removable slider?

[skyshimas 0]

When is it relevant to have a removable slider?
I stow my slider behind the head and I love the difference it makes in comparison to as if I would just callapse it and leave it hang there. Now I wonder what if I would remove it completely! Is there a size of the canopy one should fly before getting RS to feel the benefit or high W/L? I fly 1.7-1 CF2 119. I don't want others to think that I am acting cool or anything. So would RS give me any sizable advantage and improve flight characteristics and would be worth the hussle to pack? Any opinion appreciated!

[dharma1976 0]

when you are trying to gain every little bit of advantage in competition, until then the headaches involved are too much...

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[frost 1]

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would RS give me any sizable advantage and improve flight characteristics and would be worth the hussle to pack?

We're talking about just a slider, not full RDS, right?

I think the biggest benefit of a removable slider is how it improves your field of vision under canopy. You will be surprised at how much easier it is to look around. But if you have a standard length (short) chest strap, you probably wont see much of a difference in flight characteristics. And even if you have a long chest strap, an RS wont help you go 100 feet further :)

It is not very difficult to pack a canopy with a removable slider, but there are some things to keep an eye on at first. Like hooking it up correctly :) But all these things will become second nature after a few dozen pack jobs. Although, I do make an occasional mistake hooking it up (even after 1500+ jumps with it) :) But these are easy to spot and fix. It also adds a couple of minutes to your pack job, so if you do lots of back to backs and sometimes have a sloppy packer - you may benefit from using regular set up.

If you're a weekend fun jumper you probably dont need it, but thats your choice.

[skyshimas 0]

Yes, I am talking about removable slider only and I do have a regular chest strap... when i thought about it I remembered being just after aff and I wish somebody told me to losen up chest strap and I wasn't swooping or anything :) so know I am thinking maybe it is a great think I should do also although I am not trying to get that every little bit of performance or in other words I am not competing- its still far away if not too far :) If that slider removed would help me come back from a long spot it is a good thing is in it? or give similar benefits.

[AggieDave 6]

Getting back from a long spot depends more on how you fly your canopy and your body position more then just a slider. The slider alone wouldn't give you that much of an advantage. Especially with that PC anchor dragging behind your canopy.

If you want to deal with the extra problems with a partial-RDS then sure, knock yourself out. I'm not sure if it would be worth the extra hassle outside of competition and training for competition.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skyshimas 0]

yeah probably its not worth it. I am no competitor either.

[br0k3n 0]

my two cents...

I recently installed a RDS system on my Xaos, main reason was for the upcoming Australian Canopy Nationals.

I have also now done a bunch of terminal jumps with just the removable Slider, without the d-bag attached, and I have decided to keep it this way.

First thing I noticed is that the removable slider actually slowed my openings, im not sure if this is particular to my slider (which is actually slightly smaller then the original slider), or common with removable sliders.

Removing the slider once deployed is super easy and once chest strap is loosened I stuff it inside my jump suit, then I have to pull the grommets down over the toggles and dive loops, but all up it is still easier and quicker then stowing my old slider.

I guess the only negative side is that the time you save under canopy is gone when you add the additional time to re-attach it, however after about 20 – 30 pack jobs, that time is very small. Yes there is the risk of connecting it incorrectly, but if you ensure you check it once attached errors are easily noticeable, it really isn’t that complicated.

So in conclusion I love my removable slider, no snapping bands, flapping material round my ears, better visibility, and no risk of hang ups if you chop. So unless someone has a good reason I don’t know why you wouldn’t use one.

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If you want to deal with the extra problems with a partial-RDS then sure

Dave, can you elaborate on what you see as the "extra" problems ? as the only one I see if if you attached it incorrectly..

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[HSPScott 0]

What size is your RDS and where did you get it?? I also jump a Xaos and am thinking about getting an RDS after jumping one.

[freeflyer2k 0]

Hi
I just used my new removable slider last weekend,
Im not using the RDS aspect of it at all.
My reasons for getting one were simple enough.
I Swoop regularly so getting the slider out of the way safely is an issue for me... not only to improve visibility but also guarantee ease of access to risers etc.
Slider locks didnt work well enough for me and attaching the slider to something behind my neck was not only a serious safety issue but took inordinate amounts of time, especially when using gloves.
(this was my main reason as post deployment procedures were getting too lengthy between collapsing the slider pulling it down over the toggles, stowing it, and loosening chest straps etc)

With the removable slider i can simply grab its toggles pull it straight off and stuff it between my back and my rig (yep it actually stays there for me even with the chest strap loosened) job done...
I am getting an easier to use / more secure pocket put on my suit so getting rid of it should get even easier...

Still despite all that packing does take extra time and care and i wouldnt trust anyone else but a very select few to pack for me now.

if you arent particularly focusing on swooping regularly i'd say just go for slider locks.
Performance wise the removable sliders improvement would be so tiny that any slight mistake in technique would immediately cancel out the advantage...

Blues
Mike

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

[skyshimas 0]

You are right it takes quite a bit of time to stow slider behind the head. And sometimes my toggle gets loose while passing slider through- I hate that because it starts spinning maybe not spinning but turning at first. And all those procedures stowing slider, loosening chest strap, moving leg straps up the thigh takes a chunk of attention from whats going on around you. Maybe this would be a solution, which would eliminate the longest part of this process- stowing the slider.

[br0k3n 0]

I ordered my RDS from Deepseed

When you order it you just send them the standard slider measurements, wait a couple of weeks and you have a nice new RDS.

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[Bowie 0]

What did you pay for a deepseed RDS

Bo Wienberg

vimeo.com/bowienberg

[HSPScott 0]

Can you post a pic of it??

[br0k3n 0]

ermm i think it was $250NZ which is approx $200US..

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[br0k3n 0]

ill take some pics over the weekend and post them monday.. hows that?

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[HSPScott 0]

sounds good

[tetra316 0]

So how much for just the removable slider and where would you get it?

[padraigbrowne 0]

pull it straight off and stuff it between my back and my rig (yep it actually stays there for me even with the chest strap loosened)
***


So how has that been working out for you since Mike ?

[freeflyer2k 0]

Ummm Yeah i bet you just couldnt wait to get home and post huh browno :)
Yeah i would like to retract my original statement and advise you find a very secure place to hide the slider as between your back and rig may not work too well on its own, not many dropzones have guys who are willing to go running off across country to get it back for you when it decides to slip out at 3000ft on windy day. ordering a bright orange one is also an excelllent idea. :)

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

[diablopilot 2]

Down the front of your jumpsuit or shirt isn't pretty, but it's quite a bit more secure.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[freeflyer2k 0]

Yeah even -12 degrees C isnt a good enough excuse for not doing that after you loose a slider...

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

[br0k3n 0]

Ok here you go, some pics of my Deepseed RDS..

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[dharma1976 0]

that is certainly a nice way to make it so that you dont have to wait for rings eh :-P

D

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[HSPScott 0]

Nice pics, nice design. Thanks for the info.

[frost 1]

Thank you for the pics. Interesting idea! But with 12(!) points of attachment (3 per ring) it's probably gonna take a while to hook it up correctly every time, even with practice... I still mess up my ParaConcepts RDS every once in a while, and that one only has 8 points :)

In my mind, MEL/Joe's style RDS is perfect as far as ease of hook up, but PC RDS is better for ring/slider stability. Both work well though and get the job done.