RW suit question

[Piece 0]

First of all, I did do a search but all the threads I could find were at least 2 years old and I figured it may be time to ask this question again. I apologize in advance if I'm wrong.

So I fell in love with bellyflying this season. I got a newbie 4-way team lined up for next year, plans for camps/tunnel time over the winter, I'm stoked. Unfortunately, I still don't own an RW suit. I've been looking around and I'm thinking the Michigan Tetris suit. It doesn't have a lot of options so I can't screw it up and a lot of people on here seemed to love theirs about two years ago. Do you guys still do?

The main question I want to ask is: is the Tetris, being a competition suit, a bit too much for me? I'm 5'10" and 180-185 lbs (my weight changes...), am I going to be unreasonably fast if the front is all nylon? I've read before that weights should be the way to adjust fallrate and not suit material, am I understanding this right? Also, one of my teammates is already faster than everyone else and the team is for fun with friends, cutting people is absolutely out of the question, so being faster may be a good thing for this reason.

Also, does anyone have leg zippers on the Tetris? Do they hold up to abuse? I don't want the zippers if they're gonna break and ruin the suit. Are the zippers mostly a comfort thing? Do the soles of the booties hold up to walking and landing on them or are the zippers necessary?

Thanks!

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/02/28/funny-pictures-i-come-with-sarcasm/
Proudly uncool since 1982.

[buff 0]

Zippers are no big deal. Mine has them along the back rather than the side and they hold up pretty well.

Another option is you can learn to sew. I'm learning myself and have made repairs to others suits and am in the process of adding full booties to a toe loop suit. It's the pattern making that's a bitch.

Bootie soles -- Shoe Goo

I guess if your suit is too fast, you could oversew some drag material on the front or go with sleeves.

That's my 2cents and as always, I'm not an instructor and try not to do something stupid before checking with a more experienced person first, etc.

It's called the Hillbilly Hop N Pop dude.
If you're gonna be stupid, you better be tough.
That's fucked up. Watermelons do not grow on trees! ~Skymama

[matthewcline 0]

I have two Tetris Suits. One is a prototype that is over 4 years old and other than some grass stains from a few lower then planned swoop plane outs it is holding up fantastic.

One has a spandex forearm with supplex body and is quick (120+ mantis style), the other has a supplex forearm and is in the average fallers range (115~ mantis style).

You can even have a polly cotten body to slow you down if needed, but that doesn't seem to be the case for you..

I think my supplex body and spandex forearmed suits is the range for comp and probably the design your looking for, IMO. Your fast guy can slow down a little with drag and the slower ones with nylon and some weight, this should put you in or near the middle of the ranges.

As for zippers, I never get them as I do not want to risk the failure happening when I am finalizing my gear prep and near altitude.

I put my suit on in the morning at the 10 minute call befoe load one and usually do not take it off till the last certtificate is signed and handed out afte rthe Sunset load. My young suit is three years old and it looks as good as a new suit.

I did have a cordura butt put on both suits as I usually wear these suits doing AFF/Tandem/Coach/RW/ and Course Evaluator jumps.

I have owned suits from 4 co's and I keep finding the Michigan Suits work best for me, YMMV.

Matt

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

[AllisonH 0]

Talk to Franz, he'll help you order the right suit for you. I think Jon at Tecumseh has a Michigan suit - you might talk to him too. Zippers are to make it easier to get the suit on/off with shoes on - I got them on my first suit, but not on the second one I just ordered. You'll need to shoe-goo the booties, but if you do that they'll hold up just fine (you can still take the booties off between jumps with or without zippers).

Who all is going to be on your 4-way team? Sounds like fun - let me know if you need any help getting started. I'm far from an expert, but can pass along the advice I've gotten from some great coaches over the past year or so.

-Allison

[Piece 0]

Franz is definitely the guy I'll be ordering it through. Jon is Jon Morrison?

The team is gonna be Gordon, Jeromy, Greg and me. Like I said, newbie 4-way for fun, but everyone seems to agree that we want to train on a schedule and go south to jump/train over the winter. We may not go to the nationals but I think everyone can really improve from this. People have already progressed a great deal since the Hellfish boogie, last weekend we launched an exit without funneling it. Thanks for the offer to help, we will definitely need some advice at a few points. I was hoping to drag Dale into occasionally critiquing video

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/02/28/funny-pictures-i-come-with-sarcasm/
Proudly uncool since 1982.

[rehmwa 2]

You don't need zippers. If the suit (knees) are built right, you should be able to slip your shoes right through and into the toe cup. You should never have to take your shoes off to don or doff a suit.

The Tetris is a VERY nice suit.

Do the search again and look up the thread for Ron's comments. All the same comments apply. I'll link it if I can find it myself.

here's a link, then there's a link to another in the 2nd post
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2135482#2135482

...
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

[Piece 0]

Thank you rehmwa, I saw that thread and am glad to hear all the same opinions still apply.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/02/28/funny-pictures-i-come-with-sarcasm/
Proudly uncool since 1982.

[AllisonH 0]

Yes, Jon is Jon Morrison. Hope you all have fun - let me know when/where you decide to go to the tunnel. Jon, Nicole and I are going the first weekend of December if any of you want to join us.

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

Thank you rehmwa, I saw that thread and am glad to hear all the same opinions still apply.

no problem - my wife makes skydiving suits so we've studied designs in a lot of detail

LOTS of good suitmakers out there - stick local if you can, cost and delivery are a big deal - beware of silly gimmicks that don't add performance

...
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

[Morrison79 0]

Eugene

i have a michigan rw suit. I do not have the zippers like you were talking about though. For the most part it has held up pretty well for the last 270 jumps.
If you are out this weekend you are more than welcome to jump it for the day. It should fit you fine since we are about the same size. Maybe i will take your FF suit and embarass myself while I try to sit fly.

Jon Morrison

[wildfan75 1]

[Cough]Skimmer Suits[/cough]

www.skimmersuits.com