Squirrel SkySnatch?

[Pobrause 6]

wildernessmedic

***If it was better you would see swoopers using it, for sub terminal deployments on very sensitive light weight wings the PC is much more important.

Never heard anyone say "The SkySnatch makes my hop and pop deployments so much better." And that is precisely the situation it would be best suited for.

I'm not saying it is bad, but as mentioned, mostly marketing and riding the "BASE is best" train. Sure apex vented pilot chutes are more stable, and the shape probably produces more snatch force. When 50ft counts, sure, gimmie a snatch, but in skydiving it doesn't, and there is no evidence to suggest more snatch force = better deployment on a skydiving setup at any speed. More snatch force could equal more line dump and a more rapid deployment, which might mean asymmetrical inflation on an unvented wing. It could also mean a more violent/less stable extraction from a skydiving rig.

Again, not a bad thing, but also not worth the extra cash IMHO.

Don't forget, a regular PC can punch a closing pin through a bridle (sometimes 2 layers of it), I would consider that to be "sufficient extraction force."

Apex PCs are this design? Guess theres no need to replace them with a squirrel snatch on mine.

I don't think he meant APEX as manufacturer but literally apex of the PC.

-------------------------------------------------------

To absent friends

[GoneCodFishing 23]

Anachronist

Also, the oscillation thing is a joke for skydiving. As long as the bag doesn't rotate it doesn't matter because the whole canopy is released from the bag virtually instantaneously.

But the bag does rotate... When i upsized wingsuit i started having openings that felt perfectly normal, but on looking up i'd have a full twist or 2 in the lines. It wasn't me rotating round the canopy, or the canopy rotating around me. So i put a camera facing backwards and there it was. The PC would ride my burble oscillating in one or 2 big circles before line stretch, and the bag followed, so by canopy extraction i already had a twist or 2.

Would a snatch prevent that? No idea, i don't have one, but some people seem to claim it does.

[Anachronist 2]

I don't understand the question.

Apex, as in the "top" or "highest part," not the company. Putting a vent there reduces oscillation (they did the same thing with rounds back in the day).

The only thing interesting about the snatch is the shape, that probably produces more drag and snatch force over a given diameter. But is completely unnecessary for skydiving. The reduced oscillation comes from the apex vent, not the shape, and most BASE PCs are also apex vented.

[pms07 3]

As you replied to my comment I would note that I never said it was better, I said that it seems to work fine in other disciplines and offers, perhaps, some advantage over other designs for wingsuits. I did ask the following question and have not seen an answer:

"Why? Specifically, what makes this design "not appropriate" for the general skydiver on any specific rig? And what manufacturer says it is not appropriate? That's important in determining compatability... "

I'm not proposing everyone go out and buy a skysnatch but think it is a good design for wingsuits and works fine in other disciplines. Whether that is worth the extra cost is an individual decision like almost every other gear choice. YMMV...

[DougH 270]

The higher bulk makes it less appropriate for common PC spandex pouches. Does that make it inappropriate for the general skydiver? No probably not, but it isn't a great thing either.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[pms07 3]

I've yet to see a BOC pouch designed for a 27"-30" pilot chute where there this is an issue. The skysnatch pack volume seems only marginally larger than my factory 30" pilot chute although that is just one manufacturer.

Just one person's experience but I have seen skysnatch pilot chutes on just about every major rig made in the USA and have yet to see a problem. That includes some that came from the factory, I believe, with a 24" pilot chute. Something to consider though I suppose...

[hackish 8]

Rigs are setup and designed so at average freefall speed the pack opening and bag extraction is within a range. Do it too fast and you're going to wear the heck out of your dbag, canopy and body. Too slow and those subterminal openings are going to suck.

If you increase the Cd significantly what happens to the speed of deployment? I believe Booth did a good bit of research and found an optimal amount of time to linestretch.

Discussions with PD indicated that too much snatch force not only puts a lot of stress on the canopy but can lead to hard openings and malfunctions - again, they're designed and tested to open at a certain rate.

Call your rig manufacturer and ask if they would recommend the snatch. Without naming names, most will quote reasons already mentioned.

Finally, don't assume a terminal opening is as slow and rocky as people describe. The bag leaves your back damn fast and at terminal you're going to be hard pressed to find any oscillation or rocking of the bag. It has a heck of a lot of inertia and from the high speed footage I have the elastics are about the only thing doing any considerable amount of "rocking".

Obviously these sorts of things have a place and I believe the snatch is a good design. Just make sure you're using the right tool for the job.

-Michael