Intrudair Barracuda 4 vs. Squirrel Low-Ki

[zauche 1]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about ordering a new wingsuit because my old Birdman Firebird (2004) does not fit anymore.
I've done around 550 skydives of which are ~30 wingsuit jumps (with my actual wingsuit).
Now I want to buy an intermediate wingsuit which is still easy to fly but still makes fun when reaching a higher skill level.
Therefore I'm thinking of the "Intrudair Barracuda 4" or the "Squirrel Low-Ki".
I guess the Low-Ki is the better choice since it is mono-chamber design.

Has anyone tried both or can highlight some benefits of one over the other.

Thanks in advance,

BR,

zauche

Edited August 1, 2023 by zauche

[BMAC615 205]

You won’t find many who have flown the Low-Ki as it’s fairly new. Probably the only people who would be able to answer this question with authority would be Patrick or Arvid who are coaches at the Indoor Wingsuit Wind Tunnel in Stockholm. They helped with the R&D of the Low-Ki and have experience with nearly all the current wingsuit designs. I’m sure they’d give an unbiased answer if you reach out to them. Without much tunnel time of your own, you might not notice much difference between the two.

As for my opinion, it depends on who you will be flying with. In the US, most people’s progression is flying a Swift, then an ATC, and then a Freak. How many flights they put on the Swift and ATC before transitioning to the Freak will be dictated by how eager they are to upsize their suit. You might be a little aggressive going to a Low-Ki or ATC after only 30 flights, but that’s for you to decide. You might want to rent a Swift 4 or 5 and put 25 or 30 flights on it before transitioning to the Low-Ki, ATC 4 or Barracuda 4.

I know Intrudair is a little more popular in Europe, so if the people you are flying with fly Intrudair, go with them.

[zauche 1]

Thanks for the answer. I think an ATC 4 would be to much for me at my current level. I'm tending towards the Barracuda 4 since it looks more beginner friendly to me. The description of the Barracuda 4 also says

 Perfect choice for beginner and intermediate pilots from the entry category upwards" 
Easy BOC access design

I think this should be the way to go for me ... for this price I don't think I can do a lot wrong and as I read it's also always good to have a smaller intermediate suit to try out something new.
Renting could be a bit more complicated for me because I do not have the typical body measurements. (trained >210pound @ 5'9")

What is exactly meant with "Adjustable internal wing pressure" ?
...and what does this change in the flight/controllability characteristics ?

Thanks for your help.

BR,

zauche

[BMAC615 205]

12 hours ago, zauche said:

Thanks for the answer. I think an ATC 4 would be to much for me at my current level. I'm tending towards the Barracuda 4 since it looks more beginner friendly to me. The description of the Barracuda 4 also says

 Perfect choice for beginner and intermediate pilots from the entry category upwards" 
Easy BOC access design

I think this should be the way to go for me ... for this price I don't think I can do a lot wrong and as I read it's also always good to have a smaller intermediate suit to try out something new.
Renting could be a bit more complicated for me because I do not have the typical body measurements. (trained >210pound @ 5'9")

What is exactly meant with "Adjustable internal wing pressure" ?
...and what does this change in the flight/controllability characteristics ?

Thanks for your help.

BR,

zauche

I’d put ATC, Low-Ki and Barracuda 4, all in a similar category as the wing is connected to your ankles as compared to a beginner suit like the Swift or Piranha where the wing terminates just below the hip. Being connected to the ankle vs hip puts more fabric behind you at pull time as well as restricts arm movement after deployment. Small suits also let you make bigger mistakes when flying with the wings as big inputs mean less drastic movements. Being connected at the ankle means leg movements and lower body position is more critical.

I wouldn’t say the B4 is any more or less beginner friendly than the ATC or Low-Ki. However, if you’re picking from those three, you probably won’t notice much difference unless you put some serious time in the tunnel with each one. If you’re just flying around the sky with friends and learning, you can’t go wrong with the B4. However, I’ll restate that you might want to also consider what your friends are flying for compatibility.

Adjustable internal wing pressure is just a zipper in the arm wing that you can open or close to make the suit more or less pressurized. More pressurized is slightly faster. Most people just keep them zipped up. I don’t know anyone who uses them to adjust for anything specific. I once flew a Havoc in the Stockholm tunnel and didn’t notice one of the wing zippers was zipped and the other wasn’t. I felt something was slightly off, but it wasn’t a huge problem to correct with minor body position change. After that session, I got out and checked the suit and zipped it back up. I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I weren’t in the tunnel. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by BMAC615

[zauche 1]

Thanks for your help.

I just ordered now a "Squirrel Swift 5" which through your help and other web research seems to make the most sense for trying everything out like barrel rolls, flips, ...
For sure better than wrestling with a to big suit and my 1.63 wingloaded Safire 2.

BR,

zauche

[BMAC615 205]

On 8/22/2023 at 10:35 AM, zauche said:

my 1.63 wingloaded Safire 2.

Wingsuit specific canopies like the WinX, Epicene Pro and Omicron are designed to pack 2+ sizes smaller than same size ZP 9-Cell canopies so you can use the same container and lower your WL on a 7-cell to reduce (eliminate?) chops from line twists.

Edited August 24, 2023 by BMAC615

[the.Legend 54]

Late response, but might be useful to someone: about a week ago I've been to Stockholm's WS tunnel and they still have one or two Low-Ki demo suits to try (don't remember which sizes), as well as ATC (most sizes), and if you ask in advance, Freak 5

Drop them an email and ask for details

[zauche 1]

On 8/24/2023 at 9:24 PM, BMAC615 said:

Wingsuit specific canopies like the WinX, Epicene Pro and Omicron are designed to pack 2+ sizes smaller than same size ZP 9-Cell canopies so you can use the same container and lower your WL on a 7-cell to reduce (eliminate?) chops from line twists.

I talked with a guy who also has a lot of contacts to other wingsuiters who have very good experience with the Atair WinX. He recommends me a WinX 170sqft (Hybrid) + Sky Pitch 34 pilot chute to replace my actual 149 Saphhire 2.
WinX 190sqft PN9 Light would also work but he said that these will not last that long (also had such a fully HPV canopy).

[lyosha 46]

On 10/9/2023 at 4:16 AM, the.Legend said:

Late response, but might be useful to someone: about a week ago I've been to Stockholm's WS tunnel and they still have one or two Low-Ki demo suits to try (don't remember which sizes), as well as ATC (most sizes), and if you ask in advance, Freak 5

Drop them an email and ask for details

Do they still run havoks or do they now instruct people in ATCs?

[the.Legend 54]

As of October - still Havoks. I've heard some talks about switching to new Intrudair Fin, but it's the same as last year's talk as switching to LowKi - i.e. time will tell.

Anyways this shift would probably be gradual because they have full shelve of perfectly operational Havoks with some lifespan left in them.

[BMAC615 205]

The tunnel Havoks are not exactly the same as a commercially available Havoc.