What are the Pros and Cons of Booties?

[Viking 0]

As some of you may know i will be buying a custom jumpsuit in the next week or so. Please help me to understand the purpose of booties.

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[quade 3]

The Pros generally use them.

Some (ex)Cons don't.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Viking 0]

oh har har

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

If you plan on doing sequential RW, booties make it possible to do much quicker turns and give you more control with your legs. This becomes important when you want to leave your lower arms free for taking grips without "flying" with them. Some people don't like booties for big, single-point skydives because they have a harder time "putting on the brakes" with booties after swooping down to the formation, but truthfully, I don't notice them anymore since I have used them for so long, so I have them on everything but my demo suits. Do you really "need" them? Not really; especially at your stage, but you will want them eventually, so you might as well get them. If you want to save a few dollars now, you can get a suit without them now and have them retrofitted later. I know at least two places that will do that for you.

Chuck

[quade 3]

Quote

I know at least two places that will do that for you.

One of the SoCal places I'd recommend for any type of jumpsuit modification would be Pineapple Express run by Shirley Pelland. She's fantastic.

Tell her I sent you!

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[quade 3]

Ok, seriously.

Booties can enable you to track farther and turn faster.

The only cons I see is that they can wear out - needing repair and that until you get used to them, you might trip once or twice while landing.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[drenaline 0]

I know I don't have too many jumps only 44 but I gotta tell you I fly better with my booties than with the non booties jumpsuit. Faster forward movement without the need of my hands. You better take what I just said with a bit of salt and ask around.

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[ltdiver 3]

Viking,

Get the booties. Several reasons. Some already stated here (better, faster tracking. better, faster, more controlled turns).

Other reasons.
If you get into any RW discipline you'll want them for these reasons plus fallrate recovery.
-Getting back up after going low is easier with booties (you fall a tad slower with them on).
-Tracking up hill towards a formation is aided by booties.
-Control in a track is aided by booties.
-Safety in being able to track farther away from a formation is aided by booties. Farther away=less chance of deploying near someone else.

Actually, the only problem I've encountered with booties is that you can't sit-fly with them on! I've tried! I merely end up on my back instead of in a sit. So, for those dives (if I choose to where my RW suit) I just tuck the booties up inside the suit and sit away! No problem!

Hope this helps,
ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[drenaline 0]

Oh yeah something that I do know but forgot to tell ya, if you are going for the booties take them now, don't go for the booties on your jumpsuit number 2 or 3, the booties are no good if you get used to flying with your hands or with no booties for a long time. Ask skybytch, I think she had trouble with her booties.

HISPA 21
www.panamafreefall.com

[flyhi 24]

Quote

The only cons I see is that they can wear out - needing repair and that until you get used to them, you might trip once or twice while landing.

Was advised to use Shoe Goo liberally on mine and have had good luck with that. Only problem I have seen is wear on the top from when I drag a toe, on occasion.

Shit happens. And it usually happens because of physics.

[steve1 5]

A few days ago Mad John was talking about some people not tracking effectively with booties. His ideas on this were that they have so much drag that some people think their legs are fully extended but they are still leaving a bend in their knees. So when tracking off make sure your knees are locked. At least this is the jist of what he said. I'd like to hear further ideas on this. I love mine. Steve 1

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>As some of you may know i will be buying a custom jumpsuit in
> the next week or so. Please help me to understand the purpose
>of booties.

As some of the people have stated here, booties will improve your tracking. However, the way you start your track changes a bit. With booties, if you just kick your legs straight the way you do without them, you'll end up diving, and that's not tracking. With booties, I myself have to de-arch first, then slowly bring my arms back, and slowly extend my legs.

Another thing is that the booties can be a bit of a pain on jumps you don't really need them, like hop'n'pops and such. I'm going to get a FF-suit so I don't have to mess with the booties when I don't need them.

And the Pro's were stated: They are a must for serious 4-way.

Erno

[PhillyKev 0]

Con is FF. Can't sit with booties on. Great for RW though.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

actually, the myth that you can't freefly in a bootie suit always makes me laugh. While it is true that you can't do a proper sit, you can certainly do a righteous stand, knee fly, and head-down moves.

Bottom line, though, is that you ought to have specialized clothes for both, if for nothing else but to appease the style gods.

Chuck

[weid14 0]

that's true, PD Blue used to swing into a head down at the end of their training jumps.... was pretty cool.

[Viking 0]

so with the booties do you have to be more carefull with how you start your track?

I swear you must have footprints on the back of your helmet - chicagoskydiver
My God has a bigger dick than your god -George Carlin

[DanG 1]

I don't believe you have to be more careful in the way you start your track. Booty or no booty, you begin with a de-arch, then extend your legs. Arms come last.

With booties, however, you will be able to track farther and faster. As with any track, your knees must be locked out to get the best effect.

In short, if you want to do RW, get the booties.

- Dan G

[DanG 1]

P.S. And after you get your booty equiped suit, get someone to teach you how to use them properly. If you are only doing arm turns, then booties won't help you. Learn to do coordinated turns, and you will be able to turn faster, and stop quicker with booties. It's not hard, but it takes a little practice.

- Dan G

[kallend 1,648]

One thing I've noticed is that if you're a little floaty on a formation and you stick your legs out to drive in to dock, booties make you float even more and docking becomes difficult. It's not a problem if you're properly weighted.