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npgraphicdesign

Wings owners, lend me your ears and opinions.

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I am almost set on purchasing a Wings Vision container, and not sure what options I really need. So far, I have the following:

stainless deluxe
RSL
Hackey
Collabsible Pilot chute
Spacer Foam (is this purely comfort as well?)
Cut in Laterals (think these are really needed?)

Is there anything else that I really NEED? I will pick a standard color scheme, with no extra embroidery, tie dye, etc.

Thoughts/suggestions?

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Spacer Foam (is this purely comfort as well?)
Cut in Laterals (think these are really needed?)


Both of these are for comfort not function, but that is important. I would get them. I have spacer foam on my Vector Micron and have never regretted it.

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I like everything you've listed. The laterals depend on how you like the rig to feel when you wear it - waste of money for some people. Stainless steel is not necessary, but I like it because I live in Alabama where it's hot, humid, and sweaty, (which means salty).
You don't have to outrun the bear.

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I have a wings are here are my thoughts:

Stainless-waste of money, besides looking nice and shiny the regular ones are just as good. In fact, several people I know that have wings have had issues with the stainless on the legs straps (slipping) and have to send them back to fix, or replace with regular ones.

RSL- good for lower jump #'s, but if you plan on jumping camera down the road your just going to disconnect it anway. It's a cheap enough option to get and can be used as a selling point if you ever sell the rig.

Hackey- Get a PUD handle. If your getting into freeflying, the PUD handle is tight and never moves. You can still get this with a throw out PC, just with the PUD handle. Plus alot of other freefliers with hackys are jealous of the tight, clean looking PUD. And looking good is the first priority, right?

CPC-Get it. Even if your not jumping a pocket rocket you dont want a non collabsible PC dragging behind you on final, it looks too AFFish.

Spacer Foam- Yes, and back foam. I got both and my rig very comfortable, this is good for 10+ jump days and high pulls.

Cut In-Yes, if your getting into freeflying it makes the rig fit your body better and IMO more comfortable than a rig without.

Skip the embroidery, piping, special colors and all that other bullshit and buy more jump tickets.

Hope this helps..
ZC OG

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What is the difference between stainless (regular) and stainless deluxe?

I think you can do without the cut in laterals. Someone else made the comment that it is more applicable/worthwhile for really tiny rigs on larger people. I can't confirm that, but others will likely comment. I'd go with the freefly pilot chute handle instead of the hacky, and it is cheaper. Don't neglect a couple of stripes and pinstripes, as you will want to really like the look of your rig every time you see it, instead of it looking plain, and they can do a lot for that without going nuts with stuff like tie-dye.

How much will it come to total? A lot of stuff is optional with Wings, but they sure have a great sale on now.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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I have a wings are here are my thoughts:

Stainless-waste of money, besides looking nice and shiny the regular ones are just as good. In fact, several people I know that have wings have had issues with the stainless on the legs straps (slipping) and have to send them back to fix, or replace with regular ones.

RSL- good for lower jump #'s, but if you plan on jumping camera down the road your just going to disconnect it anway. It's a cheap enough option to get and can be used as a selling point if you ever sell the rig.

Hackey- Get a PUD handle. If your getting into freeflying, the PUD handle is tight and never moves. You can still get this with a throw out PC, just with the PUD handle. Plus alot of other freefliers with hackys are jealous of the tight, clean looking PUD. And looking good is the first priority, right?

CPC-Get it. Even if your not jumping a pocket rocket you dont want a non collabsible PC dragging behind you on final, it looks too AFFish.

Spacer Foam- Yes, and back foam. I got both and my rig very comfortable, this is good for 10+ jump days and high pulls.

Cut In-Yes, if your getting into freeflying it makes the rig fit your body better and IMO more comfortable than a rig without.

Skip the embroidery, piping, special colors and all that other bullshit and buy more jump tickets.

Hope this helps..



That definitely helps, thank you. Still not sure about the stainless steel hardware, but will do more research on that. I live on the east coast in CT, so other then summer, humidity wont be a big issue.

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Stainless-waste of money, besides looking nice and shiny the regular ones are just as good. In fact, several people I know that have wings have had issues with the stainless on the legs straps (slipping) and have to send them back to fix, or replace with regular ones.



I no longer want Cadmium (toxic) dust around me, it wears off on to the harness, and if your hardware does then rust, it will wear down the webbing. It is amazing that the cad plated steel is less expensive than stainless.

I have found the stainless leg strap hardware on my new Infinity to be fantastic in terms of not slipping compared to the cad plated steel on my old Infinity. They don't have the fancy spring pushing down on the webbing as I've seen is available on some rigs, it simply isn't needed, at least for the stainless hardware used at that shop in Oregon.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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I think you can do without the cut in laterals. Someone else made the comment that it is more applicable/worthwhile for really tiny rigs on larger people. I can't confirm that,



I've always thought the opposite was true. On a rig larger than your hips/back, the laterals and backpad make a 'corner' and there's nothing touching your body in that corner. The cut in laterals lets the harness stay close to your body, and the rig hang out where it needs to.

If your rig is smaller than your hips/back, the laterals have to wrap around your hips to get to the backpad, so there's no 'corner', and no place where the rig or harness is not in contact with your body.

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Don't spend any money on the knife. I think I spent more than $20 on it and got a crappy, plastic knife that became illegal in Sweden a little while later. I replaced it on arrival with a knife that doesn't break upon use...

I got the cordura pouch and freefly pod and I really like them. The freefly pod could have had a stiffener in it to make it faster to pack, but once in place it stays there until pull time.

I also got a yellow and black rig, which looked great until I aborted my hook-turn and landed in muddy water... :$

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Don't spend any money on the knife. I think I spent more than $20 on it and got a crappy, plastic knife that became illegal in Sweden a little while later. I replaced it on arrival with a knife that doesn't break upon use...



It looks like the hook knife option is $35 now. I would like to believe they don't sell the crappy orange zak knife. Other plastic options that are commonly available are quite durable. Did Sweden ban all plastic knives?
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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I would like to believe they don't sell the crappy orange zak knife. Other plastic options that are commonly available are quite durable. Did Sweden ban all plastic knives?



No, it is only the orange knife that is banned and that's what I got with my Wings.

Speaking of Wings, does anyone have a picture of their "Swoop Riser Option" ? I send them a mail about it but never got an answer.

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Hey

with regards to the knife, you get a knife with the rig for free anyhow. When you buy the knife option you are getting a pocket and press stud located under the mudflap as well as an extra knife.. Its up to you to decide if that is worth the money or not.

As a Wings dealer I think the option of being able to place a knife there is good as it makes it easier to reach, as for the knives, there are better ones out there for sure but any knife is better than no knife.

ifyou PM me your email I will send you some pictures of their swoop riser option from my rig :)
I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

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Its great to have a knife in the mudflap and I had previously had a rigger add it to my javelin for $5... So no, I don't think the mudflap knife pocket is worth $35 when one can buy a quality knife and have a local rigger put it there for the same amount (or less).

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I am almost set on purchasing a Wings Vision container, and not sure what options I really need. So far, I have the following:

stainless deluxe
RSL
Hackey
Collabsible Pilot chute
Spacer Foam (is this purely comfort as well?)
Cut in Laterals (think these are really needed?)

Is there anything else that I really NEED? I will pick a standard color scheme, with no extra embroidery, tie dye, etc.

Thoughts/suggestions?



I am probably in the minority with this opinion, but I do not like the spacer foam. I have jumped rigs with and without, and for me it added minimal comfort. The spacer foam material adds a fair amount of bulk to your rig (maybe 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick). It is also covered in a mesh like material that would seem to me to be easier to get dirty and harder to clean. For me the tiny bit more comfort of the foam just did not make it worth it.

For what its worth, I have ordered two custom rigs with all the bells and whistles, but left off spacer foam each time.

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Not everyone has the benefit of a good local rigger available to them.

As a Rigger I have people that bring things to me to do for them. I have had people ask me to retro fit press-studs etc onto mud-flaps for knives. The work is always hard with the hard-housings in place and the harness in place. Most work get done prior to this when constructing a rig.

It will always look best if done during manufacture hence the value to the work. Agreed that some riggers will fit stuff after for a saving of a few dollars but I still reckon it looks best if done at the factory whilst building it. You may not always see the difference, other riggers will be able to spot it ;)
I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

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The only thing that I insist on Wings containers (and I insist because this has been missed by my rigger on 2 containers - mine and a friend of mine) is to make sure that the cutaway cable goes through the riser hard hosing. On wings, the riser hard hosing are cover with a piece of fabric that doesn't have a hole in it. More than this, the cutaway cable can be perfectly routed outside the hosing and it looks alright. Your rigger needs to make the hole in the piece of fabric that covers the hosing.

In both cases this was new ordered wings.
I don't have cut in laterals and I can free fly fine (back and sit).
Chuting star recommended me a low po pilot suit.
Don't get spandex BOC.
Get the free fly handle.
Get the small profile reserve handle.
I have a reserve to sell ;)
Also if you want to order from chutingstar then know that I was more than happy with their service and advices!

Lock, Dock and Two Smoking Barrelrolls!

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Don't get spandex BOC.



I know two different people who have had totals due to being unable to get the PC out of the Wings cordura BOC.

Yes, with proper PC packing you can make sure it doesn't happen, but most of us are not always in a position to specify and check on how our PC gets packed every single time we jump.

Yes, Spandex wears out eventually, but not for a long time (especially if you store the rig with the PC unstowed). And it's cheap to replace when it does...
--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

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Don't get spandex BOC.



I know two different people who have had totals due to being unable to get the PC out of the Wings cordura BOC.



I've seen that happen with spandex BOCs too on other brands. A bad packjob is a bad packjob.

The first time I replaced the spandex on my Javelin was not because it was worn out, but because it had been torn open from getting stuck on something in the plane.

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most of us are not always in a position to specify and check on how our PC gets packed every single time we jump...

:o:o:o that's a shocker. Seriously.
How can you be "forrced to jump" without checking your gear ? >:(
scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

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I love my Wings W-9! Super comfy and perfect fitting.

Absolutely love the Freefly PUD handle. Knowing you have that extra security from a premie is great when freeflying.

For me I am skinny as hell at the hips and without the cut in laterals it is not nearly as comfortable as rigs I've jumped without cut in lats. Feels like I get less rig shift.

+1 for the collapsible pilot chute, not just because of looking like AFF-style but because of the extra drag.

I like my low profile d-ring. It's in the perfect place for me and in better position for those taking grips, feels more secure.

Cant comment on the spacer foam as I dont have any.

What d123 says about the riser hard housings is VERY TRUE. I had discovered a rigger mis-routed those when I inspected my rig after its repack this year. If this happens gently make holes as described in the Owners Manual. It is easy to miss, but also easy to check if its done right. Check your rig after every re-pack.

I have a cordura BOC and have had no problems with it. If I have it packed I show the packers how I like certain things done on my rig and I tip them so I make sure they stick to it. If I am unsure there's no harm in taking an extra 2 minutes to double check your pilot chute. With freefly pud and cordura BOC I use the Brian Germain method of pilot chute packing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axCeYlY_6io. I know of one person personally getting a total with a spandex BOC. So I just make sure its packed the way I want it. If I miss a load because I took 2 min to check something, no sweat off my back.

Enjoy your Wings container, I get comments all the time about how nice it looks, etc, however you cant beat the feeling you get knowing you are secure in your rig.

I'd make my next rig a wings however I do want to try on a Mirage and Icon for comparison, I've been looking at those for a while too
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I love my Wings W-9! Super comfy and perfect fitting.

Absolutely love the Freefly PUD handle. Knowing you have that extra security from a premie is great when freeflying.

For me I am skinny as hell at the hips and without the cut in laterals it is not nearly as comfortable as rigs I've jumped without cut in lats. Feels like I get less rig shift.

+1 for the collapsible pilot chute, not just because of looking like AFF-style but because of the extra drag.

I like my low profile d-ring. It's in the perfect place for me and in better position for those taking grips, feels more secure.

Cant comment on the spacer foam as I dont have any.

What d123 says about the riser hard housings is VERY TRUE. I had discovered a rigger mis-routed those when I inspected my rig after its repack this year. If this happens gently make holes as described in the Owners Manual. It is easy to miss, but also easy to check if its done right. Check your rig after every re-pack.

I have a cordura BOC and have had no problems with it. If I have it packed I show the packers how I like certain things done on my rig and I tip them so I make sure they stick to it. If I am unsure there's no harm in taking an extra 2 minutes to double check your pilot chute. With freefly pud and cordura BOC I use the Brian Germain method of pilot chute packing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axCeYlY_6io. I know of one person personally getting a total with a spandex BOC. So I just make sure its packed the way I want it. If I miss a load because I took 2 min to check something, no sweat off my back.

Enjoy your Wings container, I get comments all the time about how nice it looks, etc, however you cant beat the feeling you get knowing you are secure in your rig.

I'd make my next rig a wings however I do want to try on a Mirage and Icon for comparison, I've been looking at those for a while too



That's a sexy looking container. ;) Thanks for the detailed feedback as well.

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