open face w/ goggles or full face helmet??

[freakygirl 0]

just curious on people's opinions on this one. trying to figure out what i like and what to buy when i get my gear. input would be great. i'm planning on trying friends' goggles and helmets when i get jumping regularly. if it matters, i have contacts.
just curious what you all think. thanks for the info.

[Buried 0]

its all preference. go and try them on


*edit to add - I'd want a full face if I was jumping in the winter tho

Where is my fizzy-lifting drink?

[Hummusx 0]

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just curious on people's opinions on this one. trying to figure out what i like and what to buy when i get my gear. input would be great. i'm planning on trying friends' goggles and helmets when i get jumping regularly. if it matters, i have contacts.
just curious what you all think. thanks for the info.

There are very few goggles that work well with contacts. With the first pair that I owned, I lost a contact twice in freefall. Both times the contact stuck to the inside of the goggles so I didn't actually lose it, but trying to land with one bad eye was quite tricky.

I like the wind in my face, and I found a pair of goggles that work very well. Look for ones that seal each eye individually instead of together.

____________________________________
It’s like selling a million grills all at the same time…with extended warranties. -Hank Hill

[Nutz 0]

If you like it loud, go with an open face.

Just my $.02.

"Don't! Get! Eliminated!"

[GTAVercetti 0]

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just curious on people's opinions on this one. trying to figure out what i like and what to buy when i get my gear. input would be great. i'm planning on trying friends' goggles and helmets when i get jumping regularly. if it matters, i have contacts.
just curious what you all think. thanks for the info.

I think feeling the wind is part of the skydive. I like open face. Plus you can do kiss passes.

I have a very good face mask for winter and I am never cold.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[Remster 24]

Since you dont say where you live, you cant really tell you. Some regulatory bodies require non full face helmets until certain licences.

Remster

[freakygirl 0]

skydive greensburg is my "home" dz. that help?? or did you just mean in the US or in Indiana??

[jlmiracle 7]

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Some regulatory bodies require non full face helmets until certain licences.

really? who? Just curious.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[larsrulz 0]

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really? who? Just curious.

I could certainly be blatently wrong, but I was under the impression that the UK required their B license for wearing a full face.

I got a strong urge to fly, but I got no where to fly to. -PF

[jlmiracle 7]

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really? who? Just curious.

I could certainly be blatently wrong, but I was under the impression that the UK required their B license for wearing a full face.

I can see requiring a hard shell helmet but I was unaware that any skydiving regulatory body (CPA, USPA, BPS) required a full face or denyed a full face helmet to a certain licensed skydiver.

Judy

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[kai2k1 0]

I prefer Open faced, My Bonehead Mindwarp is very quiet in freefall and is comfortable to boot.

If I were to wear and full faced, it would be the Bonehead Mamba.

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

I have three open face helmets and one full face helmet. The full face helmet (a Factory Diver) hardly ever gets jumped.

[freakygirl 0]

any particular reason why not?? just don't like it or what??

[flyangel2 2]

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I can see requiring a hard shell helmet but I was unaware that any skydiving regulatory body (CPA, USPA, BPS) required a full face or denyed a full face helmet to a certain licensed skydiver.

I believe it isn't the USPA that states it, but there is one DZ that I know of that has the rule if you don't have a license, you can't wear a full face. There reason is that the full face limits your vision.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Travman 6]

At my DZ you can't have a full face until you have a C licence. Its not just because it limits your vision, but it also removes your sense of touch of wind against your face and dampens the hearing.

[Squeak 17]

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If you like it loud, go with an open face.

Just my $.02.

Not if you get a good openface. I have a Cookie Composites open face and it's as quiet as my Oxygen Fullface.



So in answer to the original post GET BOTH

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[FrenchyDiver 0]

Generally speaking, it's a matter of preference.

When I am doing solos or FF, I wear an openface (BH Mindwarp).
When I do RW or if I am at the base in a hybrid then I wear a full face (Z1).

I like them both with no preference on one over the other.

Edited to add: Sorry, I cannot provide an answer with regards to contacts

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

[FFAddict 0]

It is all about personal preference, try them out and see what your comfortable in.

It also depends on what type of jumps you wanna do. if your just doing RW then either is fine, but if your going to give FF a try you really need an open face because a full face will quickly become an open face if you try FF in it.

When i stated jumping in the florida i thought i would want an open face because i loved the feeling of the wind, but it hasnt taken long since ive got home to the UK for my mind to change. Even on a warm day i get really back wind burn on my face because its so bloody cold at altitude, so ive bought an full face boinehead havok

For those of you that dont know the BPA (british parachute association) requires a minimum of 50 jumps to use a full face helmet but only an A licence

[Remster 24]

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really? who? Just curious.

Well, since the poster is from the US, its a mute point anyways now, but the BPA requires a B (I think its a B anyways) for full faces. (At least, they did when we lived there 2 years ago, I'm not up to date with their regs anymore, so that may have changed)

Remster

[MarkM 0]

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It also depends on what type of jumps you wanna do. if your just doing RW then either is fine, but if your going to give FF a try you really need an open face because a full face will quickly become an open face if you try FF in it.

I've got a Z1 full face and free fly fine with it. My main complaint with full face helmets is that it's hard to talk in the plane when you're wearing it. But I wear braces, so I like the mouth protection.

[Conundrum 1]

I prefer full face. I had an open face helmet for a while, didn't like it too much. The full face is quieter, warmer and it protects your face/mouth.

It's all personal preference, though.

[dragonfyr 0]

I agree that it is pretty much personal preference. While you are on a radio for canopy, you may want to stay with an open face with open ear ports to hear radio commands. However, once you are off radio, it strictly comes down to preference.

I personally prefer full-face over open face for almost all skydives for 1 key reason. If jumping with others, you never know if you will get a body part in the face. I have seen dozens of people come down with blood spattered faces due to contact in the air.

Also, if you are in the midwest or other region with cooler weather, the full face is great for year round jumping. Even during the summer months, it is still cold at altitude.

Check with your instructors about when you can start using different helmets and then ask around your dropzone. You should get some great discussions!

[towerrat 0]

I prefer a full faced helmet, but I don't use the visor. My Oxygen provides the protection I need, but I wear goggles under it to feel the breeze. It works out great, and goggles are a lot cheaper to replace than visors. I both free and flat fly with no issues whatsoever.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

[RfukfreeflyingW 0]

I love my bonehead open face, and its as quite as can be. as far as contacts go, I jump with contacts, sometimes, and I wear just regular old $8.99 sun glasses from walmart, and have never had a problem. When it's cold it does suck, but I get all clastraphobic(sp?) in a full face. I dont feel like im in the air, its kinda like a bubble to me, so I never use one.

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-God, you are the perfect amount of dumb...

[btucker 0]

I do both.

Better to see with the helmet and just the googles. + googles are alot easier to clean.

But when it's cold, I like to put the face plate on . It sometimes steams up and I have to pop it up after I open. It's also alot quieter - you can hear yourself curse too. A full face is essential in the tunnel.

Other have already said similar. Around these parts for less than 100 jumps a ull face isn't the best idea, googles with open face are fine. Check with CI!

Blues