150 vs 170 First Rig

[popsjumper 2]

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Quick! Tell me what I should be jumping.

Ummmmmmm....greenies?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[popsjumper 2]

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I went with a 150, still jumping a 150 9 years later.
I changed my canopy choice in the middle of my rig order.


Flame on.

Not bad for a 90lb weakling.


Good thing you started loading up on steroids and proteins.....and beer.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[popsjumper 2]

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Only when you've really got a canopy dialled in - ie you can land it anywhere, in pretty much any condition using every input available, should you really start thinking 'yeah, I might start thinking about something a little smaller now' - and then you need to start the learning all over again.

Stay safe.

Down-to-earth, common sense info there.

Funny how people say, "I can stand up my landings every time! I'm ready to downsize!"
Amazing how they just don't get it.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[EOCS 0]

Sorry Sparky this was my mistake. i weigh 75 kilos which is actually 165 pounds so my exit weight would be 190ish

[Squeak 17]

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Keep talking to that instructor that is personally familiar with your canopy progression.
Don't pay much mind to the interwebs experts.

I took this exact progression when I was starting jumping.
I went with a 150, still jumping a 150 9 years later.
I changed my canopy choice in the middle of my rig order.


Flame on.

Same here, but i went 270, 230, (50jumps) 150 (semi elip) to a 135 Stiletto loaded at 1.55 (@ 400 jumps) still on it now

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[normiss 622]

Same here pretty much.
Few 97's, couple of 103's, lotsa 120's, shit ton of 330's and 400's too .
Still do some demo's on a 210 occasionally.

What I found was, so long as I behave and fly a canopy properly, I like a safe canopy.
Little bit of fun, lots of safe.

[btvr 0]

Funny how people say, "I can stand up my landings every time! I'm ready to downsize!"
Amazing how they just don't get it.



Damn straight! I have about 150 jumps on my Triathlon 210 loaded at 1.0 and pretty much standed up the last 100 jumps then 2 weeks ago on a no wind day I flared just a tad too late and bam! ouch!
After AFF my instructor told me I could get a 170 main. I decided on the 210 for my first (and still current) canopy. Glad I did! Then I took Scot Millers canopy course a couple years ago. These guys should take a canopy course..not just to learn new skills but to actually find out how little they actually know!
I'm now just looking into downsizing to a pilot 188 which will be loaded at 1.1 but hell, just might stay with a 210! Why are so many people in a rush to grow up?

[EOCS 0]

According to your info you have been in sport for 8 years have a little over 150 jumps and A license. I would also not be looking to downsize below a 1:1 (190) if i didnt jump as often as i do.

That being said i think a canopy course would be a great idea. Does someone have one to recommend in the UK or other part of Europe?

Also no matter who you are or how much training you have your going to botch landing every so often. Watched a 13000+ jump guy eat some grass at our last big boogie.

[Joellercoaster 6]

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According to your info you have been in sport for 8 years have a little over 150 jumps and A license. I would also not be looking to downsize below a 1:1 (190) if i didnt jump as often as i do.

Please don't take this the wrong way (I'm not flaming you, just offering a realistic perspective), but at 75 or 100 jumps, you don't know how often you jump yet. There just aren't enough accumulated statistics to tell you.

You feel like you have some experience, but in the canopy time stakes, you have maybe a couple of hours tops and perhaps a whole minute or two of doing landings. 15 jumps that went OK on a 190 is the same as "no jumps on a 190".

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That being said i think a canopy course would be a great idea. Does someone have one to recommend in the UK or other part of Europe?

That I can help with. In the UK, the Safe Flight School, Wing Tips and HEAT all regularly tour dropzones offering courses. The Safe Flight School also do courses at Empuriabrava, if the UK is not your thing. I can recommend them all!

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Also no matter who you are or how much training you have your going to botch landing every so often. Watched a 13000+ jump guy eat some grass at our last big boogie.

Right. But the guy with 13000 jumps can use his 13000 landings, good and bad, to turn "potentially horrible situation" into "eating some grass".

The thing we're trying to avoid here is not "failing to stand up a landing", it's "getting maimed or killed when something goes wrong".

We don't care (well, I don't) if you twist your ankle. We care a lot though, if some idiot cuts you off on final, you are startled, and your instinctive reaction causes your smaller canopy to break your leg because it reacts quicker than you can recover from.

Having been taken by surprise by a canopy that was only a little ahead of my curve, and narrowly gotten away unscathed, I can tell you it's not a pleasant feeling. This was when I had 700 jumps and had done 200 of them in the year leading up to that, by the way!

[edit: speling]

--
"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?

[EOCS 0]

So i think ive found a loophole for my problem.

Pulse 170 should fit in a container designed for 135-150
So i get the container i want and still flying a canopy thats not too small. my wingload will be 1.1

Comments? Corrections?

[degeneration 5]

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So i think ive found a loophole for my problem.

Pulse 170 should fit in a container designed for 135-150
So i get the container i want and still flying a canopy thats not too small. my wingload will be 1.1

Comments? Corrections?

One comment is that this suggestion was given to you in post #19!!

Other comment is think about your reserve too. That's the one that you really need to save your life should shit happen, so make sure it is a size that you are completely confident in your ability to land.

Another comment is, do you know and like how the Pulse flies? You do seem quite fixated on getting a low volume main into the smallest container possible. As you've stated that you will be looking for something a bit faster, do you know for sure that the Pulse is that canopy for you? What if you spend all this money to get the small packing kit, think it looks awesome cause it is all tiny and stuff, but then hate how it flies because you got the wrong canopy for what you were wanting? Size isn't everything, shape and handling count too!!!

After you've thought about it all, and got it all decided, I hope you enjoy the rig.

Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

[sundevil777 93]

There are other canopies that pack up smaller than the "normal". I can recommend the Pilot ZPX (as I have one), but the Jump Shack Firebolt is also an option, maybe others.

Perhaps you have reasons to focus on the Pulse. Demo canopies for really new jumpers can be a bit of a problem, as it can be hard to know in a few/several jumps if you are "evaluating" the canopy correctly, and really hard for you to make a comparison between 2 good options. I would suggest that if you do bother to try a demo, that you demo the one you think you're most likely to want (based on other reviews, or recommendations by those you trust...), and if that canopy seems too work great for you, then just going ahead with it is reasonable. You really can't go wrong with the canopies that you're going to be considering, and there is some value in not hassling with the time/money/hassle of all it takes to set up multiple demos.

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

[Willi91 0]

I understand your way of thinking. Of course you want something that is smaller and more comfortable than the gear you've been jumping earlier. But I'd say listen to the guys talking about not downsizing to fast.

My suggestion to you is that you go find yourself a canopy that you like. Try out a bunch and then make your decision. If you don't know which one to choose between two different sizes, go for the biggest one. When you know which canopy you want, go find yourself a container.

For your first rig, I'd say buy used gear, instead of buying brandnew and doing everything you can to make it suitable for as many smaller sizes as possible. Used gear can also be sold again without much of a moneyloss compared to selling new gear. If you give yourself some time do dial in your needs, I believe you will be happier with the outcome.

[sunkenstate 0]

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Here is a way to get away from this war of words and make a sane decision.  Use this skill checklist to help determine if your skills are ready for a smaller canopy;

[url]http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=47[/URL]

Highly suggest that you read all 22 pages of the following before you decide.  Many of these drills can be helpful to you. 

[url]http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf[/URL]

+1

I also support reviewing this document. I was surprised to find that even before having my A license, I am already approaching the low end of my recommended range.