slower, gotten more out of each, and went down to no smaller than a 230 until at least 200 jumps at that level. For a while, I was flaring too quick because the canopy was too fast for me.

--------------------------------------------------
the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

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thanks for the penny bigun. and you're right, i should fill out my profile shoudn't i? oh..i forgot to mention in my last post i'm not considered "big" by any stretch of the imagination. but then again all things are relative are they not? and i am in TEXAS where everything is b...........ok ok ... i'll stop now. just get out and jump!

ciao

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