Anvilbrother 0 #1 February 1, 2011 Ok here is the lowdown im looking for a new sport rig, and want everyones opinion. Ive talked to all the Reps, and read all the reviews/searches, but im not completely satisfied with what ive learned so far. Obviously demoing them all would be great if I could. All canopies will be in the 290-300sqft range, they are all hybrid canopies 0P topskin, with f111 bottoms loaded at 1.11:1 out the door. I have 200 jumps, and have jumped paraflite 370's, Flik 354, Manta 288, and a spectre 230(loaded too high for me 1.3:1) I have the option of getting one of the three listed canopies above. I would like soft openings, decent glide, good flare, and all will pack easily due to hybrid build design. They all will perform like student canopies when loaded like they should, which is what is bothering me. I want a large canopy that will be loaded appropriately for my jump numbers, but is not so sluggish and poor performing that I hate jumping it. What I have learned so far is that the SOLO has almost no reviews, and looks to be their student canopy. The Navigator, obviously is a student canopy and is a square design, and the lowest on my list at this point. I am still waiting back to hear from PD but they make the Silhouette in 280 and 300 for military jumpers, and seems to be the best performing one out of the three, what do you think? Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dragon2 0 #2 February 1, 2011 I'd forget about the solo. Haven't jumped a navigator but got the impression it's sort of the student version of the silhouette, don't know if that's correct. Anyway I'd go for the silhouette. Too bad the pulse and sabre2 only go to 260. ciel bleu, Saskia Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #3 February 1, 2011 QuoteAll canopies will be in the 290-300sqft range, they are all hybrid canopies 0P topskin, with f111 bottoms loaded at 1.11:1 out the door. The solo is all ZP accoring to the website: "Made completely from ZP fabric to maintain consistent performance." And only goes to 270sqft. So that would rule it out based on your desire for a hybrid that is "290-300sqft range".... Now personally, I would not care about the hybrid part. The Silhouette is slightly tappered and not designed as a student canopy. But only built normally to 260sqft. The Nav is a hybrid... But is a true student canopy. For fun I grabbed it one day and put a jump on it. It was pretty nice. But given your comment of: "but is not so sluggish and poor performing that I hate jumping it". Makes me think: 1. The Silhouette if you can get it in the size you want. 2. The Navigator due to your desire to have a hybrid. 3. The solo. But you should really test jump them if you can. It will be difficult with the Silhouette, but the Nav and solo should be easy to get."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerpaul 1 #4 February 1, 2011 If you are considering the Silhouette, don't forget to check out the Pulse. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anvilbrother 0 #5 February 1, 2011 The solo is availiable in 290, but not updated on the website, and the Silhouette is availiable in 280 and 300 as the Military Silhouette. Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #6 February 1, 2011 Cool... But only one of the three is not a "student" canopy... the Silhouette. So if you can get one in the size you want, that is what I would recommend."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anvilbrother 0 #7 February 1, 2011 Thanks for the reply, im waiting to hear from PD on it now about price and availability of them. Now on to finding a container that will hold a PD281 reserve and 300 main. Wings said their largest w-32 is too small, Sunpath said their odyssey will work but damn its expensiveEdited to add UPT Vector v378 to the list of rigs that will fit that combo Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 7 #8 February 1, 2011 QuoteWings said their largest w-32 is too small, Sunpath said their odyssey will work but damn its expensive Talk to UPT (Vector/RWS). They have built big student rigs before."No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anvilbrother 0 #9 February 1, 2011 Talked to PD they said CPS makes the 280-300 MS parachutes, and when I talked to CPS they were bold in saying that they could not sell to the public, only military really...its a PD product made bigger and sold to the government for 4 times the price probbaly Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 93 #10 February 1, 2011 Have you considered Jump Shack's main and reserve canopies? They have 280 and 300 reserves, and 272 and 298 hybrid fabric mains. It is too bad that the Optimums only go to a 253, that would really cut down on the container size. Remember that a Solo can be made with the ZPX fabric for lower pack vol, and it comes with dacron lines std, that will increase the pack vol a bit unless you order it with spectra. You might be able to get an Infinity to fit your size canopies (they are of course the best container available 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Electronaut 0 #11 February 1, 2011 Dang it, I came in to suggest them. Yea, the Firebolt from Jump Shack is not a bad canopy, hybrid elliptical 9 cell, it's good fun to fly and opens great. I'd give them a ring. And they are willing to work with customers on custom sizing and such. Edit: brain fart Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deyan 31 #12 February 1, 2011 Quote The Navigator, obviously is a student canopy and is a square design, and the lowest on my list at this point. Navigator is a student canopy, but it's not square. It's more semi elliptical. Blue skies"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anvilbrother 0 #13 February 1, 2011 Ok thanks I'm also adding the safire 2 by Icarus to the list also. It's more hi performance but looks like it can be made in custom sizes Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLIDEANGLE 1 #14 February 2, 2011 Have you considered some of the big canopies offered by Flight Concepts? http://flightconceptsint.com/ They sell a variety of large main canopies. Some are 7 cell, some 9 cell, some ZP, some presumably 0-3 cfm fabric (aka: "F111"). Model / Area / Max. Susp Wt. Manta 290 / 290 / 319 Man-O-War 320 / 320 / 352 Startrac I / 265 / 291 Startrac II / 290 / 319 Startrac III / 320 / 352 ZP Manta 320 / 320 / 320 ZP Manta 290 / 290 / 290The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mx19 0 #15 February 3, 2011 I'd recommend the Safire, might be higher performance than the others but at your loading and jump numbers it won't matter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #16 February 3, 2011 Nearly 1K jumps on Silhouettes. Sporty if you want em' to be (up to a point), SUPER easy to pack, docile if you wish, getcha back from a long spot, great flare. Wingloading is important; smaller canopy/higher WL doesn't fly as well, IMO. Seems anything greater than 1.3 isn't as sweet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anvilbrother 0 #17 February 3, 2011 They wont make a silhouette bigger than 260 and CPS makes the beefier version for the military in 280 and they wont sell to civilians. SOOOOoooo I decided to go with a Navigator 280, its a hybrid design like the silhouette, and PD said its basically the same thing but bigger and tamer. Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #18 February 3, 2011 The Nav 280 is an excellent canopy; I just bought a used one for demos. It's not quite as sporty as the Silhouette, but it's super easy to pack, and they fly themselves, more or less. Congrats on your new main! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
verticalflier 0 #19 February 3, 2011 Solo in a nutshell is a tamer version of our Pilot. It is a student trimmed canopy. It comes in two versions Hybrid, ZP top skin F111 ribs and bottom or Full ZPX for 100% ZP performance with low pack volume advantage. We build it all the way to 270 sf that would be something between 280-290 in PD sizes since you are looking for more SFootage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlindBrick 0 #20 February 3, 2011 Mirage makes a large enough contaner for you. I've got a Safire II 269 and an R-Max 288 in mine with enough space in the main tray for a zp canopy in the 300 sf range. In fact, I've packed a PF 370 into the main tray (with the reserve still in) a couple of times before before for BASE jumping. It looked like a CRW dog pack job, but it opened ok. Jsut note that I was stupid, and that nowadays I'd never encourage people to use non-specific gear for BASE. . -Blind"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
