albntomat0

Thanks for the advice (especially the data sheets for the reserves)! I have found a rig that should work, that currently has a reserve at a slightly larger size than the main. I am very hesitant about having my first reserve ride being on the smallest chute that I have jumped, so I should avoid that! Thanks again!

What's your wingloading on it? I understand that people may fly mains larger than the smallest that they could handle. Maybe I am just assuming that people are downsizing hard rather than flying a large main with a smaller reserve that they are fully capable of using.

Hey. First off, I'm new, just hit 40 jumps today (wooo!). I've been hunting around for gear (after talking with experienced people at my DZ, reading guides, etc.) and have noticed that a number of rigs have reserves a size smaller than the main. This seemed odd, so I asked around today, and was told that this is done for 2 reasons. 1. People care about looking good, and thus get a smaller reserve. I was warned that this can be dangerous, and I happen to agree. 2. Since reserves are rarely flown, they are much newer than the mains that people jump, and perform better. Thus, some of the difference in size is made up for. Are there any others? Mainly I am frustrated in finding rigs in my size (both harness and main) that have a reserve size that I am skeptical about. For reference, I am 205-210 out the door, looking for a main in the 210-230 range. A large number of mains in this range seem to go with a 190/193 reserve, which I am highly skeptical about jumping. Thanks!