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Viking

Idea's on how to make student rigs more barable?

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The leg straps on the student rigs at Otay have been hurting me on opening and under canopy is there anything you guys can suggest to keep me from walking like a cowboy for a week after jumping?? :$ Steve one of the video guys whoam i have become friends with said that padded biking shorts would help.
Remember when Sex was safe and skydiving was Dangerous?

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I'm not sure but I thought I read on a past thread were some leg strap pads are interchangeable...Maybe you could ask if they could put some better padding on it. OR hurry up and get off student status so you dont have to fly those big bulky student rigs. I was able to do my whole AFP coarse in one weekend so by monday my crotch looked like it went through hell and back but at least I was do and only dealt with the pain for that one week after! (be safe though)!!
jason

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Hey VIKING...if i were you, I would take some GOLDBOND MEDICATED POWDER. You can apply that stuff after each jump and it feel GOOD on chaffed(sp) skin.
A guy once told me that the extra-strength GoldBond Powder felt like "3000 Chinese women blowing on your balls". How could you beat that???:)I'm taking some this weekend cuz six or seven jumps is going to kill my balls and thighs.
Good luck, bro!!
Our humble corner on the web... HERE

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well me and MM thought up somthing that will help its just nylon webbing sleeves with foam ruber strips sown into them and then velcro flaps to go around the leg strap that should help me. oh and i can't go do all my lvl's in one weekend i can only go out there once a week b/c i have to watch the grandparents plus the gas prices are a bitch and my mom pays for that so i kinda have keep it down until i get a steady job and can pay for my own gas and stuff.
Remember when Sex was safe and skydiving was Dangerous?

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You may have already been told this one...
Tighter leg straps generally are more comfortable on opening than loose ones. I found this to be the case for me when using student gear. As well, if the leg straps are higher up (closer to your crotch) they will travel less on opening and usually reduces amount of bruising etc. They key is: no looseness ensures less travel of the leg straps, which means less impact on your legs on opening.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
NewGuy B|

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I don't know what kind of gear you're using out there, but I did my jump course through the military(wwII 35 ft. rounds) and those are a whole lot worse than anything I've experienced so far under the squares. I did try the padded bike shorts and found it made a world of difference under there, so it may be worth a try. Best of luck.

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Hi there,
Student rigs shouldn't be uncomfortable... Relatively heavy, perhaps, but not uncomfortable. The secret is in the adjustment of them, which is generally far greater than experienced (custom) harnesses.
A commonly forgotten aspect of student harness fit is the main lift web length adjustment. Let's face it, unless it's been properly adjusted for a 4'10" student and then put on (attempted?) by a 6'6" student, the lift web length is taken "as is". The point where the lift web ends & the "leg strap loop" begins should be just under the Iliac Crest (sticky out bit of bone 3 - 4" under the ribs at the side). This should set the front of the leg strap about 40 - 45 degrees to the horizontal with the "comfort pad" (strangely absent from my old Racer - but not missed) around the crotch.
The other point (which has already been raised) is leg-strap tightness. Nice and tight (and guys... "3-Piece suite in the middle of the room:P). Chest strap loose enough to allow a comfortabe arch. The important thing about the leg straps being tight is the harness doesn't slow down (on deployment) before you do. compare a hard push to a hard punch... which one hurts?
In conclusion, adjust the harness to fit, and get the legstraps tight... That way, all you'll have to complain about is the weight of the student kit.
Mike D10270.

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I had this same problem and I could find nothing that helped. The only thing I found was to adjust my position in the harness. After opening look around to make sure there is no one that your going to hit. Then move the leg straps under the back of your legs. This will put you in a sitting position. I found that sitting in my harness felt much better than hanging in it. Be carefull once you get close to landing that you can still put your legs down for landing. Hope this helps.

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Quote

A commonly forgotten aspect of student harness fit is the main lift web length adjustment.


That right there is key. I was getting bruised to hell as well as having my chest strap ride up to just below my throat until I found out about that little tid bit. Makes a freakin' world of difference. ("freakin'" added for extreme emphasis)
cielos azules y cerveza fría
-Kevin

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i am 6'3" so the harness has to be adjusted everytime i use it so thats not it the only thing that i can think of is that the leg straps just aren't tight enough. But i had them sintched down pretty good this last time and i got a pretty desent bruise. I will really make them tight for lvl 3 and see what happens but after that i am going to go with the bike shorts b/c it just ruins all the fun when your crotch hurts!!!
Remember when Sex was safe and skydiving was Dangerous?

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I was getting bruised at the same spot when I started out. I think it was around jump 10 that the bruising stopped happening. I don't know if my muscles toughened up there or if I am adjusting the harness differently now though.
Wesley
--
I'll see you at 13,5 amongst the clouds.

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Just a note on the legstrap tightness: I was really nervous before my first jump on my own gear (beer, yeah, I know), and I cinched those straps down waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay tight. I was under canopy by 4500'. By 1500', my feet were starting to tingle because my legstraps were reducing the circulation in my legs! Adjusting them so that they were on the backs of my legs didn't help all that much.
Lesson: Tight, but not too tight. :)Blues, squares,
PTiger
"Beer: the OTHER other white meat."

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All the other posters were correct when they advised wearing harnesses so snug there is just enough room to arch.
Secondly, Viking & MM have the right idea about foam rubber sleeves. They are standard on the Telesis 2. I suggested the idea during an R.I. brain storming session in 1996. Sliding leg pads with a teardrop cross section were standard on the Genera, Talon 2 and Telesis 2. They soon fell out of fashion on the Talon 2 because they looked too "cheap."
I have subsequently retro-fitted these round-edged leg pads to my old Mirage and some tandem rigs as well as Vectors and Javelins jumped by my friends. The secret is to build them out of the same blue foam as camping matresses. It feels too bulky the first few times, but soon breaks in.
The big advantage to rounded edge leg pads is that they gently push your "naughty bits" out of the way before they can get squeezed.

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One layer of blue matress foam is enough. Just ask your rigger to wrap it between two layers of Cordura and bind it, etc so it looks like the original Telesis 2 leg pads.
I have some spare rolled edge leg pads at work. You can call me there (604) 465-7311 to discuss prices.

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