RMURRAY

that breaking in a canopy thing is a myth. just jump the thing. my 2 cents worth... rm

JS's shop rates and cost of parts are usually very good. Did they do any shipping or did they hand the rig to you unassembled -- did that include a reserve I&R --- there must be some missing items??? rm

there used to be a good article on the PD website about what to do for "2 out". I'll ask them about it... rm

I borrowed gear (once) and ened up with a 120 Jedei and 120 Tempo 2 out situation. It was in a biplane but it was not that stable at all since (I think) the lines lengths were very close. I was determined not to make the situation potentially worse and landed it but it was a handful the whole time. I'd say avoiding the situation is key and size the reserve to land with only it out in a tight landing area. My own gear is a 97 main and 150 reserve. rm

Aren't they still making the NOS with tuck tab riser covers? Either way though I would say as long as it fits correctly go with the racer. Hope this helps and good luck... I am pretty sure they will make what you want, tuck tabs on shoulders, velcro on shoulders, 2k3, (the older) NOS... ie any combination you want. rm

Reserve Slinks are OK for a Precision -M reserve --- not sure if an approval is needed but I got one from Precision in any case. rm

whatever you get the harness needs to be the right size for you. just because it is a racer does not mean it will be comfortable. from the s/n and a couple of your measurements the manufacturer should be able to tell you if it will fit. rm

I wouldn't scotch guard a rig unless the manufacturer endorses it in the owners manual. Not sure if they do or not - I just wash my rig every couple of years. I don't want it too clean - nothing wrong with a rig that shows that it is being jumped lots. rm

I asked for a quote from JumpShack on a complete tandem rig today - the price difference between Cypres and Vigil was 200US... Vigil equipped was lower by 200... rm

How about he pictures in Skydiving Magazine a few years ago, showing a cracked red cable (in several places). I think you are talking about quite a few years ago when it was first being introduced in 1998...JumpShack put this out: http://www.jumpshack.com/default.asp?CategoryID=TECH&PageID=REDCABLEINSP&SortBy=DATE_D

It's the American way. ?? I would guess less than 10% of jumpers clean/lubricate the yellow cutaway cable like they are supposed to. I asked 3 of my 4way team mates - they kinda laughed - they assume the rigger does it at reserve repack time - here in canada that means every 180 days (more like once a year). 2 of them jump crossbraced canopies at over 2:1 my point: if you have a yellow cable you'd better clean and lubricate it like the manual says. rm

I wonder if anyone knows the answer to these...what percentage of jumpers lubricate their yellow cable at correct intervals with the food grade silicone. What are the consequences of not lubricating the yellow cable with a highly loaded eliptical canopy spinning like crazy on opening. I'll bet these factors are why JumpShack use the red cable even though is is not as tough??? rm rm

Understood. I just wanted to point out that not ALL rig manufacturers believe that hardhousing in risers are required. My VX has not spun me up and required a cutaway (yet) so I cannot speak from experience. I would like to see some side by side test results with risers wound up and 2 extra guys hanging from each harness. yellow cable lubricated, yellow cable not lubricated, racer risers not lubricated etc rm

my red (teflon) cable does not need to be lubricated or cleaned - it is maintenance free - this according to John Sherman at JumpShack. I clean mine with food grade silicone once a year anyway. Racers do not have hard housings in the risers because they are not needed - this from John as well. High cutaway forces are attibuted almost fully from the friction between cable and loop. rm

you cannot purchase hard housings in the risers of Racers because John Sherman concluded several years ago that they are NOT needed. Having said this, I would like to see side by side test results with a Racer (w/ maintainance-free red cable) and Racer risers compared to Vector3, Mirage or Javelin --- ie the 2-bloke test. rm

slinks! I have them on reserve also.

I had an FX and now have a VX. The VX opens way better - no complaints. I do not do video. The JVX can be made with Vectran lines - I believe. rm

Guido, you might be better off to telephone the "1% guys" at PD, IcarusNZ and Precision to get the answers you are looking for about fine tuning. You might get better answers when they do not have to put into print and they are not talking to a big audience. rm

yes, it opened hard - sometimes. I moved on the the (made in Spain) VX and all is well...so the dome slider is a pain in the ass to stow? why don't you like it? rm rm

So you get hard openings that were created overseas? I had an FX build by Precision - I did NOT want my VX to be made by them. Like I said, my VX (from Spain) opens nice - no complaints. Two teammates with Velocities do some complaining about their openings. rm

I made sure to buy a VX made in Spain.... rm

Mark's dome slider worked great on a Sabre1 I know of - the owner can now jump it at terminal. My VX97 opens just fine but I would think about the dome slider if/when it starts to act up or if the slider needs replacement. rm

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you get harness geometry perfect and you are not too flexible (i.e. are not into funky freestyle moves) then a fixed (ring-less) harness will be comfortable. This from a contact who says he has sold over 40 Racers over a 6 month period - I tend to believe him and I assume he means no matter what type of skydiving you are into........... "DO NOT get Hip rings, the serve no purpose on a Racer and you only notice them when you walk to the plane. I have had two customers send their rigs back to have them removed. Expensive proposition. The harness is comfortable already as you know, besides it saves you $ 100.00" The people I know with cut in laterals like them. I have heard others say that depending on your size and rig size, they can dig in and be very uncomfortable - so I would be very careful in ordering.

I should have said velcro works fine for me. Also, I should have said I do not freefly. Here is what bill booth has said.......... Tuck riser covers are very sensitive to the bulk under them. (Velcro riser covers didn't have this problem, by the way.) When we design a rig with tuck tabs, we can only choose one riser cover dimension, and we base that on the average bulk we expect. When your risers are "thick" like yours, you should ask your rigger to leave very little bulk at the top of your freebag. This will help your riser covers stay shut. If he can't pack with little bulk up top, perhaps your reserve is a bit too large. Even if you choose the "right size" reserve for your container, two supposedly "identical" reserves may have up to 10% different pack volumes, because of fabric and construction tolerances. Every bit of bulk, risers or canopy, up top affects your riser cover's ability to stay shut. So, if you want your riser covers to be as secure as possible, always choose a reserve that will fit "loosely" in your container, so that your riser covers can curve over your shoulders.

QuoteQuote What's the difference in the Racer risers? *Relieved* Isn't quite enough description. I looked on the website and found nothing. Quote I will take a picture and post of the Racer riser and post to a new discusion under gear and rigging. rm