Skydiving body armor

[kansasskydiver 0]

We were having a discussion today at work and a co worker asked me why we wore helmets but not any other type of pads. So given the nature of our sport and accidents that can happen, if there were some sort of pads or body armor available that wasn't bulky and got in the way would you wear it to help protect yourself in the event of the unknown?

Why or why not?

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[DougH 270]

Find some armor that will keep me from breaking a femur or a pelvis and I might buy it.

I don't need knee pads for the occasional skinned knee.

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

[normiss 620]

I jump in Florida...it's all we can do to tolerate a jump suit.
It's fuggin hot here!

[ajmclean 0]

There would have to be a reason, and there isn't, to wear body armor (BA). And if BA were to be given more than a passing thought, who would decide the standards? What "threat levels" would there be, how many, etc.? On what occasions or type of dives would BA be required/mandatory? This is something that we really don't need.
This question, no offense intended, came from someone ignorant of skydiving.
[;)

Mack The Knife
"IT IS SAID THAT THE WARRIOR'S IS THE TWOFOLD WAY OF PEN AND SWORD, AND HE SHOULD HAVE A TASTE FOR BOTH WAYS." MIYAMOTO MUSASHI, A BOOK OF FIVE RINGS.

[pinkfairy 0]

I'm more in favour of a big net, and tall towers to jump from. 15000' tall towers. Alternatively a big hole filled with shredded rubber foam.

No seriously, read Bill Booth's article here "do skydivers care about safety", and see the points he's making. Quite interesting to see how people choose low bulk over safety.

And also: Once some aspect of the sport becomes safer, people take away safety devices: Once parachutes were possible to land standing up, people stopped jumping with protective boots and started jumping in sneakers. Even students jump with sneakers now, and I've seen how it goes.

My most important protective gear is my parachutes. If I can't get one of them out and land it properly, no other protective gear will be any good. I'm thinking that many skydivers think like me.

Hey: protective, bouncy body armour that absorbs the impact without parachutes! Great idea! Oh, it would probably be so bulky freefall wouldn't be any fun.

Hey: This is the BONFIRE?

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[wildblue 4]

Don't some swoopers already wear crash armor?

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[shropshire 0]

I'd try a Sumo Suit.... maybe I'd bounce better.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[denete 2]

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Find some armor that will keep me from breaking a femur or a pelvis and I might buy it.

Sounds like you need an Exoskeleton. Some military contractors are working on a system like that, but with built-in motivators (a miniature version of Ripley's loader from Aliens).

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[superstu 0]

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Don't some swoopers already wear crash armor?

yes, 2 people on my team wear extra padding under their swoop shorts to protect the tailbone and thighs, but only for competition or training not when we're doing demo's. also, the swoop shorts we have from Bev suits already come with added tailbone protection and padding in the knees. for those interested contact Bev and ask for the Team Fastrax Swoop shorts, if i remember correctly they're between $100-$200

Slip Stream Air Sports
Do not go softly, do not go quietly, never back down

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Listening to stories from folks like Sparky... I've "heard" that they used to wear things like elbow pads, knee pads, shin guards, etc. "back in the day" when doing 10-way speed star.

Even my own experiences with "combat RW" tend to make me say its more of a "term" then a "reality."

Many skydivers wear a hard helmet (I myself still wear a ProTec) and my reckoning has always been that's to prevent minor to serious head injuries / prevent being knocked cold on Exit (e.g. getting run into the door jam), during a freefall collision or from falling down on landing. Where as not wearing additional "armor" of some sorts to prevent broken limbs say is more of a trade off, as in, a broken arm or leg is survivable, most likely, so the freedom one gets by not wearing "armor" is worth the risk.

I do know lots of folks that wear "Under Armor" in the winter months... or "Under Anchor" as Geoffray's calls it...

[FallingDuck 0]

We where the helmets because that is the most vulnerable part of our body in freefall. The hands and feet move and the chance of getting kicked in the gut are low unless you are freeflying. armor would just get in the way.

[squirrel 0]

i jump with no helmet, except when flying camera. my choice, that some people dont agree with. i didnt where a helmet on my bike either until it was law. sorry, but i like the wind in my hair. and yes, i do have medical coverage so i will be paying for my injuries.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[MikeJD 0]

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We wear the helmets because that is the most vulnerable part of our body in freefall.

Skydiving helmet design is a trade-off too - if they were as effective as, say, motorcycle helmets they'd be too heavy and bulky for people to want to wear. I don't expect any real protection from my full-face - it's mainly for keeping the cold and the wind out, and my audible in!

[jtval 0]

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I don't expect any real protection from my full-face - it's mainly for keeping the cold and the wind out, and my audible in!

(Not directed specifially at you Mike)
Brain buckets(Helmets) arent designed to save your ass if your chute doesn't open. They are design for, as someone alraeady said, preventing injury if you knock your head on exit, in free fall etc.


But what wasn't said was that it will save your ass if you, especially as a less experianced jumper, land like a do-do bird.

It would suck to have a great skydive, but biff the landing and end up in a coma because you smacked your head

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[DougH 270]

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It would suck to have a great skydive, but biff the landing and end up in a coma because you smacked your head

Do you think a skydiving helmet, like a full face bonehead or a Oxygen can provide that protection?

You end up in comavill from your brain getting bashed around inside your skull right?

I think my bonehead does a great job against protecting me from scrapes and bumps, but I don't really see the padding keeping me from getting a serious injury like a foam bike helmet can.

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

[hukturn 0]

I don't even like wearing a helmet.

[kelpdiver 2]

A motorcycle helmet won't protect you very well if you hit an immovable object either. 30mph can easily be fatal. Otoh, I fell and slid along perhaps 500 ft and it was barely touched.

If a beginner biffs the landing and bounces along, the helmet may prevent the concussion. I had one where I managed to land sideways at good speed and other than some scratches on the protec and a desire to sit down for the day, I was fine.

[upndownshop 0]

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It would suck to have a great skydive, but biff the landing and end up in a coma because you smacked your head

Do you think a skydiving helmet, like a full face bonehead or a Oxygen can provide that protection?

You end up in comavill from your brain getting bashed around inside your skull right?

I think my bonehead does a great job against protecting me from scrapes and bumps, but I don't really see the padding keeping me from getting a serious injury like a foam bike helmet can.

Yes! A good SD helmet can save your life on a bad landing. I have seen it multiple times. Are they designed for that? NO

IMO the Oxygen is probably the strongest helmet for that. I have seen it save a few lives. The helmet was destroyed each time but the jumpers lived and recovered.

IMO all SD helmets should be full face, no matter what your flying preference is.

So land safe and fly safe
J