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DJL

Connecting Your Camera Suit Wing to the Hip Ring with metal clips

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This weekened a jumper at my DZ showed up with his new camera suit and put it on with his gear to show everyone. He had connected the wing with a metal clip to his hip ring. I immediatly saw a few problems with that (Direct wear on the webbing, Denting and Burs on the hip ring) and let him know. The manufacturer of the suit had told him to connect it like that and had not made any provision for it to be connected elsewhere, either by directing him to have a rigger sew a cloth connection to the hip ring or to provide a point on the suit to connect the wings.

Has anyone ever been advised to do this? Am I correct in that warning him. By the way he agrees and is following up with the harness manufacturer and the camera suit manufacturer.

I don't think there's any point in saying who made the suit since he may have just misinterpreted their directions - I won't be another dz.com gear basher without the full story. I await his report.
"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

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It's a common practice, although the hip rig isn't usually the place most people connect to. Usually it's the buckle of the leg straps. Sometimes the wing-suit manufacturer provides a small connecting loop with a ring that can go around the leg strap or buckle, but I think most people have a small RSL type ring sewn to the leg strap or just hook into the buckle.

I don't think anyone has died because of it yet.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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I have done around 500 jumps with stainless steel RSL clips hooked to the rings of my wings container.

End result? No issues at all......no evidence of damage or wear.

So, for me, he doesn't need any warning.

Bryn
Journey not destination.....

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i don't see a problem
one of my camsuits is just designed to connect to hip rings
I connect to the rig's hip rings anytime I'm jumping somebody else's rig with wide leg straps which do not allow me to connect to the rings on mu suit

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I thought of this because a while back a gear manufacturer posted a notice for people to not tie their shirts to the hip rings because it was causing wear.

In the meantime, the harness manufacturer said they wouldn't comment on it. Basically it sounds like it hasn't caused any problems in the past but the intelligent user should keep their eye on it.

Personally, I'd see about a cloth connection to the hip ring like is used for demo flags. I tend to misuse things, so I'm just the kind of person who would nick the clasp and start doing damage to my webbing.
"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

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I'm using this type of snap shackle (scroll down a bit and look at the "Fixed Eye"). Same as an RSL, but stainless vs brass, a tad more expensive but seems like it would be hard to nick/damage. Found em' at a marine supply store, much cheaper than ParaGear or other skydiving supply, so bought 8 of them for myself and future needs. They attach nicely to a small Dring I had a rigger attach to my legstrap. I also had my rigger bartack nylon to the release ring on the snap shackle.

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I used to clip to the rsl shackel on my wing to the leg strap buckle on my javlin. after 3 hard seasons my leg straps were showing wear and my rigger grounded it until my leg straps were replaced by sunpath.
now I use 1" plastic clips which are attached below my legstrap on my thigh.
this postion works well with the shape of my wings. flying camera wingsuits adds yet another factor to the whole flying around with snag hazzards on your head thing. some suits take tweaking with swoop cords and attatchment points.........make sure your handles are not blocked and you cannot reach through the bottom of your wing, this could cause a nasty horse shoe malf.
Stay Safe,
jimoke
The ground always, remembers where you are!

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Same with me, RWS needs to replace my leg straps because of the damage caused to the webbing by the wings attached to the hip ring. I would not recomend this practice at all. I also use two 1" plastic clips in the front and back on my Falcon Suit (the best suit I ever flown), and is perfect for belly and back flying.
Gustavo

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Ditto. I had to replace part of both my leg straps due to dangerous wear from an RSL style clip (brass). Fortunately for me, I had an articulated harness so it was a small piece between the tightener and the articulated ring. But on some rigs, that might have meant replacing a much larger piece. It probably won't do much damage if it is an occasional jump or two, but if that's your permanent settup, I'd use one of the aforementioned mods.

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I used to clip to the rsl shackel on my wing to the leg strap buckle on my javlin. after 3 hard seasons my leg straps were showing wear and my rigger grounded it until my leg straps were replaced by sunpath.
now I use 1" plastic clips which are attached below my legstrap on my thigh.
this postion works well with the shape of my wings. flying camera wingsuits adds yet another factor to the whole flying around with snag hazzards on your head thing. some suits take tweaking with swoop cords and attatchment points.........make sure your handles are not blocked and you cannot reach through the bottom of your wing, this could cause a nasty horse shoe malf.
Stay Safe,
jimoke



I'm not picturing the plastic clips, would you mind posting an image?

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Just like on a protec chin strap, only the big ones 1 inch, you can buy them at wal-mart for about 2.25, I been using them for the last 15 years. I never liked the RSL style, to hard to see and find to undo in a hurry, the clips I use are easy to find and see. I use the white ones.

My swoop cords stay the same setting, but the HC clip is made to be adjustable so I can make the wing more tight or loose as needed for the job at hand. This is just above the leg strap buckle/thread thru's and are not tacked down in order to make changes jump to jump if need be.
you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

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my camera jacket came with the Fastex clips, but I didn't care for the way they fit under the leg clips. I've got to admit, never considered putting the female side of the fastex on the leg strap, I guess I got too focused on the snap shackle instead.

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One of my tony camera suits has small loops of trim tape with a small ring for the rsl to clip into. The loop goes over the leg strap just about the friction adaptor. Pain in the butt if you are switching rigs and only have one set of loops with the ring on them!

Both of my firefly camera suits have the loop and ring built into the wing, so doesn't matter what rig you are jumping, they get looped around the legstrap just above the friction adaptor and the rsl clips them into place.

Seems odd to make a suit to clip into the hip ring only...not all rigs have hip rings...
Miami

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Yea, as Miami said if you have more then one rig it can be a pain. I have both my camera rigs set up the same, the clips just live on the leg straps, I never have a reason to take them off, one less thing to do to get dressed. I have a third pair made up and keep them in my rigging kit for "just in case" one breaks or I jump another rig.

My wing's came from tony with the rsl clip, I did not like them and unstiched them, just because their very hard to find by feeling for them (as in if you can't move your head to look for them) I don't have to look to find these and they unsnap way easier then the other.
you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

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My wing's came from tony with the rsl clip, I did not like them and unstiched them, just because their very hard to find by feeling for them (as in if you can't move your head to look for them) I don't have to look to find these and they unsnap way easier then the other.



I guess I just got used to them cause I don't look at all when unclipping the rsl clips...they're in the same place each time. The only time I've used the plastic clips was 5 or 6 camera suits ago when there was a big velcro sandwich and a clip below it, but obviously they still work well for other applications!;)
Miami

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Hello all,

I am the jumper DJL refers to. He is absolutely right when he says I have misinterpreted the manufacturer's instructions. I have contacted the manufacturer for clarification and he confirms that the correct point of attachement of the wing is the buckle of the leg strap and not the hip ring. Furthermore, he recommends not to attach the RSL shackle directly to the buckle but rather to a small connecting loop with a ring (both were provided BTW) that can go around the leg strap or buckle, as pointed out by Quade.
The RSL shackle is sewn to the tip of each wing and comes with a 3" piece of tape that enables an easy grab and pull to disconnect the wings. I haven't jumped that suit yet. I will after I have the attachement points properly taken care of.
Thank you all for having provided your advise (and hopefully more will be posted), it is highly appreciated.

JM

Hispas Brothers President
HISPA #2,

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