Doyle

@anomie168 I see. A saying about things that sound too good to be true keeps coming to mind haha. With all these things considered it seems less and less like a good idea. I'll email RI as you say and if they don't recommend it, probably stick with hire or second hand until I'm ready for canopy I plan on using for a long time. @CrashProne That's beginning to look like a much better idea. Thanks. @Maddingo As above. Also thanks for your comments and input!

That's definitely something I want to avoid. Thanks for sharing. I'm ~80kg. I've had trouble finding much on people's experience with the Ultra LPV. What's the concern with heavier weights? Weight ratings? Performance?

So apparently the Speed 2000 has a smaller pack volume than a PD Optimum 160 (sounds like a big call, I know). This thread does seem fairly compelling to me though, admittedly maybe because it's telling me what I want to hear. http://www.dropzone.com/forum/Skydiving_C1/Gear_and_Rigging_F6/PD_Optimum_or_Paratec_Speed_2000,_which_Pack_Small!_P4254107/ Attached is the charts from his post. As for the main, Aerodynes charts say a 188 U-LPV main will fit "in the green" in an i4, which has comparable room VC3. vc3 R/M Volume: 375/425 i4 min/max main: 368/393 i4 min/max reserve: 293/346 If that's anything to go by (a bloody good question in itself) then in theory it should fit fine? Common knowledge seems to point to otherwise though, I do value your actual experience with the kit and reccomendations.

TLDR: VC3, Speed 2k 190, Pilot ULPV 190 for first rig. Am I an idiot? Greetings. I'm currently looking at buying my first rig. After trawling through old threads and many google searches, I have something that resembles a plan. One that seems like it might be a little controversial after looking at old threads. I thought i'd bring it up here before bringing it up at my home DZ to avoid the risk of unknowingly looking like an idiot there. I'm somewhat breaking the rule of choosing reserve, then main, then container. My reason for this is that I want a FF friendly container that will last me 2 canopy downsizes. I'm planning on just continuing to hire gear until my DZ is happy for me to jump my first rig. From what I've been able to gather so far, the following should work (please do tell me your thoughts): - Voodoo Curve 2.0 (VC3) - Paratec Speed 2000 reserve (190) - Pilot Ultra LPV 9 cell (190) Based on cross examining manufacturers charts, this *should* fit, but I understand this isn't the most reliable method and I will contact the manufacturers directly for better information. My questions are: Is this plan un-safe? Does anyone here have experience with this gear combination and/or have any useful information or recommendations? I'm in a good financial position to do this now, it's not going to stop me from getting experience.

csb

Do share Ron ;)

Yea because people who believe in God are crap in a crisis Like these guys? http://veteransprayers.tripod.com/id30.html I'd rather have them next to me in a crisis than you. And those people, regardless of their beliefs are trained to combat the problem at hand fast and according to the skills and procedures they have been taught. I can assure you that nowhere in their training would they be told to take no action and let god sort it out. They are taught the exact opposite, I would be worried if this was not the case and I hope you would be too.

Haha, a good laugh. Thanks for posting Squeak.

I was born into a religious family, mothers side being Methodist and my fathers side being catholic. I was baptized Catholic and went to catholic schools where we were forced to go to church and study religion. While I was young I thought it was boring but burning in hell for not following scared me enough to go along with it. Towards the end of primary school and the start of high school I really started questioning my religion and what I was being taught. The atrocities and contradictions in the bible had me baffled. I became aware of how ironic it was that belief without question or evidence (faith) was one of the biggest teachings in our religion classes/church, I knew this was not the way to learn, it did not make sense. The final blow was when a teacher at my high school was fired because she fell pregnant but was not married. She was a great teacher, I never recall anyone having problems with her, she seemed to do her job well and get along with the kids. It seemed absurd to me that she should be fired for this and that both her and the school should suffer for its beliefs. Ever since then I've been an "agnostic atheist". The more I looked into it, the more apparent it became that the god I had believed in did not exists any more than the tooth fairy. I shared my beliefs with my family and began (and still continue to) strive to be a better person, sharing my morals and and logic with them to prove we do not need religion to be good people and to live a full life. Some of them think its great, some of them hate it and honestly believe that even if your the greatest, loving, moralistic person in the world, you WILL be burning for eternity because you do not share their delusions.

What an inaccurate comment, king of assumptions right here people.

So you are saying blind faith is a rational, realistic and mature way to tackle life?

Very well, thank you for the good wishes but I think there was a miss-communication because that's not what I said. I assume you are referring to my previous comment: "I cannot think of any unsolvable problem that requires the belief/faith in a deity to be "dealt with"." If that's the case, what I was trying to say is, in my opinion, no problem or question needs to be dealt with using faith in a god.

No, I don't view my life as a question and its not an unsolvable problem. If this is your outlook on your own life then that's sad and I hope your faith saves you from the reality you cant deal with. I never said that I've never been faced with an unsolvable problem, I said that I tackle these in a way other than faith, a more mature, realistic, rational way. Try not to twist my words.

Are you able to give me an example so I can better understand your question? I cannot think of any unsolvable problem that requires the belief/faith in a deity to be "dealt with".

And if god gave us the "gift of faith" to deal with these unsolvable problems (like his own existence) then a piss poor effort I say, if he/she/it is the all knowing, benevolent, divine being that most religions claim "god" to be, he could have left behind proof and some answers to save humanity from the war, pain and suffering his name has brought throughout the ages i.e. religious wars, cults, inhumane and unjust punishment, sacrifices, etc etc.... That's what "he gave us" with faith. I think a better way to deal unsolvable problems in life is just accept that they are unknown and sometimes unknowable.