TerminatorSRT4

sounds like a good reason to look at the winds aloft and get better at spotting... just sayin I wasn't the spotter but I do agree about the winds aloft, should've paid more attention and also to add, I said how it was the first load of the day, don't know about you and where you jump...but for us that generally means you're the guinea pigs for basing the jump run path for the rest of the day, the rest of the jumps I made that day I made it back to the landing area

opening higher can give you more time to deal with a malfunction...but it kind of sucks when the wind on the ground is a little under 10mph but the wind above 2,000 feet and higher is 36+ mph and you open up at a little above 4,000 and you're on the first jump run and you're flying a lightly loaded canopy and you end up landing in some random guys farm trying to avoid the barbed wire, cows and cow shit just sayin'

Just got it assembled last night, won't be able to jump it til next weekend though.

I don't know if I'm the only one, but I actually enjoy the company of tandems on my jump load because they're so nervous and scared that it actually calms me down

another thing that I learned recently after reading up on the forums is to utilize every body part you can to make the job easier it looks like I'm a contortionist with some of the positions I get into while packing, but learning to use your whole body while packing has made my life much better

I had some problems too when I first jumped. The pressure change didn't affect me at all but the wind getting shoved up my nasal cavity dried my nose out very bad and it got to the point where I would get an extremely sore throat and needed a whole bag of cough drops after a day of jumping and I was miserable For that reason I bought a full face helmet and haven't had a single problem since

well I see that mainly low-number jumpers posted in here, so I feel comfortable on some occasions I get more nervous than others, such as the first jump after not jumping for 2-3 weeks, but every single time I have ever been nervous, as soon as I get out the door all the nervousness goes away and then I'm just happy and excited and having the time of my life on my first hop n pop I don't think I was ever more nervous in my life, seeing the ground that close and having a dozen people staring at you while you were getting ready to exit, but the second I jumped out and was staring at the guy staring at me all the nervousness went away and I deployed perfectly and had a great ride down so I guess it's just the anticipation for me, after the time comes to jump my nervousness goes away ok, I'll shut up now!

The first couple pack jobs I did on my own I felt like punching kittens. Now I've settled down and learned a few things and can get everything done in about 20 minutes while working smoothly and not rushing. Of course that'll all change since I ordered a new canopy for my first rig and I'll probably want to start punching kittens again...but oh well But don't be too intimated by packing, you'll get better, just take your time and ask LOTS of questions to the other people around you packing.

Well I'm in the same boat as you, minus one thing, I didn't order a smaller canopy in hopes that "by the time my rig got here I would be ready to downsize". I've been using student gear and been flying a 220 square Icarus main. I ordered a 210 PD Silhouette (which is semi-elliptical). I had the same thoughts as you, I didn't want to buy used for the same reasons I don't buy anything used (cars, jet skis, etc) because you never know what the person did to it before you. However I also agree that is what a rigger is for, to inspect everything on a used piece of gear and make sure it is safe and what you were expecting. But I personally didn't want to go through all that hassle, so I bought everything new. (Which I know can also have some problems, but the manufacturer will at least pay for any errors they made...I hope ) In the end it's your choice and your money. I had the money and as someone mentioned above, they sold their brand new rig a year or so later and got the same price out of it! I have both new canopies right now and a new Cypres 2, tomorrow my container should get here and I will have it put together this weekend. My main thing to you is to don't think you're going to want to downsize. Are you really not having anymore fun out of that 190? Is that 190 really too slow for you? Have you had to make a less than desirable landing on that 190? I'm in no major rush to downsize, especially after reading over some of the horror stories on the forums from people who have downsized too quickly. At this point in time I don't think I've ever seen a better sight in my life than on all the times I've looked up to see all 220 sq ft of my big old lumbering student canopy as my ride for the next 5 or so minutes. I think I'll have the same thoughts on my 210 for awhile. I know eventually I'll downsize, but this early in the game I have no plans at all to go smaller anytime soon. But if you have the money, patience to pack a new main and aren't too concerned about eventually getting your new rig all dirty, go for it! It's your decision.

That was another thing I liked, coming in by myself....until I was the only person landing so everyone was watching when I had to PLF I'm still walking though, so no shame there

I'm a low number jumper, but I'll still share my thoughts I would still be just as thrilled about jumping if there was no risk. I don't really jump for the risk, I like it because every time I've jumped so far has been completely different. You don't really know what to expect. Whether it's the free fall portion of the jump, the canopy flying or the landing. SOMETHING has been different every time, and I'm imagining it will stay that way for however many jumps I do in my life. I guess that's why I like jumping so much...it's not really the risk for me (although I obviously know there is always going to be a risk). Cliff notes: Yes I would still jump if the risk factor was eliminated

you took the words right out of my mouth, I think that's why I found it to be so appealing however I'm sure eventually when I have to do one because of an emergency I won't be as thrilled about the idea

So I've only done one so far (yeah yeah, point and laugh), but I must say that next to my first jump (tandem) this was my favorite jump. It was done from 3,500 for my A license (have everything done to get my A, just need to do a check dive). Everything about it; opening low (for me at least ), a slower sub terminal opening, the way your body is almost going feet first through the air since your canopy is pulling you back from opening while moving forward, I just loved it. So am I just being weird, or does anyone else enjoy doing hop n pops? Edit: One of the reasons I ask is because it doesn't seem like many people at my DZ like doing them.

don't mean to be an A-hole.........but use the search funtion if you're asking about a "first canopy"

good advice, I'd love to do a hop n pop from full altitude...but I'm thinking I might wait until spring/summer because I don't feel like coming back down as a frozen icicle but on a serious note, I will definitely apply all the advice on here and hopefully I can improve on some of these faster landings