winter jumping, how keep warm?

[jumpinfarmer 0]

What should I do to keep warm on a winter jump? Ground temp at 35 to 45. Other than layers of close what should I do.

[op5e 0]

If I understand your question this has been discussed a number of times. I would suggest using the search feature. The below thread way suggested by skymama once before in response to winter clothes.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=727744;search_string=winter%20jumping;#727744

I would also suggest making friends with someone from the opposite sex at the DZ, this is a good way to keep warm on the ground

[pilotdave 0]

Full face helmet helps a LOT if you don't already have one. With a neck warmer too, I have no exposed skin in the winter.

I could jump all day down into the 30s on the ground if I could find a way of keeping my hands warm. Never found gloves that prevent my hands from getting very cold under canopy. I wear football gloves with a pair of liners under them. Works pretty good down to about 40 on the ground but below that, it's just painful unless I'm just doing a hop n' pop.

Dave

[jumpinfarmer 0]

I've been told to put hand warmers in your gloves just before you exit. Put tham in your palms and put gloves over them. Then when your under canopy your clenched hands will be wraped around the hand warmers.

[bodypilot1 0]

Quote

What should I do to keep warm on a winter jump?

Simple.

Travel to where it's warm!




Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[Belgian_Skygirl 0]

It is winter and last Sunday in was very cold up there!!! I wore: ski-socks, a jeans, 4 sweaters (1 wind-stop), 2 pairs of loves (one paire was windstop)... my helmet kept my ears warm... I didn't suffer that much from cold feet or a cold body... unless for my fingers and my face. When I jumped out of the plane, I thought: oh my God... that cold!!! It was the first time I jumped in such low tempereatures. When I landed I was thinking: I won't jump any more today... but I did it again... I do not intend to stop jumping in wintertime.. but if I would have had balls on my body... I think they would have frozen!!!!!!! However, just put on several layers of clothes, so that the air between the clothes is isolation. Be sure ou can still move comfortably and that safety remains.

To keep warm, you can buy windstop materials to wear under your suit and what about thermic underwear? that is what I intend to buy this week.... But I guess that I will wear several clothes anyway...

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

No dive, like skydive... wanna bet on it?

[DancingFlame 0]

Quote

Travel to where it's warm!

Good idea
One may also try jumping a helicopter, it's really warm inside

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

What should I do to keep warm on a winter jump? Ground temp at 35 to 45. Other than layers of close what should I do.

Pee in your wetsuit.....

Whups, sorry...that's SCUBA....

Layers are GOOD... think of going skiing on a windy day. You want to do the same sort of layering, but make sure you can still reach all of your handles!!

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[moth 0]

just jump and have fun and stop moaning about the cold you bunch of fairys ffs its winter its cold but its still fun

[Merkur 1]

I normally wear the same stuff, that I use for snowboarding - except for the fullface helmet.
Max 2 layers under my jumpsuit, normally 1 fleece or thermal underwear (like underarmour or brynje (Norwegian, very very warm) and 1 layer windstop. Skiing/snowboarding socks. Just with my gloves I am still testing as I don't like a to big layer around my fingers but there are pretty good silk gloves.

vSCR No.94
Don't dream your life - live your dream!

[EricTheRed 0]

I jump in my dry suit liner. Built just like a jumpsuit except no grips and its fleece lined. Very warm.

illegible usually

[lifewithoutanet 0]

Hey, all. Something that I haven't seen mentioned but is very important is to not, under any circumstances, wear cotton.
The problem with cotton is that it is hydrophylic, absorbing every bit of moisture and trapping it right where it doesn't need to be, next to your skin, robbing you of body heat. You can probably guess that layering with cotton doesn't do anything to help.
Synthetics (polypropilene, capilene, etc.), on the other hand, are hydrophobic and do their best to wick this moisture away from your body. This helps to keep you warm by keeping you dry and aids in the evaporation of this moisture by spreading it out rather than soaking it up.
If you don't like the feel of polypro next to your skin, DON'T put a cotton shirt on under it. You'll defeat the purpose of the synthetic layer and just stay cold, miserable and probably bitter. In this case, your best bet is to spring for the nicer (pricier) stuff, like Patagonia's Capilene. It's more expensive, but the stuff lasts for years.
When it comes to wind-proof/resistant garments, make sure you choose something that's also breathable. No sense in having an impermeable layer to stop the evaporation of all that moisture that the synthetics are wicking away from your body.
Cheers and have a warm winter,
-C.

[robertmicp 0]

Quote

I could jump all day down into the 30s on the ground if I could find a way of keeping my hands warm. Never found gloves that prevent my hands from getting very cold under canopy. I wear football gloves with a pair of liners under them. Works pretty good down to about 40 on the ground but below that, it's just painful unless I'm just doing a hop n' pop.

Dave

Try latex gloves under your football gloves.

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying who shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I, send me."

[dragon2 0]

Get one of these:
http://www.rainbowsuits.com/en/jumpsuits/airtherm-suit.shtml

problem solved!

ciel bleu,
Saskia

[Punky_Monkey 0]

I just did my 1st winter jump and what a rush seeing everything in snow...

I wore long underwear and jeans that were lined with fleece, then covered that with a one piece snowmobile suit. Stayed warm. The snowsuit will probable affect your fall rate. (In my case I actually fell faster do to a better fit then the student jumpsuits)


As for gloves still working on that. I froze my fingers. Had football gloves on but couldn't get a latex liner under. They only did get could under canopy so I am still on the look out for a different pair, or I'll just stuff another pair in the snowsuit and pull them out and put them on when under a good canopy.

p.s. it was only 5 degrees at 10,000 feet and I am a big wuss when it comes to being cold.

*******
Punky Monkey
You may never get rid of the butterflies, but you can teach them how to fly in formation

[SansSuit 1]

Quote

I've been told to put hand warmers in your gloves just before you exit. Put tham in your palms and put gloves over them. Then when your under canopy your clenched hands will be wraped around the hand warmers.

Here is another hint. There is no law that says you have to fly with your fingers outstretched. When you exit, make your hands into fists. They don't have to be tight, the idea is to make your fingers not act like the fins of a radiator. You lose a little bit of the fine tuning in flight, but it can be done.

Although the fingers usually don't start hurting until you are under canopy, a good portion of the cooling was done in freefall.

---

Peace,
-Dawson.
http://www.SansSuit.com
The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving

[pms07 3]

Hey, all. Something that I haven't seen mentioned but is very important is to not, under any circumstances, wear cotton.
The problem with cotton is that it is hydrophylic, absorbing every bit of moisture and trapping it right where it doesn't need to be, next to your skin, robbing you of body heat. You can probably guess that layering with cotton doesn't do anything to help.
Synthetics (polypropilene, capilene, etc.), on the other hand, are hydrophobic and do their best to wick this moisture away from your body. This helps to keep you warm by keeping you dry and aids in the evaporation of this moisture by spreading it out rather than soaking it up.
If you don't like the feel of polypro next to your skin, DON'T put a cotton shirt on under it. You'll defeat the purpose of the synthetic layer and just stay cold, miserable and probably bitter. In this case, your best bet is to spring for the nicer (pricier) stuff, like Patagonia's Capilene. It's more expensive, but the stuff lasts for years.
When it comes to wind-proof/resistant garments, make sure you choose something that's also breathable. No sense in having an impermeable layer to stop the evaporation of all that moisture that the synthetics are wicking away from your body.
Cheers and have a warm winter,
-C. ***

YGTBSM? You are in the elements for all of 5-6 minutes at the most on a typical jump...longer for CRW or high opening swoop I suppose...but really... Hydrophylic? Hydrophobic? What is that? Are you planning to trek across Antarctica or climb McKinley?

I've lived and jumped in Wisconsin, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Korea, Germany, etc, and done a lot of winter jumping. Dress warm in whatever reasonable clothing you have...can still see/find your hanldes. Go for the hydrophobic (whatever)? stuff if you can but it's not required. Wearing cotton would be the least of my concerns... Many jumpsuits were made of cotton in the past and we still survived.

Make good decisions about when it's to friggin cold to jump. i.e. I can't feel my fingers. Go to the bar instead in that case.

pms

[lifewithoutanet 0]

Well, yeah, you're in the elements for the jump for a short period of time, but you're in and out of them all day, right?
The fact is, cotton will do nothing to help you and can/will only make you colder. Are synthetics mandatory? Of course not, but I certainly am more comfortable when I'm not cold.
"Hydrophylic? Hydrophobic?" Forgive me, I'm an outdoor junky and ran an outdoor retail store for a while, so the salesmanship stuck.
Under general skydiving circumstances, you won't freeze to death in cotton, but you might find yourself more comfortable in the winter without it.
-C.

[pms07 3]

...but is very important is to not, under any circumstances, wear cotton...

...The fact is, cotton will do nothing to help you and can/will only make you colder...***

Okay...I'm sure you are knowlegable and sincere...probably good advice, generally speaking, for cold weather.

Try this test though; go outside for 10 minutes butt naked when the temparature is sub 30F. After warming up indoors...go outside again wearing several layers of good cotton clothing. Then, report back to us which circumstances you thought felt colder. I'm just guessing here but I bet the cotton wins out for warmth.

Anyway, the "wear cotton and you will die" tone of the original message struck me as a bit hysterical, especially having been on night, naked, winter jumps in places like Montana.

It's possible I've forgotten how much it sucks to be cold, having jumped only in California in recent months however.

Cheers! pms

pms

[lifewithoutanet 0]

There are certainly holes in my earlier statements, but for clarification, I'm talking throughout an entire day at the DZ. You'll likely perspire in the course of a day and cotton will just soak up that perspiration. That's where cotton will keep you cold and my statements were more general to cold weather and less specific to skydiving.
I'm going to pass on stepping outside naked. It's nowhere near 30F here, but I don't want to take the chance. I'm somewhat convinced you're hiding in the bushes, waiting to push me into the pool. Or maybe you'll wait until I step out in 7 layers of cotton. That's certain to kill me.
-C.

[pms07 3]

I'm going to pass on stepping outside naked. It's nowhere near 30F here, but I don't want to take the chance. I'm somewhat convinced you're hiding in the bushes, waiting to push me into the pool. Or maybe you'll wait until I step out in 7 layers of cotton. That's certain to kill me. ***

Outside and naked has it's moments though so don't pass too quickly under the right circumstances... Meanwhile, the pool is frozen and you are more likely to find me in the bar rather than hiding in a bush. Especially if it's cold enough to wear hydroponic, err...you know whatever the word I mean...clothing.

Blues! pms

[op5e 0]

I can say that your post regarding cotton definately does make sense and I will keep it in mind when choosing clothes for the winter. It does not get very cold here in Australia but I have started doing hobbies where I am exposed alot to windchill and that advice hopefully will keep me that little bit warmer.

[drakeshelby 0]

Check out The Under Armour website. They have clothers that are made for cold weather wearing that helps keep you warm. I have a cold weather shirt that I purchased from them 2 years ago and it goes with me everywhere. I have not purchased a set of gloves that they make yet so I do not know how well they work.

www.underarmour.com


drakeshelby

drakeshelby

[cvfd1399 0]

I tried that, but the moisture made things worse. I even waited till the last minute to donn them and that did not work. I found out that some gloves can be to tight restricting the blood flow even tho they did not feel to tight it was enough to do it.

[riggerrob 561]

The secret to keeping fingers and toes warm is keeping your body core warm, because when your body core starts to chill, it starts restricting blood flow to extremities (read fingers and toes).

Start with multiple light, loose layers of hydroponic underwear, and be sure to cover your head and neck. Common sense says to catch any neck warmers under your chin strap to prevent them from interfering with vision.
The fanciest gloves in the world are useless if your body core is chilled.