LloydDobbler

Clock's ticking...looking forward to seeing you SoCal folks in a week! (Hey, Rosa - think we can finally get a jump in this time around? It's only been 3 years since we started talking about it after I borrowed your rig at my first Chicks Rock!) Signatures are the new black.

I have seen this 2 times. Once on Vector 3 and once on the new Icon with skyhook. Both times the risers were packed UNDER the cover flap with the note:"place the risers on TOP of this flap" To clarify, the two times I've seen it, once occurred with risers tucked under both flaps - once occurred with them tucked on top of the 'Place risers on TOP of this flap' label. To be fair, however, the Vector 3/Micron manual specifically states that the 'Place risers on top of this flap' label only applies to rigs for the first 50 jumps, after which you can tuck them under both. And for the instance I witnessed in which the risers were tucked under both flaps, the jumper had read the manual and thought it was okay to pack them underneath, since the rig had close to 400 jumps at the time. (Not disagreeing with you - but just pointing out, shit can happen even following manufacturer recommendations. I love my Micron, and that's why I was thrilled to hear they'd redesigned the riser covers with magnets. They were my only complaint.) Signatures are the new black.

Just clarifying -- are you still talking about Vectors? Their tuck tabs are rather long compared to on other rigs. Yep. This was a V310 Micron, a Spectre 150, and a girl who weighs 120lbs. sans gear. Signatures are the new black.

As you mentioned, I consider them "better" when it comes to a Vector rig. I've owned 2 Microns, and both of them had issues with the hard plastic inserts in the tuck tabs cracking and trying to scratch through the rig's fabric. Same thing goes for my ex-g/f's rig. Additionally, I've been witness to riser covers remaining closed after deployment not once, but twice. In the first instance, the skydiver couldn't get them to come open to the point she could steer the canopy, so she cut it away and hoped for the best. In the second instance, the skydiver was able to wrestle her way out of it. As for other rigs, who knows? While there may not be a persistent problem with people breaking themselves due to riser covers, I think it's safe to say that the magnetic riser covers are an improvement, even if an incremental one. Personally, I think it's worth a few extra bucks for the convenience of them - and if they help with deployment, even better. Signatures are the new black.

Looks like Contour's throwing out another cool little HD camera... http://venturebeat.com/2010/09/13/contours-hands-free-video-camera-marks-location-as-it-records/ http://www.amazon.com/Contour-GPS-Full-Helmet-Camera/dp/B00426DQ2W/ Signatures are the new black.

A horse shoe with your PC/some lines around your feet, hand, camera, ringsight ... Hence, the words "most likely." Signatures are the new black.

OK, I've been thinking but I'm not sure that I see what you're saying... is it that perhaps, if you cutaway in that instance (without disconnecting the RSL/Skyhook) then with a Skyhook, the reserve bridle being pulled out almost simultaneously with the pin, could somehow inhibit the reserve PC launch? So then with the main still attached to you at some point you could then end up with a further horseshoe with the reserve or a PC in tow or something? Shouldn't the combined drag of all that crap (with the reserve bridle as well) pull the freebag off and allow the reserve to deploy? You got it. Skyhook = opening the reserve container and everything still connected. RSL= opening the reserve container and that's all. So with RSL you have a chance that the reserve deployment could go through the whole mess. With the Skyhook you are in a very deeper mess. Personally, I'd pack my pilot chute so as to most likely avoid a horseshoe (& a pilot chute in tow, too). (Admittedly, just like I'd cut away above my hard deck, instead of finding the need to rely on a Skyhook. But still.) Signatures are the new black.

A buddy of mine was jumping a prototype Zero a few weeks back - had nothing but glowing things to say about it. (The real cool thing was seeing a canopy with the serial # 0001 - that was a beer-worthy event for me.) Anyway, nice to see PD pushing the envelope with a different canopy discipline. Signatures are the new black.

...and if I'm not mistaken, Colorado will be fielding a team, too. Looking forward to it.

One small suggestion - Under each category, a subcategory of "Discontinued items" would be quite useful. We have a large secondary gear market in skydiving - and while some people might want to go straight for a brand new Sabre2, other jumpers (newer jumpers in particular, who are very likely to use the Reviews section) often find themselves considering a rig with a used Sabre1 (for example). It would be helpful for them to be able to see reviews from the past items. I'm not sure what the best information architecture for this need would be - perhaps a sub-folder under each manufacturer & category? For example: *Harness & Container Systems > United Parachute Technologies > Discontinued Items > Vector 2 *Harness & Container Systems > Discontinued Items > Stunts Adventure Equipment > Eclipse This would give you the ability to categorize both discontinued products from current manufacturers and discontinued products from manufacturers that have gone out of business. Keep up the good work! Signatures are the new black.

Just giving a thumbs-up to this whole thing. At least 2 years ago (& in various times since) I mentioned the outdated gear database to the admins, and offered my services in helping to update it. Up 'til now, it seemed like the gear database was seen as unimportant. So awesome job for making this happen! Thanks! I think we're all looking forward to being able to separate the reviews out of the forums and into the gear section, where they really belong.

In BASE people push the performance to the max to survive, pushing performance to the max shows what you're truely capable of and what the technology is capable of.. In skydiving, mostly I see "fl0cking" which is not flying, but more so crappy wannabe "flying" with some material in between your legs and arms. "If skydiving, don’t do too much wingsuit flocking. At least, don’t get too used to it. Flocking might be fun, but it is not wingsuit “flying”. Spend more time hunting clouds and racing with other experienced flyers instead." Jokke Sommer Attached pictures speak for themselves.. ...and speed skydiving is the only way to go, too, right? FS, freefly, and VFS are certainly not "pushing the performance to the max," and are therefore crappy "wannabe skydiving." The only way to *truly* skydive is to slide into a latex suit and scream towards the earth. (...yeah, I think that sort of logic sounds ridiculous, too.) As Matt pointed out, it's all about objectives. I certainly doubt that a flock of sparrows flying in tight formation spends a lot of time worrying about whether they're truly "flying." Or that a lone crow flying through the air is chuckling to himself about how those sparrows aren't 'maxing it out.' It certainly takes skill to achieve maximum glide out of a wingsuit. But it takes equal (if not greater) skill to put an entire planeload of wingsuit pilots in a formation, head-to-foot, and have them fly it spot-on. If you ever get to the point where you try wingsuiting, you might get it. Side note - where's Yuri at, anyway? Signatures are the new black.

You know Tony's Brittish right? hahaha! if we go by those rules then I guess we are left with Lurch's HardCase and travisjones' PhatBird being 100% american :) did I miss anyone else? Yeah, but to the OP: I would hold off on the HardCase for now. The upcoming HardCase 2XL is rumored to have better inflation and (more) zippers. Signatures are the new black.

I agree with Andrea's assessment re: the T-Bird or the P2z. I'm about 20 lbs. lighter than you (& half a foot shorter), so it's not a spot-on comparison...but I found the T-Bird to be way too much wing for me. Trying to get DOWN to a flock was really tough, what with all the wing. Flying the Phantom2 was a spot-on fit for me - I could stay down with the flock, or pop it open and out-float the rest of 'em. If you can demo both, demo them...but if you can't, I'm guessing that you'd find the P2z has just the right amount of range for your body type. Signatures are the new black.

Sad thing is, you also can't guarantee that someone using a Vigil won't be on the plane with you if the door opens prematurely. To the OP, that's where so many of us draw the line. Erdnarob, you can argue 'advanced features' all you want, but when a skydiving safety device puts other people's lives in danger and the company that makes it declares that it worked 'as designed,' I personally think that product's airworthiness deserves a closer look. Signatures are the new black.

I never like to get into the 'this gear is better than that gear' discussions, because let's face it - most skydiving gear these days is pretty darn good. So in the past, I would have been likely to say 'You're fine with the Vigil, so long as you understand that (generally-speaking) when a Vigil senses a problem of any sort, it fires, whereas a Cypres (or Argus) is much less 'trigger-happy'. This just means turning it off before leaving the DZ, etc. However, with the recent spat of multiple Vigils firing when the aircraft door comes open (see the Incidents forum) has changed my opinion on the matter. I'd now say 'send it back and get a Cypres or Argus.' Reason being, if Vigils are firing "as-designed" in instances like that, it's not just your life that could be affected - it's yours, mine, and everyone else on that plane. I'm fine with someone's decision affecting their own safety. But when a design flaw means that it could easily f*ck over an entire plane-load of people, and the manufacturer says "It works as designed - case closed," that leaves a VERY bad taste in my mouth. At this point, I'm recommending my friends steer clear of Vigils. If they're as technologically-advanced as they claim, it makes no sense that AAD (the manufacturer) won't acknowledge a design flaw and release a firmware update. Signatures are the new black.

It's posts like this that make me wish we had a voting system for individual posts on this site. This one should be voted up to the top. Well-said. Signatures are the new black.

Hey! I've been looking for that... (I hope you're planning to mail it to Van & Alberta & asking to collect the finder's fee). Signatures are the new black.

Another post that makes me wish there was a way to vote up posts on this forum. This one should be highly-ranked. Well-said, in all aspects. Signatures are the new black.

Took me all of last year's Moab boogie to get that one right... Count me in for this one. Looking forward to it! Signatures are the new black.

Last-minute addition... Post: 001. scottyburns.com ~ Come have a docking good time with us~ 1. Yuri 2. Jarno 3. Simon 4. Andreea 5. Kyle 6. Kipp 7. Butters 8. Monkey 9. Purple Mike 10. Matt 11. Stu 12. Danny 13. Pat 14. Ralph K 15. Randy 16. Gleison 17. DSE 18. Brian 19. Justin "late" ShorbWink 20. Todd 21. Michelle 22. FlyinBob (Late Fri) 23. Joel (new bird) See you guys Thursday, right about the time the beer light comes on.

Gary - You're a gentleman & a scholar. Thanks for the thoughts - I was at the point where I was thinking, 'I have no idea what a slightly larger CMOS sensor will do'...much less the difference between an "Exmor CMOS sensor with ClearVid Array" vs. a "back-illuminated 'Exmor R' CMOS sensor". Your breaking it down a little helps a digital video newb like me a whole lot. Thanks.

Hey, Gary - There is a lot of info in that thread, but none that seems to answer this guy's question. Mostly a lot of discussion about golf swing mode.

(I was gonna add my name to the list again too, but figured one of me per event is enough.) Signatures are the new black.

1. Yuri 2. Jarno 3. Simon 4. Andreea 5. Kyle 6. Kipp Signatures are the new black.