Proper gear fit

[fugitivehunter 0]

I have a question and it may seem trivial to sum. I jump with a very knowledgeable group of instructors. I completed my first AFF jump a couple weeks ago. Before going up in the plane and on the way to altitude I just felt as if the shoulder straps weren't tight enough or were sagging a bit. I brought it to the instructors attention, he checked the gear and said I was good to go.

Upon opening, of course on a 288 square feet student canopy (because I weigh in near 250), it snatched the piss out of me. Needless to say i had bruises on my inner thighs and arm pits, but that was expected. What bothers me is that the chest strap was pulled upward striking me in the throat, leaving me with carpet burns (for lack of a better term) on my neck and leaving me with a sore throat for over a week. Then of course, it was in my face while trying to pilot the canopy until I was able readjusted myself and pulled the strap back down to my chest.

Was this due to the gear not fitting properly, were the straps just not tight enough or what? I know you can't give me the exact reason, just looking for some possible solutions.

[Broke 0]

In limited experiance that situation was caused at least on myself by not tightening the legstraps down enough.

Divot your source for all things Hillbilly.
Anvil Brother 84
SCR 14192

[skyflybabe 0]

Most student rigs have adjustable harnesses, this means they can be shortened or lengthened to fit the majority of jumpers depending on body length.
There are 2 possible most likely reasons that I can think of as to why the chest strap came up this high during the opening of the parachute...
1. Leg straps too loose
2. Side adjusters not shortened enough.
Your instructors will be able to have a look at the kit on you before you get on board the aircraft next time and make sure they are adjusted accordingly to avoid the same experience.
If this happens again, your instructors should look for a different size harness for you as this shouldn't happen :-)
Bruises on thighs and arms are usual when you first learn! After you qualify, you can buy a rig that is made to fit you and then you won't get this anymore! (see advice from your instructors prior to doing this though)

[peek 20]

Quote

Was this due to the gear not fitting properly, were the straps just not tight enough or what?

This is almost certainly the reason. YOU must tighten your leg straps until they are tight. If someone is doing this for you they can't really tell how tight they are compared to how "well placed" they are. And if you are slow they will get frustrated and do it for you, probably not getting them tight enough.

[fugitivehunter 0]

Thanks for the info, they didn't really give me an option...they put the rig on me anyway since it was my first time out! I will be certain to get them tight enough next time, I couldn't even enjoy the ride down as much as I hoped because I was in such pain from the straps tearing me apart.

[ASTKU 1]

This scenario happened to me on an old Vector rig that I had done AFF on. Apparently somebody had adjusted the harnass for a bigger guy and I was not told. It did not hit my throut during deployment but did impair my ability to look down which made the landing not that pleasant. luckily this wasn't my first jump so everything went well. I doubt this was because of loose leg straps especially with this being a student rig.... BTW when I first started skydiving I had some nice bruises on my thighs and arms as well. Your body will adapt to that.....

[ifell 0]

First couple jumps I did were quite painful during the opening and I tightened and loosened and tried everything but it always hurt like he'll with bruises and stuff. During my aff I did 8 jumps in two days and I was almost ready to give up it hurt so much. One day on the way to Alt. I talked it out with an instructor and after looking at how I set up the harness he said to try holding my hand/arm further from my face to keep stability when I went for the extractor and as it turns out, that was it! I had a tendency to kind of dive when reaching for my extractor causing a greater impact when the canopy caught the wind. Since I have not seen you jump I can t be sure this is what you are doing but maybe keep it in mind next time you deploy your chute

[nate25 0]

ASK the packer to pack it so that it opens slower.
He does it for me all the time.

[fugitivehunter 0]

Thanks for all the advice. I took some of my photos of the chest strap in my throat and talked it out with the instructor. He had me really cranked down on the leg straps and get them tight, and we adjusted the side straps and shortened them a bit.

Did my AFF 2 yesterday, jumped at 15,000, great free fall, nailed all my turns and my forward glide, waved off at 5,500 and pulled, really concentrated on my arch after the pull, nice 2-3 second snivel an bam! Opened kinda hard , hurt like hell on my legs but the chest strap stayed in place and had a nice flight in an landing with 10 meters of the target (with radio assistance of course). Turns out it was my leg straps. BTW, I am a little sore on my inner thighs, but no major bruising like last time!

I was also amazed at how much things slowed down for me, my field of vision was much wider and I wasn't in so much of a sensory overload that I didn't enjoy it. It was almost like slow motion....it was awesome!!! Can't wait to go back!