Gained weight while waiting for new rig to arrive

[GFry 1]

Hey everyone,

My new Vector finally arrived. I tried it on empty and it seems to fit great - which is what concerns me. In the 13 months between ordering and it arriving I have put on weight. My waist, measured around my belly button, is a smidge less than 35 inches. My new container was measured for 34 inches. 

I am having a hard time finding information on whether this will be a problem. Mirage states that anything greater than half an inch is a problem. But that’s Mirage.
 

My current rig was designed for someone with a 35 inch waist, and it feels snug but not tight. 

I can live with a slightly too tight rig. I’d really hate to send my new rig back. UPS already lost my rig while delivering it to me. 

What do you all think? There’s a lot of content about laterals that are too big, but not much out there about laterals that are potentially too small.

i have to wait 2 weeks for my rigger to pack and assemble everything so I am just worrying a lot in the meantime.

[BIGUN 1,082]

29 minutes ago, GFry said:

i have to wait 2 weeks for my rigger to pack and assemble everything so I am just worrying a lot in the meantime.

A four lb loss = 1 inch. Proper diet and some exercise will lose that in one week. You got two. Quit worrying and get busy.  

[mark 104]

Quote

I tried it on empty and it seems to fit great

They always fit great when they're empty.

[JoeWeber 2,332]

2 hours ago, GFry said:

Hey everyone,

My new Vector finally arrived. I tried it on empty and it seems to fit great - which is what concerns me. In the 13 months between ordering and it arriving I have put on weight. My waist, measured around my belly button, is a smidge less than 35 inches. My new container was measured for 34 inches. 

I am having a hard time finding information on whether this will be a problem. Mirage states that anything greater than half an inch is a problem. But that’s Mirage.
 

My current rig was designed for someone with a 35 inch waist, and it feels snug but not tight. 

I can live with a slightly too tight rig. I’d really hate to send my new rig back. UPS already lost my rig while delivering it to me. 

What do you all think? There’s a lot of content about laterals that are too big, but not much out there about laterals that are potentially too small.

i have to wait 2 weeks for my rigger to pack and assemble everything so I am just worrying a lot in the meantime.

Seriously? Like this is the weight watchers forum? Stop drinking, eat fewer calories, get to the gym for 3 hours a day and, most importantly, get a grip on real life outside of the internet.

[GFry 1]

I am already quite thin. A year ago I was unemployed and long distance running 5 days a week, which I no longer have time to do. 
 

I am just worried it won’t fit correctly/interference with handles, etc.

My old rig (already sold) is quite snug, and it is an inch bigger. I didn’t think an inch was a big deal until I read that on Mirage’s website.

[JoeWeber 2,332]

20 minutes ago, GFry said:

I am already quite thin. A year ago I was unemployed and long distance running 5 days a week, which I no longer have time to do. 
 

I am just worried it won’t fit correctly/interference with handles, etc.

My old rig (already sold) is quite snug, and it is an inch bigger. I didn’t think an inch was a big deal until I read that on Mirage’s website.

How many jumps have you made over what time frame?

[GFry 1]

650 over 4 years

[JoeWeber 2,332]

1 hour ago, GFry said:

650 over 4 years

Don't be difficult if you want help. Which 4 years?

[wmw999 2,155]

Im going to say it’s not likely a problem. Rigs sometimes used to come in large, medium, and small. Try putting a couple of pillows in and try it on again. If you’ve selected for firm fit, it’ll be tighter. If for loose fit, less so.

My husband and I share a backup rig that’s perfect for neither of us; laterals a little short for me, shoulders a little narrow for him, a little long for both of us. We’re fine, and we both have the experience to know.

Try what I suggested above. Or as long as the shoulders are the right width, you can probably send it back for a harness adjustment. After discussing the measuring with your rigger; he or she is supposed to be the expert

Wendy P. 

[GFry 1]

11 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

Don't be difficult if you want help. Which 4 years?

? The last 4 years. It turns out my rigger gave me incorrect advice when I was ordering. He said UPT only did measurements in full inches. I decided to choose a tighter fit than a looser one, not realizing each 0.5 inch was about 4 pounds of weight difference.

im already really thin. I don’t think I could get to 34 inches comfortably even with no body fat. My stomach muscles are in the way.

That said, I can get a measuring tape to reach 34 inches, I just have to pull it quite taught.

I’m mostly concerned about handles moving back and shoulders being too tight. It’s much more likely that I will gain weight going forward as well as I don’t have the time to run miles a week anymore. 

 

 

 

Edited May 8 by GFry

[GFry 1]

6 hours ago, wmw999 said:

Im going to say it’s not likely a problem. Rigs sometimes used to come in large, medium, and small. Try putting a couple of pillows in and try it on again. If you’ve selected for firm fit, it’ll be tighter. If for loose fit, less so.

My husband and I share a backup rig that’s perfect for neither of us; laterals a little short for me, shoulders a little narrow for him, a little long for both of us. We’re fine, and we both have the experience to know.

Try what I suggested above. Or as long as the shoulders are the right width, you can probably send it back for a harness adjustment. After discussing the measuring with your rigger; he or she is supposed to be the expert

Wendy P. 

My rigger is the one that told me UPT doesn’t do half inch measurements, which UPT told me is incorrect. 
 

I guess it’s not the end of the world. I probably shouldn’t have sold my old rig so soon, but I needed the money to buy an AAD. 
 

My friend sent his used vector back to UPT for a lateral adjustment and they took almost 6 months. 

[wmw999 2,155]

Both my husband and I have had to send stuff back; I’ll admit I bought from a lesser-known manufacturer in part because of impatience with the long wait time. You can also try it for the season, and send it back when the jumping slows down locally (if it ever does; and summer May just be that season). I do think your rigger owns some of the responsibility. I got my changes done free because the manufacturer was who measured me.

 

Wendy P. 

[JerryBaumchen 1,068]

3 hours ago, GFry said:

? The last 4 years. It turns out my rigger gave me incorrect advice when I was ordering. He said UPT only did measurements in full inches. I decided to choose a tighter fit than a looser one, not realizing each 0.5 inch was about 4 pounds of weight difference.

im already really thin. I don’t think I could get to 34 inches comfortably even with no body fat. My stomach muscles are in the way.

That said, I can get a measuring tape to reach 34 inches, I just have to pull it quite taught.

I’m mostly concerned about handles moving back and shoulders being too tight. It’s much more likely that I will gain weight going forward as well as I don’t have the time to run miles a week anymore. 

 

 

 

Hi GFry,

Re:  I’m mostly concerned about handles moving back

Be glad you went with UPT then, they do not do chest rings; which is a major cause of the handles being out of sight.

Jerry Baumchen

 

[Deyan 31]

Two or so years ago I made a joke about the delivery times of UPT. I told a new jumper just after his AFF who wanted to buy his first rig, and he really wanted a Vector: " Go with V308 and PD126, you'll thank me later" He  laughed.... Then he went with another brand. 60 + weeks later, he already had done around 400 jumps on his already "old rig"  and was looking to downsize to 135 which is the tight fit for V308. We both laughed about the absurdity of their delivery times. If you finish AFF today, you can get a rig with PDR 113 and Valkyrie 75. By the time your rig is ready, you will be ready to jump that combo too

 

[Engscott78 3]

You're fucked.  Give the container away and find another sport.

[rjklein4470 23]

I don’t even know what to say. This sport attracts all types. When you get it rigged it won’t fit very well. It takes 20 jumps or so for the rig to start to settle in.  As you get more jumps and you gear gets more high speed you will get pickier to the fit and getting a new rig is like getting new ski boots. 

[BIGUN 1,082]

I can't help but wonder if going to a Master Rigger near you to have them extend the laterals between the main lift web and the pack tray would be a faster solution. Really a Jerry or Rob question. 

[wolfriverjoe 1,355]

I've been following this from the beginning.

I've got a slightly different opinion, and one data point to back it up.

I've got an Infinity, I had it built back in 2011. 
In the intervening years, I've added a few pounds and maybe an inch to my waist.

While the increase took place over a long time, and isn't that big, I never noticed any fitment issues with the rig.
I've gone up an inch in waist size for my pants, but the rig still fits fine.

As noted, this is only one data point. 
Mine.

And it's an Infinity, not a Vector.

But it has not even remotely presented as an issue for me.

[mark 104]

36 minutes ago, BIGUN said:

I can't help but wonder if going to a Master Rigger near you to have them extend the laterals between the main lift web and the pack tray would be a faster solution. Really a Jerry or Rob question. 

I'm not Jerry or Rob, but I am a master rigger.  Extending the laterals on a Vector is very expensive.  The rig has "stabilizers," stiffeners that cover the laterals.  The stiffeners are sewn into the backpad and the hip junction.  Extending the laterals requires opening container seams to replace the webbing and stabilizers, as well as redoing the hip junction.  Your local master rigger might have the tools and equipment, but is likely to be doing this for the first time in a long time.  If you really want longer laterals, you'll be much happier with the manufacturer's work.

[JerryBaumchen 1,068]

6 hours ago, mark said:

I'm not Jerry or Rob, but I am a master rigger.  Extending the laterals on a Vector is very expensive.  The rig has "stabilizers," stiffeners that cover the laterals.  The stiffeners are sewn into the backpad and the hip junction.  Extending the laterals requires opening container seams to replace the webbing and stabilizers, as well as redoing the hip junction.  Your local master rigger might have the tools and equipment, but is likely to be doing this for the first time in a long time.  If you really want longer laterals, you'll be much happier with the manufacturer's work.

Hi Mark, 

Agree 100%.

About 30 yrs ago, I bought a well-worn Vector II Tandem rig for resale purposes.  I sent it back to UPT for some harness work.  IMO the work that they did was quite cheap [ for the amount of the work ] and you could not tell it had been repaired once they finished with it.

Jerry Baumchen

[dudeman17 282]

A bit off topic, but...

13 hours ago, BIGUN said:

Really a Jerry or Rob question. 

Which brings to mind that we haven't heard from Rob in a while. His profile says he hasn't logged in since last September. Does anyone know if he's all right?

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

6 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

About 30 yrs ago, I bought a well-worn Vector II Tandem rig for resale purposes.  I sent it back to UPT for some harness work.  IMO the work that they did was quite cheap [ for the amount of the work ] and you could not tell it had been repaired once they finished with it.

Does that mean that their fresh repair looked old and well-worn? hehe

[JerryBaumchen 1,068]

1 minute ago, dudeman17 said:

A bit off topic, but...

Which brings to mind that we haven't heard from Rob in a while. His profile says he hasn't logged in since last September. Does anyone know if he's all right?

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

Does that mean that their fresh repair looked old and well-worn? hehe

Hi 17,

I've been thinking the same thing.  I'll send him an email & see what he says.

Jerry Baumchen

 

[gowlerk 1,936]

2 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi 17,

I've been thinking the same thing.  I'll send him an email & see what he says.

Jerry Baumchen

 

I have no idea why Rob has not been here for so long. But I can tell you he has been a regular commenter on the FB riggers forum lately.

[BIGUN 1,082]

21 hours ago, mark said:

but I am a master rigger.  Extending the laterals on a Vector is very expensive. 

Thanks, Mark. It was a thought and your input appreciated. 

[JerryBaumchen 1,068]

14 hours ago, gowlerk said:

I have no idea why Rob has not been here for so long. But I can tell you he has been a regular commenter on the FB riggers forum lately.

Hi Ken,

Rob emailed back to me; here is some of it:

I have not been able to access www.dropzone.com since they introduced a new log-in security ....

 Oh! And I am still working 4 days per week at the bus company.

The rest of the email was some stuff between Rob & me.

Jerry Baumchen