Voodoo or Javelin Odyssey or Mirage G3

[NathanL100 0]

I just accepted a new position at work that pays a hell of a lot better. So with my extra cash I was thinking of buying a new rig, but I'm not sure what container to get. I've narrowed it down to an Odyssey, Mirage, or a Voodoo, but I can't decide. I've heard good things from my rigger about the reserve set up on the Voodoo and the Odyssey, but I haven't heard anything about the G3. Whats the reserve set up like on the G3? I have a talon 2 now and I really like it so naturally I'm leaning towards the Voodoo, but how do they all compair (comfort, reserve setup, freeflable,etc)? Oh and whats up the freefly pullout handle thingy that the Mirage G3 has? Is it good, bad, or of no concern?
Blue Ones,
Nathan
A# 39553

[Kelly 0]

some great advice given to me when trying to decide between containers ~ find out what people dont like about them.. not just what they do like.
http://www.geocities.com/flynfroggie/skydiving_friends.html

[NathanL100 0]

Ok, so also tell me what you don't like about the containers.
Thanks Kelly
Blue Ones,
Nathan
A# 39553

[riggerrob 561]

Go with the Voodoo.
I will go with a Voodoo as soon as I get a raise.

[NathanL100 0]

riggerrob - I know where you bias comes from, so sell it to me!
Did they change anything on the reserve set up from theTalon 2?
You still work for Rigging Innovations?
Blue Ones,
Nathan
A# 39553

[Zennie 0]

Just out of curiosity, any reason why a Vector isn't on that list? I love mine and I've seen a fair number of Javelin folks (especially the freefliers) at our DZ moving over to Vector/Microns.
And quite honestly I can't think of anything I don't like about mine other than I bought it used so the fit isn't exactly perfect.
"Zero Tolerance: the politically correct term for zero thought, zero common sense."

[NathanL100 0]

I've heard that their internal riser covers warp after they have see enough sun. Plus there aren't any around my DZ so I haven't had a chance to check one out.
Blue Ones,
Nathan
A# 39553

[PhreeZone 15]

All modern rigs are pretty much freefly friendly. If they are not, the rigs never sell and all these rigs are popular with freefliers.
Alright.... Odyseey First, Its basically a Jav with better Laterals amd riser inserts. The Main flap is still prone to poping open in freefall and this can help lead to premature openings. The other drawbacks, Cost, not as good of pin protection as some other designs (IMHO), Lack of ability do do a Large Reserve, small main combo. Nice variety in materials to choose from.
Mirage - Sweet Rig, great pin protection. OK to repack for the reserve. No Major drawbacks other then the price $$$. Minor ones are the container does not like to have as large of canopy downsizes as the Javelin (Mirage only 1.5 sizes, Javelin 2+ depending on size)
Voodoo - Looks great, can have a good combo for Main/ Reserve, decent price. The eye thing is cool. Never repacked them ,but I heard there was a recall on some of the early ones to fix the riser covers or something.
Vector - The original freefly rig. Best Pin/Riser protection I've seen. Simple to repack the reserve, great fiting and light weight.
Wings - My next rig! Personally, unless you are planing on getting your riggers ticket, forget about the reserve setup. Worry more about the fit and the price.
I want to touch the sky, I want to fly so high ~ Sonique

[Geoff 0]

A very personal view:
Javelin/ Odyssey - the main flaps seem to come open far too easily, even on the newest models
Mirage (what I have) - great rig, stays shut, but pricey. I don't really like the 'wedge' shape - very thin at the top and thick at the bottom. My instinct tells me that this will be less stable for sit-flying, but I don't have any evidence, and I do lots of sit-flying with mine. Some of the available sizes allow small main / large reserve combinations, which I think is great.
Voodoo - I've never jumped one, but I really like the smooth profiled shape (thin at top and bottom, thicker in the middle). General pin / bridle protection and security of flaps looks great. BUT - it's not available in any large reserve / small main combinations, otherwise it would probably be my next rig.
Geoff

[3fLiEr 0]

Voodoo are nice and do look phuqkin smart..... but if you start putting larger canopies in them they look shit!
G3 - nice!
Jav - I have one and swear by it
bsbd
"In a world where we are slaves to gravity I am pleased to be a freedom fighter"

[Ronja 0]

I had a Talon 2. And now a Voodoo 4 V2- had 200 jumps on it the last 4 month.I LOVE IT !
Very comfy (try the opening with Sabre in a Voodoo/mirage G3) You feel the difference between your legs.
Great allround rigg-safe. Yes you loose some design when you choose a "big ?" container. I have a Spectre 170/pd 160r- in 2003 I put in a 150, cause I love a big reserve when I need it ! so go for the Voodoo !

[OmriMon 0]

odyssey- i own one and have about 50 jumps on it and i really like it,i never had my main flap or riser covers open in freefall. the only thing about it is the high price when u add some options on it (rings ect.)
voodoo - never jumped one but packed a few, it's well built with good main pin protection and bridle protection, but not as good as the odyssey has, what i don't like about it and most of the other containers is that if doesn't have cut-in leterals like the odyssey has, my frame is quite narrow and only the odyssey doesn't move on my back
g3 - never even saw one but people say it's a copy of the vector 3
vector 3 - i never jumped one but packed some, great riser covers and i think the best main pin protection i ever saw but doesn't have a very good bridle protction as the odyssey or voodoo (it was a 1998 model so maybe they changed something?)
"The longer you freefly - The longer your beard is"

[skybytch 259]

Okay, totally my opinion here... I don't think you can go wrong with any of the top six or so containers. All of them are basically freefly friendly, all of them have comfortable harnesses (pop for the harness rings; expensive but worth it).
Voodoo - Schweet! RI has been around since dirt was invented. They build quality products and know how to take good care of their customers, which to me is an important consideration. Expensive, but not outrageous when you consider that the things that are optional on other rigs are included in the base price (harness rings, kill line p/c, hacky, etc.).
Odyssey - Several of my coworkers jump Odyssey's and they have no complaints. Price and delivery time are the downsides; I've seen even lightly optioned Odyssey's go out at close to US$2000 and you're looking at a 10-12 week wait for custom.
Mirage - Well built, secure flaps, overall a nice rig... my only complaint about Mirage is customer service or lack thereof. It is basically a copy of a Vector 3 and imho somewhat overpriced, but that's just my opinion.
The ones you didn't mention -
Vector 3 - Schweet! RWS has also been around since dirt was invented, builds quality products and also knows how to take care of a customer. The Vector 3 harness is incredibly comfortable, flaps aren't going to come open until you want them to. Downside is delivery time; again you're looking at 10-12 weeks.
Infinity - all the good of the Vector 3 at a better price and faster delivery (currently 5-6 weeks). The Infinity was my choice and I couldn't be happier after finally getting to jump it over the weekend. Super comfortable, secure flaps, and the rigger who packed it had no complaints, nor did either of the packers who took care of the main for me.
Wings - another excellent lower cost container. Great delivery time, secure flaps, and I've heard only good things about customer service.
pull and flare,
lisa
--
life's a bitch.. and so am I

[skycat 0]

Quote

Mirage - Well built, secure flaps, overall a nice rig... my only complaint about Mirage is customer service or lack thereof

I have to disagree, for me the customer service was increadable. The harness didn't fit quite right, so after sending it back to them and probably spending 30 min or so talking to the designer, 2 weeks from the day I shipped it, my baby was back in my gear bag, and that was after they replaced the back pad/yoke and other parts. The new fit was perfect, and as a bonus they replaced the stainless legstrap hardware to that new pdf kind for free.
I think since they reorganized their customer service, things have improved there from before.
Downsides to the rig, cost....it's a very pricey rig. Also my rigger at first whined about how hard it was to close reserve, but since that was his only complaint about it, it didn't count in my books. Actually he is planning to get one as his next rig to replace his micron.

[DanG 1]

If cost is the big obstacle to buying an Oddessy, you can still get a regular Javelin for $175 less. The only thing you miss out on is the cut-in backpad, and wider leg straps. Stainless hardware and riser inserts are now standard on all Javelins, Oddessy or not. I just got my new Javelin with harness rings, kill line pc, hackey handle, and "Javelin" sewn on the side cause it looks cool. From my dealer (who is very reasonable) it came in a little over $1400.
- Dan G

[AggieDave 6]

Some of the new Odysseys I've seen around have been built very poorly. They may have been an exception, since in the past the same company has had nothing but the best, but the ones I saw had problems. The riser covers/flaps didn't fit right, so they were sort of bowed out, exposing some of the risers, the container flaps didn't fit right, no matter how they packed the main. Personally I was disappointed to see such a lack of craftsmenship. Like I said though, the couple that I saw like that could have been isolated problems.
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.-General George Patton-

[weid14 0]

Mirage G3 is not a copy of the vector 3.
IMHO - Javelin has really slick marketing but no real inovation.
Mirage has excellent engineering (look at the details)
Mircon, nice container
Voodoo - haven't looked at one up close, but the moneky claw guys like them

[SniperCJ 0]

I JUST got my Mirage G3. I havnt jumped it yet so I cant comment there, but I will say there are a lot of them around my DZ so that says something (lots of Vector 3's too, only one Voodoo that ive seen). Ill jump it this weekend so Ill let ya know.
I love the way it looks. The fit and finish is excellent. Rigger had no complaints about closing it. He even recommended the Mirage when I was looking around. Pin protection is second to none.
My gf also ordered one and it came w/o the hip rings and the leg pads were short. Also I ordered mine with "OOH" on the cutaway and it didnt turn out like I thought. (Didnt think about half the world reading it as "HOO"). Anyway, she called Mirage and they were very helpful about getting her info on sending hers back, gave her a Fed-Ex account number and all, and said it would get fixed post haste. When she mentioned the cutaway handle issue on mine, the rep said to keep that handle as a spare and they would re-make the handle with something else on it at no charge. Pretty slick if ya ask me. Ill let ya know how quickly we get it all back, but I bet its not over a couple of weeks.
Its pretty comfortable on the ground, but its still stiff from being new so it rubs a couple of places. Im sure thatll go away as it gets broken in.
Ya, it was pricey, but if youre thinking about Vec3, Odyessy, and Voodoo, there isnt THAT much difference.
Blues
JC

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

I jump an Odyssey RS, but would have been perfectly happy with another Vector or new Infinity. The only reason I went back to Sunpath after ten years was the cut-in backpad. Besides that, they are all about the same to me. The fit of the Odyssey is just that much nicer that I HAD to do it. Also, my rig is put together perfectly, as is every other Odyssey on my DZ. Every manufacturer has a bad day and you will see some rigs from all of them in the field that just do not work or look right.
Around here, it's Sunpath, Wings, Mirage G3, or Infinity.
Chuck
My webpage HERE

[johnny1488 1]

Its all my dad can beat up your dad. I put 100 jumps on my new odyssey since aug. and I couldnt be happier. No way my main pin flap is coming open by accident. Riser covers are bad ass and the fit is much better than a G3 I tried on. I literally forget I am wearing a rig it's so comfy. Also a decked out G3 is much more than an equiped odyssey. My girlfriend has a wings (rental/lease) and Im not thrilled with it. Buy what you feel comfortable spending a big nut on. They are all quality.
Johnny

[skybytch 259]

Quote

Mirage G3 is not a copy of the vector 3.

The basic Mirage planform _is_ basically a copy of the Vector 3. Which rig came out with secondary riser covers and the reversed main flap first? Is that bad? No not really; the Infinity incorporates a lot of the design features of the Vector 3 too.
If you want real innovation, get a Voodoo - the most radical departure from "traditional" container design since the introduction of the "piggyback" rig.

Quote

I think since they reorganized their customer service, things have improved there from before.

I hope so! I haven't had any dealings with them since this happened so I can only comment on "before".
pull and flare,
lisa
--
life's a bitch.. and so am I

[ramon 0]

Last bunch of voodoos I have seen were messed up, but at least Sandy was fixing them for free (making them voodoo IIs)
last bunch of Odyseys I have seen were screwed up to the tune of messed up riser cover flaps over the reserve contatiner, broken dive loops, incorrectly size harnesses and messed up main packing trays (too small)...incidentally everything off the shelf I have seen has been fine but custom items seem to be really bad lately.
I have not seen or heard of any mirage screw ups.
Get a vector III
or a mirage..
ramon

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

I have a talon 2 now and I really like it so naturally I'm leaning towards the Voodoo, but how do they all compair (comfort, reserve setup, freeflable,etc)?

The Voodoo is an awesome rig, but I ended up going with the Mirage for one primary reason - container sizes.. The Voodoo is NOT offered in combinations that I want(120 main, 160 reserve).. I told Sandy Reid that if he offered such a combo, I would be the first to buy it.......so hurry up Sandy! My Talon 2 is getting worn out!
Mike

[Aviatrr 0]

Quote

Vector - The original freefly rig. Best Pin/Riser protection I've seen. Simple to repack the reserve, great fiting and light weight.

Better be sure that your rigger is familiar with the problems with the Vector's freebag, and knows how to pack the reserve to avoid a potential deadly situation..
Ever seen a Vector swung around by the reserve bridle, freebag stuck in the container? I have.
Mike

[skybytch 259]

Quote

the problems with the Vector's freebag, and knows how to pack the reserve to avoid a potential deadly situation..

Expand and explain please? I'd hope that simply packing according to the manufacturer's instructions would avoid any potential deadly situations.
pull and flare,
lisa
--
life's a bitch.. and so am I