lyosha

This is very helpful, thank you. Would you say it will actually inflate longer than a PDR one size lower (equivalent pack volume) due to the opening snivel? Assume a more conservative wing loading (i.e. 1.3-1.4 on PDR, 1.2-1.3 on OPT). Also, what about the nano? It's rated for less weight. Does this mean it will actually open faster? What about PDR vs. Smart vs. Icarus Reserve?

I don't want to snap myself in half or buy a cheap Raven M series, I want information to make an informed decision... :(

Okay! Now we're getting somewhere. So it seems people have some idea about hardness/quickness of opening of reserves, and Raven M is very very fast. How does it compare to a PDR? Icarus Reserve? Optimum? Could someone make a chain of "quickness of opening" i.e. Raven M < PDR < Icarus < Smart < Optimum < Nano or something of the sort (or even for 2-3 of those, for those that have had to deploy more than a single kind of reserve)? That would be the most helpful outcome of this. It doesn't have to be 100% objective - subjectivity is perfectly fine so long as you are okay with someone having an alternate opinion, and we are talking. All I seem to find is the same manufacturer-provided "our reserve is the best thing since sliced bread" and "I jumped this reseve and it saved my life therefore it is the best ever!" drivel which doesn't really help me make what I would consider an informed decision :-/

A larger reserve ain't worth a dime if it does not inflate before you impact. I refer you to my earlier post also. MEL Yes, I understand this. .. which is why I ask which reserves inflate faster/slower...

I was hoping there was someone out there that has done so. Maybe someone that has had multiple containers and stuck an icarus in one, PD in another and aerodyne in a third... I'm not considering getting a smaller reserve. If anything, the opposite - I'm annoyed that containers can't allow me to have as large a reserve as I want... one question I have is - is getting a size larger optimum going to make me safer? I just want to understand the dynamics...

Hi all, Can someone compare and contrast the popular reserves on the market today? I understand pack volume is smaller on an Optimum, but which one opens faster? Softer? Which ones flies better/deals better with turbulence? Bigger reserve = harder, faster opening, right? Any other differences between the reserves you can mention?

... are you questioning stats in that article or their opinion of cutaway times? Because I think the title of this thread is very misleading...

Car accidents don't happen on accident either. There are people that go through life and never get into a single one. There are people that total two cars a year. And I've met people who don't wear seatbelts...

Didn't the cutter fail on one of these things in Poland a couple of months ago? I'm in the market for an AAD too, but that episode made me rule out mars...

Anyone know any prices off the top of their head?

What happens if a student has to cut away? What you are saying is extremely dangerous - as you mentioned there are people like me without much experience reading these forums looking for a first rig to buy... you want them to buy a rig without an RSL? Should I buy a Velo loaded at 2.5 to stick into that rig while I'm at it? I mean, I'm never going to learn harness turns on a Navigator... As you said there are newbies like me reading this who might still be jittery getting out of the damn plane. I don't know if you remember what AFF was like, but my first jump finding the damn pilot chute was a struggle. I cannot imagine my first cutaway. These are the people you want to advise to instead of getting/using gear that statistically increases their odds of survival in an emergency, to go to a wind tunnel and practice getting stable? Boy I hope that helps them not freak out when that second handle moves on their body too...

lol well if you know someone with a spare rig for someone 6'5" please let me know... :P

You're really picking at semantics here. Yes, an RSL could technically not be the contributing factor in those four cases, the lack of an RSL is the contributing factor. But why muddy the waters? The whole point is if there were armed RSLs the outcome could have been different... I mean, replace "RSL" in all my previous arguments with "the decision of the individual to purchase/jump a rig with no RSL" and we're back to square one - I still want to know and it's still relevant what the gear configuration jumped by the individual is (technically also entirely the choice of the individual).

Well, this is a spy novel right? Why leave evidence behind if you don't have to... He can jump the same parachute he landed from the balcony by doing a roll over without having to pack. For added suspense, have him jump a base rig straight off the bat. Slider up for the initial skydive, slider down or off for the jump off of the balcony. Illegal, but the again, if this is a covert op, compliance with FAA regulations may not be top priority for this individual? Plus, he's BASE jumping already. Doubt he got approval from the local authorities for that... Before there were specialized base parachutes, people jumped their normal skydiving parachutes off of bridges (and even cut away and had reserve rides...). Plus, the larger canopy size preferred for accuracy sizes is also a large canopy size preferred for BASE...

I'm in the same boat as you and pretty much all containers are made in a size that will fit a Pulse 190, Sabre 2 170 and Sabre 2 150 (and some of the bulkier 140 canopies). Keep in mind a Pulse 190 has a smaller pack volume than a Sabre2 170. Look around a little harder. Off the top of my head Wings, Javelin, RI Curv, Aerodyne and Infinity have offerings on the market. I've been told by people at my DZ to buy the first container used because you likely grow out of it in one active season or less, but I'm 6'5" and can't find jack in terms of used containers so for me it's starting to seem like more and more of a force majeour situation...

... and the wording of the waivers? I haven't heard of a lawsuit by someone against a dropzone that stuck...

Come now, do you think you wouldn't be able to land on this? http://news.buzzbuzzhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Tour-Odeon-most-expensive-penthouse-1024x767.jpg or this? http://icareiwear.com/how-to-create-suitable-balcony-decorating-ideas-for-apartment/futuristic-deck-balcony-design-in-moskow-skyscraper-apartment-contemporary-penthouse/

This is where I really get annoyed. The lack of an RSL is not a contributing factor. An RSL may have saved them (we don't know), but the fact that they didn't have one certainly did not CONTRIBUTE to the accident / fatality. All I'm saying is that seeing aggregated data my confidence criteria in that statement is met, and I will make it. I'm not saying it's the only reason for those unfortunate events. I'm saying you can only fight the math for so long. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. I'm just trying to increase my own odds. If you for whatever reason feel that an RSL or AAD is counterproductive, by all means do not use one. It's a personal decision. However, withholding information doesn't really help anything except the emotional states of the families of the deceased...

There is never evidence with a 100% threshold of confidence. However, given the facts stated in the last issue of Parachutist magazine, it certainly appears that the lack of an RSL is a strong contributing factor to fatalities where a reserve is not deployed in time. In other words, after seeing aggregate data from several years, my confidence threshold in the statement is met, and I believe in such incidents it should be noted whether an RSL was or was not used. One could say the exact same things about AADs. Under certain conditions they are dangerous and could and have resulted in fatalities, but the lack of an AAD is a strong contributing factor to nothing-out fatalities and in my opinion should be mentioned when these kinds of fatalities occur. Knowledge is power. It allows people to make more informed decisions. In all honesty I would love to know the entire setup that was used for each of those jumps. And correct me if I'm wrong - any time a death is involved it becomes a police matter and is investigated in the public arena? What happened in the case of #1 and #2?

Well, someone could correct me if I'm wrong, but Accuracy parachutists land on a target only a couple of inches big right? Looking out at my balcony, I see more ground to land on that that, and it's one of those micro jullienned type balconies... My question is could the guy do what he needed to do and base jump off a high enough balcony with his main canopy by just starting it hanging off the balcony (we can pretend it's one of those buildings with an overhang penthouse balcony or something...) with a roll over similar to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHQuvHVFgEU ?

If experience = 0 or experience = "close to zero" then Camera = 0 Else Jumpershouldhaveaclue 0 End if ... Too much time spent looking at VBA... Cookie has some kind of contour mount for the G3 helmet. The G3 is also the most popular closed face helmet. So if you're willing to spend that kind of cash, might not be a bad investment. But I wouldn't buy a closed face helmet until you are off of student status for a plethora of reasons.

almost 50k posts in this one thread? wtf is this?!?

I would not rent something unless I have a ton of confidence in the guy I'm renting from. I know and trust the people that maintain the gear at my home DZ. Why would I trust someone half a country away? In the same breath, I don't want to be in the enforcement business. Namely I ship my rig to someone and they accidentally throw the main onto a bonfire. I'm out of a rig. The extreme nature of the tail risk in this sport and just how easy it is to invoke it makes me not want to participate in such an enterprise. But I wish you the best of luck should you attempt to nonetheless.

It was a rigging error and a cutaway - one of the cutaway cables was too long.

Is it a mini-riser only issue?