what type of freefly suit do i go for/need?

[Newbie 0]

ok i've done quite a lot of reading in the forum about which BRAND of suit - but what about things like bagginess? I haven't started freeflying yet, so dont know how the level of bagginess affects how i am in the air, but i want to order a suit now so that when i start it's up and ready to go.
Can anyone advise me on what i should look for as a newbie?
What about knee/butt pads? Worth it? What about doubled fabric in arms/legs (as set out on the FREEdom means choice suits). What about other extras?

Thanks for the advice all

Edited to add -

and what about the materials? Supplex - nylon
Polyester/cotton
Heavy cotton (denim)?? I guess the denser material = more drag right?

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

[JJohnson 0]

Don't bother gettting a suit yet. If you are starting with sitflying, a sweatshirt will provide enough upper body drag. (make sure it is tucked in tight so it doesn't cover a handle at the wrong time.) In fact with baggy legs on a FF suit you may have a real hard time learning to sit.
If you have any coaches at your DZ, talk to them first. Most are going to tell you to learn to sitfly real well...and for that, there is no need to spend cash on a FF suit.

JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

[ianmdrennan 2]

Hi,

Well there are a couple of things to consider. I personally think chatting to a dealer like Firefly (who I highly recommend by the way) can go a long way to help you figure out what material and style are most appropriate for your body type. They see a ton of suits for all sorts of flyers go through their doors and can probably give you some really good advice (Sherry really helped me out with that and my suit has a wonderul range and feel).

Knee/butt pads....personal choice - I don't have 'em and don't really see a need for them but thats up to you.

As for whether or not you need one....well...my experiences have varied on that. I've had people who try the tight pants and have nothing but problems feeling where their legs are, only to slap a decent suit on them and have their sit fly improve dramatically (albet slow down until they get the lazy legs down more), but certainly more stable. Of course there are those who have endless problems getting their feet down....normally due to excessive bag I think.

If you have the money now, I'd get one, assuming you can get good advice from the dealer on the stylings and material. If you intend to continue freeflying you're going to need it at some point anyway so you may as well start flying it now. It's not going to be easy with or without the suit so don't let it get you down in the beginning.

A side note and I know this topic is often heatedly debated. Try get a little more RW under your belt - experiment with FF but I think building the understanding and awareness of when things are going wrong are better learnt at lower speeds - it may help make the difference on deciding to bail on an approach instead of burning through the middle of a group.

Once other thing....when you start the 3 most common problems I see are high knees, leaning forward and feet together. If you focus on keeping your legs wide you'll give yourself more horizontal stability and less reliance on your arms. Lower knees (90 degress) will help keep the fallrate solid and making sure you'renot leaning forward will prevent backsliding (of course you could go the other way and drive like a mofo
Just be safe and have fun.

Blue skies
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[spidermonky 0]

I'm in the same boat as newbie and am wondering, if I don't get a freefly suit for a while what's the best thing to wear on your lower body? It seems like most pants would inflate at the bottom when sitflying.

[CBurket 0]

For sit flying, wear some shorts and a sweatshirt. If you want/need to wear pants, tape them around the ankles so they won't inflate.

[ianmdrennan 2]

Umm... learning in shorts is actually pretty difficult. Try get some bag on the legs so you can feel where your feet are.

Blue skies
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[freeflyeuphoria 0]

Firefly are by far our choice the best out there, yes they do sponsor us but we have a policy to jump only equipment we believe in. We have turned down better offers from lesser quality manufacturers. We believe in what we use and Sherry at firefly in our opinion has struck the best in quality and service!!

About bag etc... mentioned, flying a suit which is too baggy infact hinders your ability to learn the correct position dont let your suit fly you. Use your body to fly not your suit. The manufacturer you choose to use for your suit should give you the best advice on cut lining drag etc... what you require.

Remember knowledge is your best friend. Speak to other non biased freeflyers at your DZ. See what they say shop around get advice from your mentors or instructors. Freeflying is a skill and like any other skill can be learned the right way or wrong way. Progression will happen faster if you gain advice from a good instructor. He or she will help you with things like equipment selection and what is best for you if he/she is worth it.

Feel free to send me a message if you want any help or advice.

Firefly can be contacted on


[url]http://www.fireflysuits.com


Blue skies long swoops

Grant a.k.a "The Wookster"
Euphoria freefly
http://www.freeflyeuphoria.com

[JJohnson 0]

Sit came pretty natural to me. I was able to sit in an RW suit, in shorts, with FF pants and no shirt.....HD...forget about it...I can't do shit.

But in sit your drag is supposed to be the upper body, not the legs. So spandex, shorts, light sweat pants.. So long as you have more drap on top than on bottom. Also your type of build could play a factor. I'm short, so my legs don't stick out so much. A tall buddy of mine, if he forgets about his legs for a second....he's gone and flipped over. But he can hold HD better than I can.

Basically, dress where you need the drag. If you get a suit, fine you'll learn to fly in it.

JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"