Beginner advice...

[HeatherObscura 0]

hey! im new here and new to skydiving and im sure this has been discussed but i need some advice on a canopy. Right now i have 11 jumps..fresh off AFF , i weigh around 135 and have been jumping a Nav 200.

At the advice of my instructors i recently i put a down payment rig (its still flexible since im not sure what i want yet).. the main i was looking at is a 150 Triathlon and i wouldn't be jumping on it for a good year or so

i plan to jump the 200 then downsize to 190, then 170 and finally pay off my rig and jump the 150 but this will take me a long time


For those of you with Triathlons..how is it? a good novice rig?

[headoverheels 291]

I don't think you'll be jumping the 150 until you have over a hundred jumps. Some people take years (or never) do that, some in a few months.

I can't figure out why you would put a down payment on a rig that you wouldn't be jumping for a long time.

[RkyMtnHigh 0]

Stacey's (Birdwoman) reply to you in the Women's Forum was good:

"It all depends on how your canopy control is under each parachute. It also depends on where you are jumping due to density and field altitude. For example, flying a 190 in Colorado is like flying a 170 in Florida. You need to make sure that you are landing consistently under each size before you think about downsizing. Understand that consistently means standing them up with nice landings and landing where you intend, not crash and burn all over the landing area. When you think you are ready to downsize, think about if you will be able to land the smaller parachute in a small back yard in the event of a bad spot. You need to be able to trust your piloting skills and know the parameters of the parachute in all conditions before you can downsize.

Even though a rig is sized for a particular main, you can usually go up and down one canopy size. (If it is made for a 170, you can usually get up to a 190 and down to a 150 in the main tray) Don't let anybody try to pressure you into a parachute that you don't feel right about. It's easy for somebody to watch your landings and say "Hey, I think you're ready for a 150". But if you don't feel confident under the 170 and are still scared of it, follow your instincts.

That's my 2cents. "

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[billeisele 122]

based strictly on your exit weight and ignoring the performance differences between a 7-cell and 9-cell: the 170 is safe to jump now, you should not see much difference from the 200 to the 170, just understand that it will turn quicker and fly a little faster

after a few jumps with observation and coaching from a qualified instructor you will be ready for the 150, you need some discussion about the performance differences between 7-cell and 9-cell, you may choose a different type main canopy

as you get closer to 1:1 the changes in canopy performance become more dramatic, going from 0.78:1 (the 200) to 0.9:1 (the 170) the differences are fairly minor

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[HeatherObscura 0]

well basically its like a "ghost rig" so i can make payments towards something to own instead of paying 70 bucks to rent equipment every day i just pay 100 a month and i get free equipment rental until its totally payed off

i should be payed off by december 09

[HeatherObscura 0]

yes thanks, i moved it to get more responses :)

[MattMazzocco 0]

Quote

well basically its like a "ghost rig" so i can make payments towards something to own instead of paying 70 bucks to rent equipment every day
i should be payed off by december 09

Sounds like your getting hooked up. I was on student gear for 7 months and spent over 1500 on rental fees alone, not even including my jumps.

Nice

[JohnMitchell 14]

Our DZ charges $10 a jump for gear rental, nice new gear, not some old clapped-out stuff. I think that's a good rate.

[HeatherObscura 0]

yeah i was lucky to find an entire quality used rig for 2,800 except it needs an AAD

i put a big down payment on so it would hurt less every month