What is the difference between the Mirage G3 & G4?

[skydivingdutch 0]

What is the difference between the Mirage G3 & G4?

Their website gives no clue.

http://dropman.com

[mujie96 0]

http://www.miragesys.com/g4%20news.html

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming....

[BBKid 0]

Just checked that out - the thing I love the most are the FancyPants legstrap retainers. I've had these on climbing harnesses for years and thought they were a better solution than the standard freefly legstrap elastic, which I think is a possible snag hazard (better to have them than not though).

I should have patented the idea then - bugger...

Nick
---------------------------
"I've pierced my foot on a spike!!!"

[VectorBoy 0]

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Just checked that out - the thing I love the most are the FancyPants legstrap retainers. I've had these on climbing harnesses for years and thought they were a better solution than the standard freefly legstrap elastic, which I think is a possible snag hazard (better to have them than not though).

I should have patented the idea then - bugger...

Neither of which will work if you plan on using it with a wingsuit. Not that you would need it in a wing suit. But something that goes on and off quickly would suit you better if you insist on using it for freefly jumps and occasional wingsuit jumps.

[freeflyfree 0]

Yep, those fancypants retainers, seen for a long time in climbing harnesses. but for skydiving they seem kind of dorky, don't know...I might have to try them on to see if they're really worth wearing...


Felipe

--
Blue Skies
NO FEARS, NO LIMITS, NO MONEY...
"A Subitánea et Improvísa Morte, Líbera nos, Domine."

[pchapman 262]

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What is the difference between the Mirage G3 & G4?

They reduced the strength of the front reserve risers by 33%.

Caught your attention?

Can someone please confirm this? My memory is poor on it and I've been away from rigging for a month.

I think most rigs use Type VII on the front reserve risers (6000 lb) and Type VIII (4000 lb) on the rear reserve risers. Building it that way fits well with the use of one layer of each of those materials for the main lift webbing.

We don't see reserve riser failures happening with either type of material, so it isn't a big issue really.

Many Javelins, for example, use the lighter type VIII for both sets of reserve risers. (Whether it is type VII plus VIII, or just VIII, depends on whether the harness uses rings or not. This has just been confirmed to me by a Sunpath staff rigger.) Not only that, but the Javelin has been recertified to the newer TSO C23d, using high limits of 300 lbs, 170 kts.

Which also reminds me that the Mirage is only certified to the ancient "Low Speed Parachute" limit of 150 mph (not knots). That doesn't mean the rig couldn't take more, just that it hasn't been proved to the FAA.

I find it funny that Mirage doesn't announce the reserve riser change in all their advertising. Hmm, something about marketing I guess.... :)

Peter Chapman
Toronto, Canada

[RTB 0]

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What is the difference between the Mirage G3 & G4?

They reduced the strength of the front reserve risers by 33%.

I don't have a lot of rigs around right now, but from my memory what I have seen is it varies with the type of ring set up. Or if there are no rings.
There are G3's with unisyn that have type VIII webbing and G4's without unisyn with type VII webbing.

[pchapman 262]

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I don't have a lot of rigs around right now, but from my memory what I have seen is it varies with the type of ring set up. Or if there are no rings.
There are G3's with unisyn that have type VIII webbing and G4's without unisyn with type VII webbing.

THAT MUST BE THE CORRECT ANSWER -- NOT MY ORIGINAL ASSERTION.

Just as with the Javelins, it'll vary with whether rings are used or not.

Still it's not something much advertised in the industry. I would assume companies at least did new drop tests when ring harnesses came out, unless their previous tests already included very complete data collection with load cells to determine riser forces.

Peter Chapman

[riggerrob 558]

Still it's not something much advertised in the industry. I would assume companies at least did new drop tests when ring harnesses came out, unless their previous tests already included very complete data collection with load cells to determine riser forces.

Peter Chapman

[cssriggers 0]

Two observations from a rigger who's assembled them -
They've added yoke tuck tabs. It's a cosmetic thing, but it makes the G4.1s look quite sharp. These are an extension of the yoke (top back of the rig, where it generally says "Mirage) that tuck down behind the reserve freebag when you get it repacked.

On some G3s you can see the top corners of the reserve freebag when the main is out of the container. These tabs gives the whole top of the rig a nice finished look, although it does make it more challenging to see your RSL when you do a reserve pin check.

In addition the top reserve flap goes through a Type 4 retaining strap on the pin cover flap.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot,
JHL