0
slappy1

which jumpsuit should I get?

Recommended Posts

background: I am a n00b jumper with about 120 jumps (over 3 years, I know, I'm a slacker). up to this point I have been doing solely RW (with a few botched freefly attempts thrown in there), but would eventually like to learn how to freefly.

situation: my dad wants to get me a jumpsuit for christmas (the first one I won't be borrowing/appropriating). price is not so much an issue, but I'd like to go no higher than $600/700.

I have had very conflicting advice given to me from several VERY experienced, "decorated" skydivers. one says that I should go ahead and put the money into a freefly suit, and that I can use that to do RW too. the other says that getting one suit and expecting to use it for both freeflying and belly is like trying to play basketball with a football and vice versa.

I don't want to piss off the people I jump with (most of whom are old-school RW'ers) and not have a practical suit. it was suggested to me to get a nice RW suit and then buy some sweatpants from walmart to learn how to freefly in. that sounds like an economical solution, plus I love sweatpants.

questions: what are the major differences between an RW suit and a freefly one? are booties and grippers really it? and if that's the case, why has nobody invented removable parts for both?

if I go with an RW suit, are the liquidsky carrera's a good choice? I just LOVE the customization available on the original [freefly] suits, and having a cute suit is a huge priority for me ;) but I know they haven't been around for long and I haven't really found any reviews for them, so I'm not sure if it would make more sense to go with someone "tried and true".

also, who wants to design my new suit? $10 paypal and a hug for best design.

p.s. thanks in advance for any advice and/or sarcastic comments. this is my first (real) post on here and I'm tingling with excitement.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If your going to focus on RW get and RW suit.
If you going to Focus on VRW get a VRW suit.

Sure your instructor was partially right that you can do most casual RW in a VRW Suit.

I have not seen detachable Grippers, but I have seen "Combo Suits" that swap out pants and tops for different needs. Bev Suits does a version and I am sure there are others.

There is oodles of Info on this in here just search away.

Matt
An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

...are the liquidsky carrera's a good choice? I just LOVE the customization available on the original [freefly] suits, and having a cute suit is a huge priority for me ;)



You're jumping a Pilot 188, in an out-of-manufacture Reflex.

Trust me, no amount of "liquidsky cool" customization is gonna be sufficient to help you successfully overcome that. ;)

Sorry. I just could not resist. :)

Edit to add (hopefully before I get too badly flamed):
P.S. - You did, after all, actually ASK FOR:
Quote

any advice and/or sarcastic comments.

I've just happened to herein now, provide you with only the latter.

Again: :):):)
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

lol. FOR THE RECORD, the pilot I'm jumping is bee-yoooo-tiful, and flies like a true champion (the human pilot, on the other hand, leaves a bit to be desired).

the reflex was a bargain I could not refuse. and I think the pop-top is kinda cute ;)

p.s. and another tidbit for your files: in the summer I jump wearing lands-end brand tevas, which I later found out were not, in fact, the cool thing to wear anymore. FLAME AWAY. :P

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

for 600/700$ you could have both a FF and an RW suit :)



That's what I'd suggest! A $700 jumpsuit right now is a joke. A base model bev RW suit is in the $200 range. I got a custom freak n suit freefly suit for $160 or something a few years ago. I'd add booties to the RW suit and a nice big clown nose to go with the freefly suit and you're still under $700.

Dave

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Get an RW suit.

Don't even pay close to 700 bucks.... that's insane.

Get a good RW suit that fits you. It is easier to find a FF suit off the shelf (or jump in sweatpants and a shirt).

Plus since you are not jumping much... It might be better to focus on RW instead of FF since FF is more difficult.

And "I don't want to piss off the people I jump with (most of whom are old-school RW'ers) and not have a practical suit"

This all leads me to think that you should stick with RW and get an RW suit.

Quote

the other says that getting one suit and expecting to use it for both freeflying and belly is like trying to play basketball with a football and vice versa.



One suit fits all = one suit fits nothing. Yes, it can be used, but it is far from optimal.

Quote

questions: what are the major differences between an RW suit and a freefly one?



RW has booties, grippers and fits snug. FF is normally a looser fit, no booties, no grippers.

Quote

why has nobody invented removable parts for both?



You can use a wrench as a hammer, but a hammer works better.

Quote

if I go with an RW suit, are the liquidsky carrera's a good choice?



Too expensive IMO. My teammate had one and loved it, another had one and didn't. But for 700 bucks you could have 2-3 of the other makers.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you like RW jumping go for a RW jumpsuit with booties. Freefly jumpsuits do not have booties. Being a girl makes you a light person in the air. Then with any RW jumpsuit, your margin of vertical speeds will be relatively wide (ie. from 110 to 120 MPH), to go faster and match heavy guys you will have to put some weight belt. What I would suggest for now is that you try other girls jumpsuit to see which kind of jumpsuit fits your freefall rate the best.
ie. Tight slippery nylon jumpsuit (fast) or slightly slack polycotton (slower) jump suit. All depends on your weight and height. But I understand you want a X-Mas gift. Ask your father for a coupon of 500$ value.
Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Hi Slappy.

First, let me say don't get too tingley about joing this site. It can be brutal.

I know you're excited about getting a new suit and how it will make you look cool but if you want the truth here it is.

I suggest you get your older friends to donate an old jumpsuit to you that you can get altered and trimmed down to fit you. If those suits are made of cotton then you may be better served in getting a cheap, tight, nylon jogging suit to help you fall faster.

At 40-50 jumps a year you'll just scrape/rip up a new expensive suit on one or more of your landings and end up being sad about it.

Have your dad put money on your DZ account so you can make more jumps. This will make you a better and, more importantly, safer and more current skydiver.

More jumps make you a better skydiver, not a suit.

If you're not satisfied with that answer then PM me and I will try to help you get a good deal on 2 suits with one of the best Freefly and RW suit makers in the sport.
Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Get a LiquidSky jump suit and let Julio design it. You will have no regrets.
I think spending $200 on a jumpsuit is a waste. It sound like you won't wear something cheap and not cute so why bother?
Go ahead and spend the extra bucks and get something you are going to wear.
As far as RW or FF you will have to determine that yourself however freeflying in an RW suit with booties won't work. Flying RW in a FF suit is just fine. If you really get into both you will want a specific suit anyway so at this point I would personally recommend a FF suit.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Get a LiquidSky jump suit and let Julio design it. You will have no regrets.
I think spending $200 on a jumpsuit is a waste. It sound like you won't wear something cheap and not cute so why bother?
Go ahead and spend the extra bucks and get something you are going to wear.
As far as RW or FF you will have to determine that yourself however freeflying in an RW suit with booties won't work. Flying RW in a FF suit is just fine. If you really get into both you will want a specific suit anyway so at this point I would personally recommend a FF suit.



Not saying I'm right and you're wrong... just different opinions. But...

I believe the exact opposite of everything you wrote! :)
Dave

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I think spending $200 on a jumpsuit is a waste.



I think spending 700 dollars on a jumpsuit when the 200 dollar jumpsuit works EXACTLY as well is a 500 dollar waste.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Get a LiquidSky jump suit and let Julio design it. You will have no regrets.
I think spending $200 on a jumpsuit is a waste. It sound like you won't wear something cheap and not cute so why bother?
Go ahead and spend the extra bucks and get something you are going to wear.
As far as RW or FF you will have to determine that yourself however freeflying in an RW suit with booties won't work. Flying RW in a FF suit is just fine. If you really get into both you will want a specific suit anyway so at this point I would personally recommend a FF suit.



Not saying I'm right and you're wrong... just different opinions. But...

I believe the exact opposite of everything you wrote! :)
Dave


+1

Flying RW in a FF suit is "just fine" if you don't ever want to get truly good at RW and don't mind not being taken seriously by others that you are jumping with. Since you specifically said that you want to avoid this, you should get an RW suit. Use the right tools for the job.

If you've got a $700 budget, you could get a nice looking (cute) tricked out RW suit and a basic pair of FF pants (that match:P). Throw a long sleeve T-shirt on top and that will easily be good enough for your first 100 FF jumps and won't hold back your progress. Doing RW with a big gooffy FF suit will hinder your learning. Save the $700 liquid sky suit for when you are doing 200+ FF jumps per year or you will just not be getting your money's worth.

>>are booties and grippers really it?
No, the entire cut of the suit and how it fits you will be significantly different.

>>also, who wants to design my new suit? $10 paypal and a hug for best design.
Your profile says you are an art consultant and you want somebody else to design your suit? Anyway, my general advice would be to keep it to 3 colors or less. Just because you can get every panel in a different color doesn't mean that you should. IMO, for an RW suit, you can't go wrong with a single solid base color, a bright color for grippers and an accent color for the binding tape.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

I think spending $200 on a jumpsuit is a waste.



I think spending 700 dollars on a jumpsuit when the 200 dollar jumpsuit works EXACTLY as well is a 500 dollar waste.


Have you bought a jumpsuit in the last couple years? A new, custom fit RW suit will cost about $500 now, maybe more. The base price on a Tony Suit pit special is now $320, and that has no options, not even booties. Fairly easy to get over $500. $200 will get you a cheap used one or one of the non-custom ones in paragear the DZs give to students. Prices go up:|

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Have you bought a jumpsuit in the last couple years? A new, custom fit RW suit will cost about $500 now, maybe more. The base price on a Tony Suit pit special is now $320, and that has no options, not even booties. Fairly easy to get over $500.



Yes, I have bought and sold jumpsuits in the last year.

Tonys are quite expensive as well. Call Michigan and Bev they have suits for less than 500 dollars.... Others do as well.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You WOULD be able to get both an RW and FF suit for $700 if you go through Freak'n Suit.. That includes the colors and design you want and custom fit. I also saw someone say ' big FF suit', FF suits should be nice and close fitting, not big and baggy. Nothing hotter than a chic in a nice FF suit. ;)B|

*I am not afraid of dying... I am afraid of missing life.*
----Disclaimer: I don't know shit about skydiving.----

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Nothing hotter than a chic in a nice FF suit.;)B|



Ahh man.

Nothing hotter than a blazing fast 4-way chick. And the suits definitely contribute!

But. Y'know. That's just, like, my opinion, man.

;)
--
"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?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

Nothing hotter than a chic in a nice FF suit. ;)B|



I disagree, there is nothing hotter than a chick with a nice pair of boobties:D:P


In a breast less jumpsuit.
Serious relationships turn into work after a few weeks and I already got a fucking job :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H.A.F. = Hard As Fuck ... Goddamn Amateurs

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Being a girl makes you a light person in the air. Then with any RW jumpsuit, your margin of vertical speeds will be relatively wide (ie. from 110 to 120 MPH), to go faster and match heavy guys you will have to put some weight belt.



under most circumstances, you'd probably be right. however, I am 5'8, ~160 lbs, and very "top heavy". that, coupled with me being an ex-gymnast with a super flexible back (hence crazy natural arch that I have to work VERY hard to come back from), I have a really high fall rate (I think avg is 129, iirc). the big guys laugh before they jump with me and think I'm exaggerating. and then we jump together. :P


Quote

Your profile says you are an art consultant and you want somebody else to design your suit?



haha I SELL art, I don't make it. and I mostly sell boring art to the gov't, not super cool jumpsuit-inspiring stuff.



allllright I guess it's been decided. I'm going to try to get a "cute" RW suit and matching FF pants (from same manufacturer) for ~$700 total. I've spent all night looking at the different websites (and attempting to research options/quality/experiences/photos, to little avail) and I CANNOT MAKE A DECISION. HALP GUYZ.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0