What type of main & reserve for newly licensed

[ripcord 0]

I am just about ready to earne my A license and need some advice on what type of main & reserve I should buy. I plan on using a Javelin Odessy Container. I weight 205.
Edited by ripcord on 7/21/01 06:27 PM.

[spectre230 0]

[ripcord 0]

What about brands, any I should avoid?

[skybytch 259]

Avoid the higher performance ellipticals - Diablo, Stiletto, Crossfire, Velocity, Extreme, Vengeance, etc. I usually recommend that a novice buy a Spectre, Triathlon, Sabre or Safire; PD's new Sabre2 just came out - might also be a good choice.
I'd recommend 210-230 sq ft. for your first main; 190 only if you can slowly work your way down to it (or if you've already been jumping something 210-ish).
If you haven't tried on or jumped an Odyssey I'd recommend doing so before you buy one. Great container, but the cut-in backpad/harness might be a tad uncomfortable if you have "love handles" around your waist.
pull and flare,
lisa
----
I am a nobody.
Nobody's perfect.
Therefore, I am perfect!

[ramon 0]

I second the Tri and the Sabre.
Actually never heard any complaint about a triathlon while I have on the Spectre (good opener, have seen some that couldn't land it...morons???) Sabre (good flyer and lander compaints about openeings..look around someone is getting whacked despite the 2 or 3 that always have good openeings) and espicially the shitfire..I mean safire (hardest to land..there are some nay sayers that love them..but I have heard more complaints than any other, opens great will not malfunstions flies good)
disclaimer, I can surf the shit out off a Vengenace 135 at 1.7 loading and can't land a Safire 189...ha ha ha ha ha ho ho..hum guess I should be embarrassed.
.. but that is me.... Our resident surf god, Derek, on a vX 60 lands the 189 fine..
P.s get a hybrid Triathlon and you can do CReW...woo hoo.
ramon and some beer
P.S. I would wait til someone you know has had an experience with a Sabre 2 before buying. there are too many good used mains out there to buy an unknown.

[riggerrob 558]

Plan on loading your first reserve around 1 pound per square foot and your first main not much more than 1.2 pounds per square foot.
Sure those sound like light wing-loadings, but they will forgive your inevitable early mistakes.
Sure, you will be bored with that main after a year or two, but think about the bright side: your legs will be intact!
As for which brand ... oh boy! If you buy from the top half dozen manufacturers, you will get reliable gear with good resale value. Just try to buy something that is still in production.
As for which model to buy, then we get into the opinions, sales pitches, BS and outright lies. For example, I have only made 3 jumps on a Safire 149, but I found it easy to land and really enjoyed that canopy. On the other hand, some people traded in their Safires because they still had not mastered landings after dozens of jumps. Why such a difference in experiences/opinions?

[cobaltdan 0]

dont over look cobalts.
they are excellent begineer canopies at light loadings (1.2-1.4)
in our opinion definately a superior choice of first canopy over a sabre or safire.
ie. better opening characteristics, softer and safter at higher speeds.
more efficient wing, flatter glide, & far better flare.
sincerely,
dan
atair
www.extremefly.com

[alan 1]

Have you asked your Jumpmasters/Instructors for advice? Your rigger is also a good resource. Preferably someone who has seen you fly and is familiar with your skills and abilities. Be very leery of any advice you get from anyone who is not familiar with your flying experience and recommends a wing loading much over 1.2 for your first canopy. Higher wing loading means more speed, speed which you may or may not be prepared to handle yet. Light ellipticals may be OK, but they will have a higher rate of turn and I am sure you are already aware of the dangers of a fast turn near the ground, whether it is intentional or just a mistake. For most jumpers at your experience level, a heavy elliptical will mean trouble and one at 1.2 or higher is playing Russion Roullette.
alan

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

dont over look cobalts.
they are excellent begineer canopies at light loadings (1.2-1.4)

Dan, do you really recommend that a beginner buys an elliptical and loads it at 1.2-1.4? I can't say anything about the Cobalt yet - I have yet to demo one.. I will be in the next few weeks - loaded at about 1.45, and 1.6 if the larger canopy is too docile for me.. I think that somebody just off student status loading an elliptical - no matter how forgiving of a canopy it is - at those loadings is just suicide..
Mike

[rendezvous 0]

if you do plan buying an elliptical with such little experience you might run into issues with some
dropzones since some of them may not allow you to use one unless you are experienced enough to
be on one.

[PhreeZone 14]

Thats a new one.... which dropzone is this? That way I know to stay away since in might hurt my self under my "round-tapered" Spectre. Or maybe that Stiletto that my JM wants me to try will prevent my from jumping at a new DZ...Hmmmm.... At 150 Jumps I dont feel ready for it again but two different JM's said I should consider one for my next canopy. I'm looking into a Cobalt and plan on demoing one soon.

I've seen jumpers with less then 100 jumps on a Birdman suit and a lightly loaded eliptical land perfectly.I've also seen other jumpers with 1000+ jumps biff every landing. Some of the landings are bad enough that you can feel them all the way across the DZ. Does the DZ forbid them from jumping? Nope.... just gives them both a talk to about safety and how important it is to know their limitations.
Whoa... That was cool!

[TALONSKY 0]

I think that some of the best advise I have receive about buying gear for the first time, is to buy used gear. When you are new to this sport you do not know what you really want to end up with and by buying use it gives you gear and time to formulate your own set of likes and dislikes without have the huge start up cost. From what I have seen most all gear now is good gear it justs comes down to preferences. Some like Mirage G3 containers others like Infinity and yet others like Voodoo. Plus not to mention that depending on how much you jump and how aggressive you want to get you will probably want to down size your main canopy after 100 to 200 jumps. Most containers only allow for 1 to 2 size jumps before you would need a different container.
Oh, my preferences are Rigging Innovations containers ( Talon, Talon 2 or Voodoo), I think a PA Falcon is a nice docile canopy to start with plus it is not ZP and will give you time to get use to packing. I currently have a Talon container with a Safire main and I love them both. I do not know what people are talking about the Safire being hard to land, out of 26 jumps only 2 have not been complete stand ups ( my first jump with it and one where a flared a second to late and went down to one knee) that’s loaded 1.3 to 1.
Blue skies
Kirk