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antonija

Padded pants

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The problem I have is that after every jump my inner thighs are really really sore... It could be because I'm still using student gear (which never really fits well), but I know others that use same gear and don't have this problems. What I'm talking about is being so sore, that it's painful taking off or putting on my pants, let alone continue jumping the next day. I was also told that "the uncomfortable feeling" will go away as I do more jumps, but it hasn't. Openings are always a , and flying under canopy with leg straps that feel like they are an inch deep in my flesh is not fun at all.

As a solution for this I was thinking about pants that would be like those bicycle riders use (with padded crotch), except the padding would extend to also cover upper inner thighs (or only thighs as crotch doesn't really get any "action").

Is there anything commercially available that would solve mentioned problem, or should I find me someone who can manufacture this kind of things? Are there any safety concerns as far as piloting my canopy goes (with mentioned padded pants)?

P.S.: If this is the wrong section please move this thread to appropriate section.
I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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I had the same problem It caused me to almost quit before I got really started. My solution was two fold 1. the last thing I did in the plane was pull the straps up in the "groove" between inner thigh and the "twins". prevents them from slidding up thigh at opening shock. they tend to move down in the plane and the sliding action was 90% of the pain. Then after throwing P.C. i would kind of sit up alittle and look up towards sky and watch my canopy open these two thing made it no problem. When you buy your gear get padded legstraps also. Hope this helps!!
ATTACK LIFE ! IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAY!!!!

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This has been discussed quite a few times. There have been some good recommendations. Padded pants has been one as well as my favorite, seatbelt pads. They velcro, can go around the leg straps and are cheap.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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Go to the Mirage site and take a look at the leg pad covers. These are made for swoopers to protect their leg staps from abuse so I'm not sure how much padding is provided but this will at least give you an idea of what can be done.


http://www.miragesys.com/...;yr=2008&limit=0
Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

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Go to the Mirage site and take a look at the leg pad covers. These are made for swoopers to protect their leg staps from abuse so I'm not sure how much padding is provided but this will at least give you an idea of what can be done.


http://www.miragesys.com/...;yr=2008&limit=0



Or have your local rigger make you a pair with all the padding you want for $20.;)

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Given the fact that I'm still jumping hired student rig and also that I have no clue what "proper fit" feels like (I saw how it looks like but haven't met anyone similar size to test his rig), any hardware modifications are out of question until I get my own equipment.

However those seatbelt pads sound like a good idea. I guess most of my pain comes from wrong size rig, followed by my not-so-low weight and the quite big circumference of my things (lots of squats with weights in youth can leave you a whole lot of body mass for the future :\).

So I guess the best way to deal with this issue would be to:
-Make sure my leg straps are tight and "up in my crotch" before exiting airplane
-Get custom fit (or at least second hand with very good fit) rig
-Get extra padding on leg straps (and dump seatbelt and woll mittens idea)
-Loosing few pounds never hurt anyone I guess...

Thx for replies!! Now back to healing my wounds...

P.S.: Suggesting search option on the forum coupled with few good keywords is always a good advice :P

I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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i had the same problem when i was on aff. i got a bit of advice off another jumper that changed my jumping forever. under canopy i was flying with my body straight, kind of like i was on the ground and standing on tippy toes. this way the straps are right up in your crotch. Now after opening i reach down behind my legs and pull the straps down a few inches down the back of my thighs and sit back in the harness. Kind of like you are sitting in a chair by bending at the waist. this moves your weight off the straps in your crotch to behind your thigh and is alot more comfy. hope this makes sense to you. try it out. cheers

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-Make sure my leg straps are tight and "up in my crotch" before exiting airplane
I'm a low level jumper, but I'm pretty sure a lot of more experienced jumpers will advise against making gear changes in the airplane. Tighten those straps on the ground while you've got room to move around, adjust everything, and make sure they're even. Make the legstraps tight and comfortable while you're in an arched position on the ground.

Once you board the plane, you can make sure that the excess is still tucked in, but don't make adjustments. Your position is going to have changed, and they may seem a little loose, but it's probably worse to have them uneven.

Under canopy, sit back a little in the harness and cross your legs. You'll find it a much more comfortable way to fly. Uncross your legs and get ready for landing before your final turn.

I had some pretty nasty bruises on my inner thighs when I was a student. At one point, they were so bad they went from the top of my knee all the way up in a big ugly purple bruise. Having jumped the exact same rig many times since then, I'm pretty convinced that the cause wasn't the equipment or the packer, and I was doing something on opening to cause them. So pay attention to your openings... Make sure you're on heading (not spinning), and not in a dive or other high speed position.

But standard disclaimer applies: I have less than 100 jumps, and am not an expert. Talk to your instructors.

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If I jump from planes where I can sit on a bench I'm ussualy fine, but when I jump from smaller planes where skydivers are "packed" on the floor of the plane with knees in front of their faces, then those legstraps move around a lot. So even if I (or my instructor) sets my gear on the ground, it will still have to go through about 15min in position I would never be in the air (maybe when I'm doing back flips, but that's one second, not 15min).

I also tried crossing my legs under canopy... It hurts like hell. The "best" position was to remain still after opening (not shifting harness position), bite the bullet and get down as fast as possible.

I have a nasty feeling that until I switch to my own gear I'll just have to endure this... I still land every jump with a smile, so I hope I'll be able to do this for couple of months :p
I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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...bite the bullet and get down as fast as possible.



Please don't fly like an idiot in some quest to get down quicker.

Talk to your instructors, or the rigger that maintains the gear about looking at the leg strap padding it may be shot. They might have a suggestion for padding your legs in a safe way.

But you should be focusing on learning things under canopy, not doing needless spiraling that isn't going to teach you anything about canopy flight, and might be the first link in the accident chain.
"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

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Please don't fly like an idiot in some quest to get down quicker.



I fly skymaster 280. Student rig. Even if I wanted to fly that thing "like an idiot" it would be pretty pointless considering moves like a tree. A really big tree.

Point of the post was to let the breaks up and descent as fast as this parachute allows me to. "Flying like an idiot" seems to be reserved for people with really small chutes, as they just love to spiral from few hundred meters and then swoop over entire landing area.

I talked with my instructor before even posting here and he said that rig-wise he can't do much (as far as hardware mods go). I posted here because I figured that even my instructor can't be all-knowing super-god and I got some really good suggestions here. And some really annoying trolls. But you can rest sure that I will ask my instructor about each and every idea I get on how to improve my skydiving experience.
I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

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"Flying like an idiot" seems to be reserved for people with really small chutes, as they just love to spiral from few hundred meters and then swoop over entire landing area....



Yup you got it figured out already, poor canopy flight is reserved for us fun jumpers with tiny little pocket rockets.

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...and some really annoying trolls. But you can rest sure that I will ask my instructor about each and every idea I get on how to improve my skydiving experience.



If you think my post was a troll that is too bad, I hope you continue to enjoy your long comfy canopy rides! :ph34r:
"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

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That's what i was saying sitting in the plane will allow your leg straps to move down your legs. Dont retighten them but in the case of a non-benched plane(182, 206) just get on your knees real quick straighten up into as vertical a position as poss. and get them straps up!!! If you leave them down just alittle bit there is a good chance that at opening shock you will be in pain. The g forces will send your body into the legstraps at what 3 g's if they are now sliding up your inner thighs even only two inches that will really ruin your day.I'm 6'3" and I use this on the knees trick on every jump that I'm sitting on the floor and have a chance of my straps not being correctly positioned. For me this is the solution to painful openings and canopy rides.B|

ATTACK LIFE ! IT'S GOING TO KILL YOU ANYWAY!!!!

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I had the same problem - purple painful thighs. I got to where I hated opening shock. Getting all tensed up made it worse. I tried wearing compression shorts and that helped alittle. I too asked my instructor and he told me I would get use to it over time.

I'm not jumping right now, but when I start I know I'll have to deal with the problem before it gets bad.

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If you're not going to use pads, then you're screwed. I just cut out a rectangle piece of foam with a cut out for the body parts you don't want to smash and it helped a lot. I put it in my pants. It looked a little funny but who cares.

Also, ask an instructor or someone to put a jump on that gear. If they won't jump it, then you know it's really uncomfortable or opens too fast. Something needs to be modified. I'd jump any of our student gear without question. It won't be the best fit but it's not going to hurt me.

Packing can be a problem as well, if the skymaster is packed for a fast opening, it will hurt you. Again, ask if an instructor will put a jump on the gear.

I was a student once. The gear was ok, but the canopies opened REAL fast. Certain packers did not know how to slow a Raven down, others did. They open quick but they don' thave to slam you. I thought it was normal but overhearing the instructor say "His canopy slammed the shit out of him" I knew it wasn't normal.

Anyway, Foam padding in the pants works. Slower opening canopy helps. Asking other people to jump it so they have a clue what they put students through helps also. Have a padded sleeve to go around the leg strap.

Skydiving shouldn't injure you on opening, even as a student.

Good luck
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

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Welcome to "one size fits nobody" student gear.
Tee!
Hee!

If a harness fits perfectly - and you have muscular thighs - padding is unnecessarry. Just look at all those millions of young paratroopers who jump without any leg pads.
The first point is ensuring leg straps are high in your crotch before exiting.
Butt bungees help, but the only long-term solution is buying a harness tailored to fit your butt.

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