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I have a FC 9 Cell loaded at .9 to 1. My first canopy, I have about 50 jumps on it. Easy to pack (for such a large canopy), never have to roll the nose for a soft opening. So stable in brakes I have taken pictures with an instamatic without releasing them, just steer with the harness. Very high front riser pressure, almost impossible to stall. Flares well. A good first canopy, now I am ready for a smaller, faster one!

I tried on several full face helmets before deciding on the Z1. I chose it because it felt the least claustrophobic of the group. I don't have a particularly large head, but I needed the "large" size liner to get a comfy fit. I now have about 200 jumps with this helmet, in conditions from minus 28F at exit altitude in December, to 100F in July. What I like: It's comfortable, and OK to wear on the ride up because of the flip-up visor. It's quiet in freefall and in the plane (I *estimate* about 12dB of sound dampening in the plane). The visor doesn't mist up or ice over even at -28F during freefall. The visor latch is secure, yet easy to release. It's easy to get the helmet on and off. My audible (Skytronic Pro) fits comfortably in the pocket. In several encounters with the plane door during full-contact exits it has proven it's worth. It provided good protection from a kick to the face during less-than-elegant RW. Scratches to the clear face mask have been fairly easy to polish out. Visibilty up and to the sides is excellent. It's nice and warm in the winter although it's not oppressive in the summer. What I don't like: The face mask scratches easily (although it's easy to replace). The color is not impregnated in the helmet shell, so it shows scratches. The visibility downwards is not good enough to see my cutaway and reserve handles without tilting my head sideways. The breathing vent at the front is restrictive - I cut away one layer of fabric in the liner to open it up a bit. The only color for the visor is "clear" - a tinted option would be nice. The visor doesn't seal tightly against the helmet when it's closed, resulting in some wind noise (although this may be deliberate to stop it from misting up in cold weather). My visor tends to mist up in the cold weather while under canopy, so I almost always open the visor for canopy flight. I can't fit any but the smallest pair of glasses under the visor.

Since 1991 I have purchased five Talons. My two most recent are Talon2's. Over the years I have been lucky enough to be able to jump many of the major brand rigs available today, including the Javelin, Racer, Mirage, Vector, Eclipse, and even a Dolphin. I keep coming back to the Talon. Why? Value for the dollar. I have yet to find another rig that finds the balance between features and price. I currently jump two Talon2's. One has a fully articulated harness and the other has the standard harness. The ringed harness is very comfortable and flexible, but squeaks when you move. I have found the standard harness to be just as comfortable at a much lower price. The only rig I have found to be more comfortable is the Racer. I feel that comfort is a function of fit. When you buy a Talon, make sure you get one that fits you and it should be comfortable. The Talon2 is available in a broad range of sizes, making it easy to find the right combination of main/reserve containers and harness fit. One of my rigs has the floating leg pads while the other has the standard leg pads. They are both comfortable and I can't honestly say I have a preferance. I find that the style of the Talon2 is appealing. I know it may seem trivial, but I want a rig that looks good. The Mirage rates number one in my book here, but the Talon2 offers plenty of style options that enable it to rival any Rig for good looks. The Talon2 is a very rigger friendly unit. It has a straight forward design with a single pin reserve that can easily be packed with a minimum of tools and effort. I prefer not to have any of my reserve exposed, including the top of the reserve pilot chute. Is there an advantage in deployment speed when you have a Pop-Top type of reserve? Possibly, but I am not convinced. I believe the spring and packing method are more critical. When packed properly, the pilot chute of my Talon2 deploys to the full extension of the bridle when activated on the ground. It needs to be fully compressed in the indent created by the molar reserve freebag. This also presents a neat appearance and ensures that the reserve tuck tab stays in place. Safety is a major concern of mine when selecting a rig. I have a high level of comfort with the Talon2. Velcro has been eliminated with the excetion of one small patch on the bridle. Speaking of the bridle, there is little or none of it exposed. If you choose the BOC protector flap option, it virtually eliminates any exposed bridle. I have compared the kill-line bridle and pc that come with the Talon2 to the Monkey Fist and prefer the Monkey Fist because it is shorter, wider and stiffer which seems to give it less of a tendency to twist up. I have never had a problem with the tuck tabs on the riser covers or the main closing flap. I am guessing that I have over 500 jumps on my two current rigs, including some sit and head down jumps and even some funneled zoo loads and everyting has always stayed in place. I have the hybrid cable housings on one rig and hard on the other. Both seem to perform about the same when performing the "three blokes test". One thing I think is often overlooked when discussing the Talon2 are the velcroless toggles. I really appreciate the slender design of these toggles. They are easy to stow and they stay put. The top tab is fully covered by an elastic stow that prevents the slider grommets from dislodging them while pulling the silder down and collapsing it. The slim profile also makes it easier to pull the slider past them without hanging up. I have also found the customer service at Rigging Innovations to be superior. They are not alone in that category, but if I had ever had poor service from them, I doubt that I would be as loyal to them. The bottom line here is they are prompt, friendly and they deliver. In summary, I have found the Talon2 offers safety, comfort, fit and style in a rigger friendly package in a range of prices that makes it an excellent value.

After using the ASTRA AAD I feel that the ease of of the external on off and the battery sufficiency indicator light are two main reasons that this AAD is superior to most leading brands. The plastic cover over the on off switch looks sturdy enouhg to take haeavy abuse , but I feel that this is one angle ASTRA could improve on. The externally mounted indicator light allows fellow skydivers to know that you are wearing an AAD and that it is activated. this is also an advantage for jumpmasters. Overall I feel that the ASTRA AAD is a superior product.

I load my Safire at about 1.1. Took a few jumps to dial in the landing, but once you find that "sweet spot" it's easy, even in no wind. I really like the way it FLIES!! Turns are quick and tight and it handles turbulence well. Feels faster both in the air and on landing approach than a similarly sized Sabre or Spectre. If you are looking for something a bit more than a Sabre or Tri but not quite a Stiletto or other fully elliptical main, put some jumps on a Safire and you'll see what we mean!

Javelins simply rule they are the most comfortable they are completely flexible "rings are like go faster stripes you dont need them" Simplicity of design ask any enginneer who designs safety devices or rescue systems and they will tell you that the simpler the design the safer it is "common sense" Reasons: 1: NO VELCRO!!!! Need i say more???? 2: All checks can be easily performed with no hidden reserve pins "do not get complacent" 3: the risers are easily positioned during packing and remain out of harms way until opening NO VELCRO!!! 4: the bridal is protected 5: The Reserve pilotchute is protected from snags by a very secure riser flap the same applies to the main 6: The reserve pilotchute is also basicaly unobstructed I know that pop tops are completely unobstructed but that means they are easier to snag and nobody wants to get wrapped around the tail plane of your jumpship remember if your reserve is accidentaly deployed and is damaged in the process you cannot chop it. now you are risking fouling your main if you have to deploy it "i hear people saying use your hook knife to chop the reserve first. my reply to that is "2500ft Hop N pop" just try a Javelin you'll see and feel the difference and i'll guarantee you will never go back Blue Skies Fly Free

I have a Sabre 135, I started jumping it with just 100 jumps (I loved it then) and have now done another 700 problem free jumps on it (I love it still). Fun but Forgiving sums up the Sabre for me.

Open response to Travis on Sabres that open hard. The most common reason for painful openings is loose line stows. Loose line stows can easily dump lines in the pack tray. This means that the slider never gets very far from your back and the canopy is partially inflated and partially decelerated before you get to line stretch. Ouch! Fortunately the cure is as simple as installing smaller rubber bands or double wrapping your existing rubber bands. Incidentally, P.D. frowns upon Tube Stows because way too many people got way too lazy when stowing their skiny Spectra lines way too loosely. I left the Tube Stows on my Sabre until they wore out and never had a painful opening, but then I am a fanatic about keeping line stows tight. Rob Warner FAA Master Parachute Rigger

Open reponse to Dmitry from Russia re packing Reflex reserve. Yes the Reflex reserve requires different techniques than a Vector or the next dozen popular reserves. While the Vector requires a WEDGE shaped pack job, the Reflex reserve cntainer is almost the same thickness from top to bottom. Once the canopy is folded to the same width as the bag, I make a very short fold to hide the slider grommets. Then I make fold so short it is still clear of the loop. Then I stuff the large remaining pile of fabric into the "ears." This results in lots of canopy fabric beside the pilot chute and easpecially filling the top of the ears. Rob Warner FAA Master Rigger Note to site administrator: I don't know if theis is the correct place to post this info, but it is helpful to everyone interested in packing Reflexes. Suggestions?

I've been jumping my NVertigo for a year now and I really love it. Although the outside Dytter pockets seem cool, I've missed some tones on a couple of dives. That's with 2 ProDytters too. The helmet fit is great and it looks really cool. All in all a really great helmet (although I don't wear a camera and could see the difficulty in mounting one).

The OXYGN A3 is a great looking helmet and most of what I've heard is generally good. I bought one and started jumping it at the start of this year. Everything seemed great until the lens FLEW OPEN in freefall! No big deal, I thought it was just a fluke. So I continued to jump it paying special attention to making sure it was properly closed all the way. After a few more jumps it happened again. This time the lens flew up and broke off. After that time I was sure it was not my fault and I wanted some answers. The next day I gave Troy a call. At first he started going through all the questions I had already been through like- are you sure you had it all the way down?- are you sure you didn't hit it on exit?-and so on. We talked shortly, but he seemed really uninterested in what I was saying. It was summer so I just figured I would jump it without the lens and try again to talk to somebody from SKY SYSTEMS at WFFC. When someone finally showed up they replaced the ratchets and gave me a new lens! Cool huh? Ya Right! It stayed down for about twenty jumps then it went back to the same old stuff, about one out of ten jumps I'm reaching up and closing my lens while trying not to REALLY screw up the dive. I guess what I'm trying to get across is that I do believe I have gotten one bad helmet out of many and I am not happy. I paid $300 for the helmet and then put $100 in a really cool custom paint job [ obviously before this started happening]. Now I'm stuck with a helmet that functions as a flip visor at all the wrong times! I just thought people ought to know how some of us are being treated. I'm going to try one more time with them to help me out and take care of their customers like they should! I'l write back be sure to let EVERYONE know I was or was not taken care of.

I got my vx about a month or so ago and have about 60-70 jumps on it. It's a 79 and I load it at 2.6 lbs. per square foot I did about 20 jumps where I opened at 13,500 so that I could REALLY get used to it. Like most x braced canopies I found that bringing the canopy out of the dive closer to the ground only resulted in a shorter swoop and higher risk but when the canopy is allowed to to continue diving once it has totally flattened out you can get a MUCH longer surf higher in the control band. sick speed and beautiful shut down when the landing is reasonably dialed. It even slows down ok on down winders, provided the winds aren't too out of control. if the technique is off the even a little though, the speed and distance of the swoop will suffer severley. it is extremley sensitive in the saddle to slight body movements, which is great to make small adjustments with on approach. Toggle pressure is tight but super responsive. With a little rear risers and brakes I think I have a better chance making it back from a long or short spot than anyone else on my DZ. The only problem I have seen is mixing in a high speed landing with other dz traffic it's either get down first or sit in brakes, but with the tremendous amount of lift this canopy can generate there is no problem hanging in deep brakes and letting the giant underloaded canopies land first. In my opinion this is the sweetest flying machine ever assembled.

Sidewinders impress me with their comfort, ease of packing, durability and dollar value. "With the hip rings, my new Sidewinder is as comfortable as my old Racer," said long-time Racer fanatic Ian Flanagan. (Note: Racer fanatics are legendary in their quest for comfort.) Sidewinders seem to fit best on medium and tall people. Packing a main canopy into a Sidewinder is straight-forward, and the reserves are a little easier to pack than most of the other Vector clones. The molar bag helps, but Al MacDonald is more graceful at designing reserve flaps that fit perfectly. This year I have packed about 50 Sidewinder reserves ranging in size from the smallest of personal rigs to Student Sidewinders containing Tempo 250 reserves. My only disagreement with the Sidewinder design is the Velcro on the lower corners of the reserve container. Intially I cursed the Velcro, then I cheated with clamps and now I am learning to close them free-hand. Durability is the Sidewinder's strong point. Flying High as always built student rigs so durable that they go out of fashion before they wear out. Pacific Skydivers previously used Student Bullet containers (also made by Flying High) that lasted and lasted and lasted. When the school decided to convert to square reserves for students, the Student Bullets were sold to smaller DZs where they are still serving students. Despite the usaul abuse dished out by students, I have not had to do any major repairs on the dozen Student Sidewinders used at Pitt Meadows. Flying High keeps up with the times with regular updates including: riser cover tuck tabs, hip rings (okay "articulation" if you want the big word), Cypres window in backpad and tuck in reserve pin protector flap. Dollar value, well Sidewinders provide the best dollar value for Candaian skydivers. While some foreign-made rigs may have stightly better technical features or slightly better fit, I have a tough time recommending anything but Sidewinders to junior jumpers because they can buy a Sidewinder for about 40% less than other rigs and jump it before the end of the season. Sidewinders, comfortable, easy to pack, tough and the best bang-for-the-buck! What more could a skydiver ask for? Rob Warner FAA Master Parachute Rigger P.S. Al MacDonald does not know that I am posting this review.

The Telesis 2 is great because of the features it lacks. The Telesis 2 lacks a backpad that sags down below the student's butt. Ergo, fewer small students with back-sliding problems in freefall. The Telesis 2 also lacks a backpad that is significantly wider than the average student, again this creates fewer unwanted turns in freefall, especially for smaller students. The Telesis 2 lacks most of the Velcro found on other rigs because, let's be honest, few riggers have the time to replace Velcro during the middle of the busy season. And what rigger wants to deal with more than one grommet through a reseve D-bag or more than one ripcord pin? The Telesis 2 lacks a bizillion flaps in the reserve container because who needs that many flaps when the school scrapped all its round reserves years ago? The Telesis lacks harness adjusters that slide when the jump master is not looking. Telsis MLW ends lock into little pockets and can be quickly cisually inspected without opening anything. The Telesis lacks release and ripcord handles mounted so low on the chest that students have to lean forward to see them. Sure the old, lower locations may be natural for senior jumpers, but low handles are un-natural for students and it takes a while to train students to LOOK for handles. Let's face it folks, the fewer things the student or packer or instructor of rigger has to deal with the better. The Telesis 2 is better because it has fewer components to deal with. Rob Warner FAA Master Rigger

I have been jumping Talons since the '94 Talon was introduced ... even worked at the Talon factory when it was still in California. I still jump a Talon 2 because it provides the best combination of fit, flexibility, reliability and ease of packing. Fit - the first time I jumped my '94 Talon, it was the first time I didn't notice my rig in freefall. Unlike all my previous rigs, I no longer had to struggle with the harness. My '94 Talon was just "there" somewhere near me in freefall. The rounded edge, floating leg pads on my Talon 2 are the same way. They are just "there", out of the way when I walk to the airplane and providing just enough padding that I don't notice them under canopy. The Talon 2's biggest advantage is it technological leadership. While other manufacturers are taking the first stumbling steps in learning how to build ringed harnesses ("articulated" for those who like big words), Rigging Innovations has been sewing ringed harnesses for 8 years. Sure R.I. took a while learning how to size ringed harnesses early in the learning curve, but that was a long time ago, The Talon 2 is still five to eight years ahead of its competitors. Speaking of being ahead of its competitors, the Talon 2 is way ahead when it comes to tuck tabs! Most of the other manufacturers are still trying to retrofit tuck tabs to existing designs. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and start from scratch when designing a container to incorporate tuck tabs from the start. I like packing Talon 2 reserves because the fifth generation freebag makes it so easy and your rigger does not have to waste time fussing with any obsolete flaps. Would I buy another Talon 2? Probably not. If money is tight next year I will probably buy an R.I. Genera because it has a better main pin protector flap and its fixed harness is almost as comfortable as hip rings at a fraction of the cost. If money flows smoothly next year I will probably invest in an R.I. Voodoo because again it has a better main pin protector flap and the latest in fully articulated harnesses (hip and chest rings for people who like small words) for head-down flying. In conclusion, I like my Talon 2 because it fits great and is easy to pack. The gear freak in me admires the fact that my Talon 2 has a five to eight year technological lead on most other rigs. Rob Warner FAA Master Parachute Rigger In case this sounds like a factory endorsement, remeber that I bought my first '94 Talon BEFORE R.I. offered me a job at the factory.

I went to a sabre 170, after 60 jumps on a pd 210. I loved the forward speed even only at a 1:1 loading and how easy it was to land. However in my 90 jumps on it, I had 3 soft openings. This thing was killing me. I had it relined by PD as soon as I bought it and no matter who's advice I took or what I did, I was constantly seeing stars. I tried rolling the nose tightly all to one side and going to the back, I tried nothing with the nose, I trried splitting the nose, I rolled the tail unbelievably tight and still the openings stunk. After an opening where the slider came down fast enough to rip the rubber stops and put a rip in the slider and wrap itself around my face, so all I saw was the orange slider (nice backdrop for the stars), I got rid of it and bought a spectre 150, and will never look back.

The Reflex is the first Pop-Top I would give you any money for. With its shaped molar bag and single-pin reserve pilot chute, the Reflex is the only Pop-Top that is easy to pack. Reflexes do require a slightly different technique to distribute sufficient bulk beside the reserve pilotchute, but other wise they are straight forward. Hint: scrapping your steel T-bodkins and tie your own temporary loops out of Cypres cord eliminates a couple of steps in the packing process. I know that Mickey Cottle disagrees with my last statement, but I am lazy and find the temporary loops so much easier for packing all Pop-Tops. Rob Warner FAA Master Parachute Rigger

The Spectre 190 impressed me when it first came out. We borrowed one of the early demos for a weekend and were all impressed, so impressed that one of our photographers bought a Spectre 170! Openings were consistently soft. Handling was like having two canopes in one container. With togglesup high and small control inputs it was as responsive as a zippy little 9-cell. With toggles at waist level, the Spectre sank straight ahead like a well trained old 7-cell. On landing, the Spectre didn't surf as far as the tiny 9-cells, but landings were consistently soft. The Spectre is a far better canopy for most weekend jumpers. The only area where it does not shine is turf-surfing, but then the solution to improving turf-surfing is usually smoother approaches.

The new Infinity is the first harness/container to emerge from the Pacific Northwest that can compete on the world market. Mr. Farrington's experience working for a major Florida manufacturer shows in the conceptual design of the new Infinity in the way the long riser covers stay closed, the way the main tuck tab stays tucked in and the way the yoke caresses guys with big shoulders. The new Inifinity differs in detail design with about half the parts count of the Vector III. Way to go Infinty! Rob Warner FAA Master Parachute Rigger

Sure the new Mirage is pretty, but all those extra stiffeners and flaps in the reserve container make it "busy" to pack. Rob Warner FAA Master Parachute Rigger

Awesome, exhilerating, comfortable, and dependable... Jump Javelin! Any questions?

I love my new Z1 with built-in Skytronic. It is comfortable, quiet, and the flip up visor is great. It works well. It is like doing a virtual reality free fall...quiet and nice. The perfect whatever does not exist, there is always room for improvement on anything. This helmet does it's job well. Way better (and safer) that my old one.

I have a safire 129, wingload around 1.3. It is my first canopy after the Sabre 150, and I do have difficulties landing it. This is more a pilot problem, than a canopy problem :-) I do like the perfect soft on heading openings, the great forgiveness and the great flying characteristics. I really love this canopy, so I will practice on my landings...

The Space is what a Stiletto and every other ZP high performance canopy wishes it was. It opens predictably, on heading, smoothly. It handles well in toggles and front risers, again in a smooth and precise fashion. No bouncing around like some "high end" canopies. It has the best bottom end flare of any canopy on the planet. I know because I have owned or test jumped every canopy that makes claims to greatness here in the US. (Drop Zone owner's perks). It packs easily due to the non-slide ZP material. No more struggling to get it in the deployment bag. None of the extra pack volume of a Velocity or Icarus. When I find a better canopy, I'll say so. Right now the Space and Alpha line are top dogs. I'm waiting to test jump the new wide aspect Icarus main, but I doubt if I want to put up with the extra pack volume for the same flight characteristics I get out of my Alpha already.

Ive heard it often "Any rig made today is as good as the other!" . After seeing pin covers flop open in the cramped spaces of jump planes , riser covers smacking someones head in freefall,and bridal cords being exposed to anything that will snag them from the edge of a seat to the flailing arms and legs that result from the occasional funnel .I have to disagree! One rig is not as good as the other! In a sport as equiptment dependent as skydiving it is stupid not to utilize the safest designs that the industry has to offer ,like pin covers that do not come open or bridal cords that have little or no exposure. Mr Booth has been building ,improving and making innovations on harness/container systems longer then most and the vector 3 is the result. Compare it feature by feature with every harness/container system on the market and you will soon know why the vector 3 should be on your back.