Jumpsuits

[thebrick06 0]

I orginally brought a poly suit from symbiosis suits, a ‘Poly’ suit is constructed from a hard wearing 65/35 poly-cotton fabric. This suit allows me to fall slower than if i brought a lopo suit, a trim fitting, fast falling suit with a low porosity, which is what everyone i jump with owns. My friends i jump with our from 10 -11stone. I weight 14.5stone and while i am a bigger guy i still fall faster than most and a weight belt with 5-7pounds is usually required. I was thinking of sending my suit back to symbi to get zero p lining inserted to slow me down. However i have heard that this not only slows you down but your turns and have been advised aganist it by some. Has anyone ever adapted their RW suit like this or have an opinion.

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

14.5 stone = about 200 lbs, right? that's really not all that heavy, so unless you're built like a fireplug, a little extra fabric should be all you need. I doubt ZP would help much, although if you don't have them, getting a suit with booties, fat grippers, and inside leg grippers will slow you down a bit, and add functionality as well. If your buddies don't have tight suits, then they're really hosing you and ultimately themselves, as the tighter the suit, the better you can fly.

I'm just shy of 140 (10 stone) and regularly fly with people 200-240 lbs (we mid-westerners are a little bigger than you guys in the UK)... weights are the answer, as falling faster is a hell of a lot easier than falling slower. I wear as much as 18 lbs.

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

[thebrick06 0]

My suit is already abit baggy as a requested in the form but I think looking back I probably should have added an inch or two around the legs, arms and waist as I know another guy who did this who is about 13.5stone and he can keep with the light jumps and the likes of me really well. I already have the booties, fat grips and inside leg grips. I might buy a new suit soon (2nd hand most likely) alot baggy for big ways with more than one point, even in the base if we turning 8way i have to fight to stay up with my mates, and sink out often.

[rehmwa 2]

Do a search here and in the riggers forum. Then come back...There's a thread every month about big guys asking about using suit design to slow down.

A tunnel camp will do more for you at your level of experience than any suit mod. But once you get that out of the way, there are many options in suits to help out.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Chris_K 0]

A lot of your fall rate has to do with the way you fly. I am a 200 Lb guy and jump with everyone ranging from 120 Lbs to 250 Lbs.

Waht you need to focus on is how tight or loose you fly. You can see in our video's when i fly with the big boys, I seem to be folded under myself to drop at 140 MPH. on the flip side I fly like i am spreading out on a bed as much as possible whn I fly with a few of the very small women at the DZ.

The suit does help to control your fall rate, but flying the bubble is just the start of slowing down. once you have mazed out how much air you can cup, stretch out you body and keep cupping the air. Someone who is proficient at this can fly from 110 MPH to 140MPH (sometimes an even broader range)

Try flying tighter or looser in a tunnel to see the difference on video after the fact, Its a great help.

On the note of the suit though, if it is just way to big or its a suction cup it will detract from your flying abilities.

cheers

Downsizing is not the way to prove your manhood.

[elightle 8]

Ah, yes... jumpsuits. There are as many variations as there are opinions. Kate Cooper, multiple big-way world record holder and organizer, carries 3 jumpsuits with her. I hear that she's made lighter jumpers in her big-way camps tuck their booties inside so they fall faster. If you're a perennial fast faller, then I'd say ask the jumpsuit manufacturer to cut your suit a little looser. Like you said, yours was tight around the knees, etc. My suits are like that but I'm only 132 lbs soaking wet.

Bottom line: Learn to fly your body. For a bigger guy, that might mean always wearing a looser suit. Or, it might mean getting to the tunnel and discovering what your range really is.

Blue Skies!
Ed

[GQ_jumper 4]

Get yourself to a good tunnel camp and learn to use your body to really control your fall rate, once you've got that dialed in tweak the jumpsuit to make it a bit easier on yourself.

I used to weigh 215 and was still very lean so I burned a hole through the sky, and my 105 pound piece partner was able to fall without using an excessive amount of weight. It's all about how you fly.

good luck

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.
--Dwight D. Eisenhower