likestojump

I would evaluate you, and have you jump progressively smaller canopies as long as I feel you are handling them by skill, and not by luck. I would also put you out on a hop'n'pop for those jumps.

$4000 is a very reasonable budget for nice, low-jump good quality gear. You may end up spending even less if you wait it out. you will get a better deal 99% of the time by buying a complete rig, rather than pieces parts. The only problem you may have if you are not "average" sized. Most gear on the market is for peopel 5'8" to 6'1" give or take. at 6'4" 230 you will have a harder time finding gear... don't give up PS from what I see, you usually get a better deal buying a container with a reserve rather than a container alone.

don't blow it out of proportion. I list a Heatwave 135 as a model, not as a size. But one of the charts that I have specs 305cu in and 135sq ft (paragear chart) regardless, the OP was wanting to use a Raven to begin learning how to fly 7 cells for BASE. a 199, a 211, or even a 218sq ft canopy are way too small for his weight. Further as far as sizes are concerned, a 266 measured vs 282 spec'd size - is one size difference, and depending on your intended purpose DOES MATTER.

not according to PIA it isn't. they measured it as small as 199 and as large as 213. (different DOMs)

The fact that he COPIED word for word a description from one of my ads is also a good indicator of the "seller" being a shitbag.

Your Raven should have a bridle attachment ring on it, unless like Andrewwhyte said some genious chose to remove it. I have never seen that happen yet, but I am sure people have.... That in fact does void the TSO unless factory approved ..

dude, when you are making a post. click on MARKUP HELP. you get this http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=markup_help; basically you need to place *{url}* in FRONT of the link and *{/url}* AFTER the end of link in other words place your link BETWEEN *{url{* and *{/url}* just use SQUARE brackets

It makes no difference whatsoever whether the gear is TSO'd or not if main deployment is at 400 ft. If the highly trained and current professional has a mal he will not have enough altitude do implement emergency procedures. Andrew, you are taking me out of context. I cannot argue that deploying at 400ft leaves your safety margins at near nil in case you need to use your reserve. I was simply rebutting Sparkies statement that BASE gear cannot be used for skydives. I am sure you will agree that 2K deployment will eliminate all the arguments, including those about the gear used.

The post was not directed to you so don’t get you shorts in a knot. Seems like your feathers are still ruffled over your “selling gear” thread. not at all. By personal I did not mean personal TO ME. I meant that YOU took it personally. In other words to me it sounded like you were not following the thread topic, but rather drifted into "2K exit w. 400ft pull cannot be done consistently". And that was the only thing that I answered. As far as "selling gear"... that has nothing to do with this thread. As you guessed - Irrelevant :) Most people in the industry including riggers do not consider BASE gear to be modern skydiving equipment. As for “knowledge” keep in mind there are no experts in this sport. All the experts are dead. Maybe you could enlighten on how the laws of physic and aerodynamics have changed since you started jumping. Sparky you are correct. BASE gear is meant to accomplish goals of BASE jumping - clean on-heading deployment, fast, clean and staged nose-first inflation. It is simpler from a stand point of not having any unnecessary bells and whistles, and more complex when compared to packing your regular skydiving main. While it is not built with skydiving in mind, it is taken to terminal every day, including rotations on all axis and WS flight, and skysurfing. The gear is also used for skydiving at times with no adverse effects. So basically what I am saying is that I, amongst many others believe that BASE gear if configured properly can (and is) used for skydives safely. It will be a much bigger pain in the ass due to the time it takes to pack, thus reserved for specialty stunts by skilled and current professionals. The gear suggested by RB was a modern BASE container with a TSO'd harness with a TSO'd belly reserve and TSOd reserve canopy. Any of the TSOd add-ons do not inhibit any features that the "main" part of the container was built for. As far as experts in the sports. I am not sure if you mean skydiving or BASE jumping, so I will reserve my answer. However, your wording "all the experts are dead" - suggests that at one time the experts did exist - could you please name a few of the currently diseased ones, and let me know how they perished ? I have no idea where your "laws of physics or aerodynamics" comes in, but your logic is faulty no matter how you look at the phrase. The laws most certainly HAVE NOT changed. However, our understanding of the laws and our gear knowledge has advanced greatly .

hi Ronaldo :) the proposed revamp of the classifieds is definitely a good thing, but unfortunately it is very costly and I doubt people would want to pay for it, and I doubt even more that NameMedia would want to foot the bill. I do my part deleting all the scam ads, that's my volunteering part. BSBD

I am not familiar with Sparkies work, so I am merely basing my statements on facts known to me. What's his credibility in making such a statement ? Does it have any more weight than testing gear that is 20 years underdeveloped as of today ? BTW, he continuosly demonstrates lack of knowledge of modern BASE gear, which is the gear that RB guys proposed to use for the demo. So much for "knowledge and experience of modern equipment"...

ok, so what happens when the buyer is a rigger themselves ?

I'd be an idiot to disagree with what Andrew said. The problem is that your statement was quite personal and that was what I addressed.

hey, sorry to hear about your experience. I still like paypal, but i alwasy suggest to fund your transaction with a credit card. Basically you are doing a payment by credit card, but the person receiving it is able to accept it without needing a credit card terminal. I have had my share of similar experiences as well, I believe it's mostly due to people not knowing better, but the trend to pad up (down, actually:) jump numbers and line condition is a big time problem with used gear. I try to ask for pictures when buying, tags, lines, that usually helps. As far as recourse - chargeback through a credit card. Unfortunately looks like claims involving items "not as described" leave the buyer SOL when dealing outside of eBay..... re http://reviews.ebay.com/SELLERS-BEWARE-PAYPAL-NOT-AS-DESCRIBED-CLAIMS_W0QQugidZ10000000002137211 Lastly would you mind posting (or PMing) the people info who so blatantly lied to you ? cheers

If you say so. But the issue of opening altitude was sorted out over 20 years ago because jumpers kept dying. I have not seen anything that will alter that fact today. Do you really think that you can exit at 2,000 feet and consistently deploy at 400 feet? You are a better man than I am. I think you might be confusing BASE with skydiving. You do know that they are different? Sparky gear and knowledge of 20 years ago is extremely inferior to that of today. Also you may not be thinking of all the other factors involved. a meatrocket on their belly is burning up 176ft/sec of altitude. a meat rocket in their wingsuit is doing 1/3 that (if not less), or 58ft/sec. Deployment, if initiated at full speed will be happening diagonally (read - LESS vertically). and will yield a canopy at a much higher altitude. Lets also not forget the gear advantages for fast and precise deployment. lastly, the only TECHNICAL difference here is the exit platform, which, once in full glide is absolutely irrelevant. you can call it a BASE jump from an aircraft, a skydive with BASE gear, a stupid trick, whatever you want, but don't say that it cannot be done consistently - cuz it is done so ALL THE TIME, IT'S A FACT !

Using a TSO'd base rig merely means that the rig has a certificated (the FAA's word, not mine) reserve. If you have almost any kind of mal at 400 feet, the reserve would be useless. Having a reserve doesn't make all stupid shit safe. ya know, you see what you want to see. I see "BASE RIG". You see "TSO'd" BASE canopies freepacked properly into a proper BASE container cannot be matched by a dbaged canopy for opening speed and heading. 400ft opening from a 2000ft WS exit is done ALL THE TIME, just go to Switzerland and you'll see it dozen times a day during the season, hell even in the winter. It's all a matter of proper gear useage and configuration and CURRENCY in the discipline. on a final note, stop being narrow minded.

I own one, and used it a few times from the plane, and a bunch of times from big cliffs/antennas. I think its great for BASE tracking, but does nothing for a beginner learning to WS. In other words I concur with the poster above :)

did -U-KY ? I prefer the silicone from the scuba shop. but I can't offer a technical reason short of knowing that unlike WD40, it's was made for people who put it near/on their skin. and I don't *think* WD40 is food grade :)

does it fly well : AFTER OPENING, or AFTER YOU POP YOUR BRAKES ? it could be a simple case of your brakes set above your stall point :)

I agree, with all but #2. a properly maintained and recently relined 700 jump original Sabre makes a great first canopy if priced right. It will be much easier to pack than a 200 jump wing, and it should be fairly inexpensive. It's also a very nice wing to fly. a newer slider and proper maintenance are a must unless you are a masochist :)

if you don't trust tap water, just get a rag and some distilled water. but be careful not to use more than you have to and not to wet the parts that don't need it. these guys make the ZP that many modern parachutes are made of. The section has a great know-how on cleaning the fabirc : http://www.perftex.com/customersupport/canopycare.htm

its a toughie and gets debated to death. I suggest using paypal - that gives you an ability to dispute charges if funded by a credit card. in the end, you will realize that just like you don't want to give up your money until you are sure, some sellers feel the same way, so it ends up an endless circle. good luck

as usual Bill Booth did a good job in his site, and in laymans English the term is called "stagger" and explained here : http://www.unitedparachutetechnologies.com/PDF/Support/Rigging/09116(Stagger).pdf

You know, it's funny you say that. I slept with a guy that slept with a rigger (his wife) last night. And I also think nearly $100 for a Racer repack is insane. Racers are no harder than any other conatainer to repack. I stand corrected, Some become riggers for the MEN. peregrinerose and hookitt come to mind.

Dude, it's nearly impossible to see the tiny "Archived Stolen gear reports" in th very bottom of the section. I never even noticed that, and I check that section all the time. This is like having a sticky-note sized sign for highway exits.