DiverMike 5 #1 November 16, 2011 I did a search, but nothing recent came up. I have a couple RW suits that are old and don't have booties. The one Tony Suit I have with booties has slick material and I fall too fast (and besides that - it is purple so I look like Barney the Dinosaur). Can anybody recommend someone who could put some booties on my slower falling suits. One is a Symbiosis and the other is an old double zipper 'flying elvis' type jumpsuit. Or am I wasting money and putting lipstick on a pig? Thanks in advance. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #2 November 16, 2011 Get a set of these. Easy install. Dunno why you'd do it, but to each his own."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #3 November 16, 2011 QuoteI did a search, but nothing recent came up. I have a couple RW suits that are old and don't have booties. The one Tony Suit I have with booties has slick material and I fall too fast (and besides that - it is purple so I look like Barney the Dinosaur). Can anybody recommend someone who could put some booties on my slower falling suits. One is a Symbiosis and the other is an old double zipper 'flying elvis' type jumpsuit. Or am I wasting money and putting lipstick on a pig? Thanks in advance. Sounds like lipstick on a pig. My wife has done the mod (not cheap - it's like the cost of 1/3 of a whole suit anyway, requires a big teardown and rebuild to do it for real - or else you get something that's 'not right') for a few, but don't you think it's time for a new suit? ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aliencico 0 #4 November 16, 2011 Dear Sir, With all my due respect, I must inform to your Person that making a pair of booties for each jumpsuit is a time consuming effort which it does not deserve, except if You are plenty of time, or these pieces of garment have special value for You. As a Repair Person, it takes nearly 4 hours for disassemble the legs, plus measurement of legs, with your current skydiving shoe/boot/sport shoe. After that, make a new bootie, with the adecuate air chambers, air intakes, internal reinforcements, and crossports (Yes, Crossports between each conforming cell of the bootie), place the zipper, and safety, another 4 hours. A total of 8 hours of work, at 50 EUR/h, totaling a 400 EUR will help You to make a wise choice... And Order a New Custom-order jumpsuit. Please, remember that not all things are so easy as look like at first glance. Hoping to have aided Juan Fraile-Nuez Military Parachute Rigger (ret.) Spain, Europe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ron 10 #5 November 16, 2011 QuoteOr am I wasting money and putting lipstick on a pig? Just get a new suit.... Over the years you will collect quite a few suits. I tend to give my older suits away to low timers that are low on cash. But I keep enough that I have a suit for every need and some spares. You will find that adding booties later is often quite expensive and a big PITA."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
sundevil777 99 #6 November 16, 2011 No need for air intakes, chambers, crossports, or zipper. If you take all of that away, perhaps the cost is not so bad.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
PiLFy 0 #7 November 16, 2011 I'm debating having booties put on a used suit I bought this year. Bev said she'd do it for about $100. Dunno if she'd be willing to do other make's suits, though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
captain_stan 0 #8 November 17, 2011 As a compromise between cost and performance, you could have some "air pockets" added on the front of the legs between the knee and cuff. Folks who use these tell me they work well, and they'd involve much less labor and materials. (I like real booties.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #9 November 17, 2011 QuoteNo need for air intakes, chambers, crossports, or zipper. If you take all of that away, perhaps the cost is not so bad. yes, those 'features' (I read as 'gimmicks') are totally unneeded for good booties. However, the time to disassemble, then match up a good pattern and rebuild is significant. My wife charges $120 for the conversion mostly because of all the work involved, however the materials in the bootie do tend to be the most expensive (leather and cordura). Worth more than an old crappy used suit. 4 or 5 hours of work is not out of line for this (I can tear down both legs to the correct rebuild point in less than 90 minutes, and I don't do that on a regular basis and don't even know the little tricks to breaking down serge lines, etc)) ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #10 November 17, 2011 QuoteI'm debating having booties put on a used suit I bought this year. Bev said she'd do it for about $100. Dunno if she'd be willing to do other make's suits, though. that's a very fair price for a bootie conversion and Bev does top notch work. Still with a new suit (with booties) being $300 to $400 (or higher), seems a new suit makes a lot more sense for most people. we find that doing any work on 'other suitmakers' suits is a much bigger effort - with certain manufacturers having really wierd stuff going on in assembly that makes it even harder to break down. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #11 November 17, 2011 QuoteAs a compromise between cost and performance, you could have some "air pockets" added on the front of the legs between the knee and cuff. Folks who use these tell me they work well, and they'd involve much less labor and materials. (I like real booties.) we had a guy that got these - before, he was a marginally good skydiver. after, he was a twitchy and out of control skydiver. pockets randomly snatch air - what's wrong with just a nicely fitting and smooth sail? anything else is just a sales gimmick ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #12 November 17, 2011 Quoteam I wasting money and putting lipstick on a pig? For reference, a very good rigger and seamstress I know has commented that building booties and putting them on a non-bootie suit is one of the hardest jobs in sewing to get right. She was able to put tuck tabs on a rig for me that lasted for 1500 jumps, and I have seen her do extensive work to a suit (which I built) that made it last for well over 1000 jumps. With that in mind, when she says booties are tough to do, I tend to believe her. It's not that it can't be done, it's a matter of it not being able to be done 'right'. In addition to being able to last, the fit of a bootie is key to it's operation. It needs to fit 'just right' so you can 'open' it with a pointed toe, and 'collapse' it with a relaxed toe. Teh size of the shoe, the length of the bootie, and where it ties into the leg are all factors that need to be balanced to get it 'right'. Even if you find someone willing to tackle to job, that doesn't mean it will be 'right'. QuoteThe one Tony Suit I have with booties has slick material and I fall too fast (and besides that - it is purple so I look like Barney the Dinosaur). Do yourself a favor, and invest in a new, custom jumpsuit. I know they're expensive, but you can expect to never need to buy another suit for your entire jumping career. A good Tony suit will last for 1000's of jumps with only the need for minimal repairs and upkeep along the way. Get yourself a suit fitted to you, made out of the right materials (think about fall rate and climate) and with the options you want (booties, grippers where and how bog you want, pockets, colors, etc). Judging from your profile, you're newer to jumping, and a new custom suit is the way to go. It will fit right, fly right, and look right, and an investment you should make if you're going to stick with the sport. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DiverMike 5 #13 November 17, 2011 Yes I am relatively new to the sport, and the 3 jumpsuits I own came off of DZ.Com for $50- $100 each. Based on the input on this thread (thanks everybody) I will spend the coin to get a custom Tony Suit. I do question your statement "never need to buy another jumpsuit for your entire jumping career". Seems like all the 1000+ skydivers I know have several jumpsuits. For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #14 November 17, 2011 QuoteI do question your statement "never need to buy another jumpsuit for your entire jumping career". Seems like all the 1000+ skydivers I know have several jumpsuits. I've got 4... it's all about having the right tools for the job. You wouldn't make much progress on a 1" bolt with a 9/16" wrench, would ya? But that 9/16" will do the job it was designed to do for a LONG time if properly cared for, right?"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #15 November 17, 2011 QuoteI do question your statement "never need to buy another jumpsuit for your entire jumping career". Seems like all the 1000+ skydivers I know have several jumpsuits Sure, but do they need several jumpsuits? Sometimes you just buy a new one beacuse you feel like it, or it matches your new rig. Once you get to the point that you own a rig(s) and you're not looking to downsize, or buy any other gear, you might just buy a new suit 'just becasue'. There are other reasons to buy a new suit, like if you get fat (or thin) and need a different fall rate. You might sill keep your old suit for going faster or slower, but you'll need a new one for 'the middle'. If you get into 4-way and need competition style grips, then you'll need a new suit. You'll keep the old one and use it for non team jumps, but for team jumps you get a team suit. In the end, one suit could last you for 1000's of jumps, provided your needs don't change too much. The comment I made was to indicate the quality of the 'investment' in a suit, not neccesarily to describe the buying habits of the average jumper. Of course, if you want to freefly, you'll need a different suit for that too. Video, new suit. Tandems, new suit. Get married, new suit. Funeral, new suit. The list goes on... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theonlyski 3 #16 November 18, 2011 Quote Get married, new suit. Funeral, new suit. I believe you can use the same suit for the marriage, divorce and/or funeral."I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890 I'm an asshole, and I approve this message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites