D-Fens

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Everything posted by D-Fens

  1. Hello. I currently jump a Sabre 2 150 loaded at about 1.2. It has served me well and I like it, but now I've decided to focus more on WS flight and thus my priorities have changed a bit what I want in a canopy: I want quicker openings and something that handles line twists well. I haven't jumped that many skydiving canopies, and I've never had a line twist with my Sabre 2, so I can't speak about line twist behavior. However, I think my Sabre 2 openings are a bit slow. In BASE jumping I love the openings I get with my Troll 245, they are quick, to the point. When I BASE my track suit, I feel extremely comfortable with my Troll and I don't hesitate to pull in full flight. I'd not want to do that with my Sabre 2. How does the Sabre 2 compare with, for example, Storm or Sabre 1 or Spectre? Is it a noticeable difference?
  2. Just out of curiosity. Seen people do both. So just to avoid confusion, I will clarify what I mean: On bags that have a grommet in the center of the bag for the first line stow, how do you stow it? Do you put the rubber band through the lines or to the side? If you put the rubber band between the lines, it will look pretty neat and symmetrical. However, if you mess around to much, you may screw up your packjob by pulling apart the lines near the slider. And it takes a bit longer to pack. If you just create a line stow like on other types of bags, you will pack faster, but you will get an asymmetry that may theoretically upset the deployment.
  3. Thanks. So I'm talking about the kill-line. I guess it has shrunk from the friction. And what you say makes sense. Shrunk kill-line can lead to hesitation can lead to line twists.
  4. My kill-line is too short. I was wondering how large/small effect this will have on my deployment and possibility for line twists? Cheers
  5. D-Fens

    G2

    Since there's only one other review on this site I thought I'd chime in with my view. GOOD: This is very comfortable, and the optics of the lens is incredible. I can wear it with glasses, so if you can't wear contact lenses and would like to avoid the large, over-the-glasses goggles, this is nice. BAD: The G2 is very popular in my DZ and everyone has the same problem: fogging when under canopy. I had the same problem, to the extent that I had to open it before landing. This is worth knowing: my first jump I did with a G2 I got line twists, and the fogging could have made that situation stressfull weren't for the fact that I've done so many jumps this year and I'm very comfortable with all my other gear. GLASSES: Oh, and something that's specific to the issue of wearing glasses: You can't actually put on/take off the helmet without first taking of your glasses (obviously) so you will, if you're not careful, end up with your glasses becoming dirtier than usual. SIZING: Worth noticing, which is a bit weird: My main helmet is Cookie Ozone. I was very surprised when I bought that one and realized I needed the XXL model (though Cookies website recommended XL given the measurements of my head). For the G2, "L" fit just fine. So I guess the measurements differ between the various models. VERDICT: All in all, I give this a 4/5. As far as I know, Cookie are working on the fogging issue. Once that's improved, this deserves a 5/5. It's a really solid piece of equipment, and I will probably buy one. It seems extremely awesome for wind tunnel work also. UPDATE December 2011: I brought a G2 in October. I decided to purchase the G2 instead of the newer G3 model. The G2 has much better build quality and feel, whereas the G3 is and feels like plastic. I have not jumped with my G2 yet, but I have used it for around 4 hours wind tunnel. It is extremely comfortable for wind tunnel work. Fogging is not an issue at all in these circumstances. I couldn't imagine using anything else in the tunnel.
  6. D-Fens

    Solo II

    The Solo II is a newly released, entry level audiable from L&B. Under the hood, it has some very sophisticated software and instruments, the altimeter is very precise, and it does exactly what it's supposed to do. And you can't beat the price (I got mine really cheap). For the right person, the Solo II is possibly the greatest purchase ever. However, for myself, the cons are pretty big. You can only set the unit in feet, not meters, which complicate some jumps with friends who set their audiable in meters. And the Solo II has an interface that's quite difficult to work with (after 80 jumps with it, I still have to lookup in the manual how to change the warning signals without turning the unit off afterwards). One jump I set off the 3rd alarm by doing a 360 under canopy. That was a surprise! Especially since I jump a very big canopy (210 sqft). All in all, I'd say the Solo II is great value for the money if you are American, or jump in another country where everyone use feet anyway. If you live in say Europe, think a while if you want to live with it. I myself will probably get an Optima II when I can afford it :)
  7. Hi, So I was thinking why some parachutes have a thicker airfoil than others, and what the thickness means in terms of aerodynamics. So accuracy and seven-cell canopies are usually thicker than high performance nine cells. Can anyone explain the science here? I was thinking (or, guessing) that the increased thickness will increase drag ("bad") however it may (?) also increase lift because the air has to travel further above the wing than below it ("good")? The canopies with a low aspect ratio need this thickness out of necessity to create lift. Enlightenment appreciated :-) Cheers, D
  8. Hi, So as a christmas gift for myself I'm going to buy a new audible. I can get the Optima II and the Pro-Track for the same price, so that's not an issue. Which would you recommend? I do free-flying, no swooping. I was planning on mounting it inside the pocket in my Cookie Ozone helmet. Cheers D
  9. Hi. So I'm sick and bored and the last hour I've been searching for stories about skydivers/skydiving written by people who are not skydivers themselves but are not complete whuffos, for example the pilots. So anyone know anything like that? I was thinking that there must be some aviation message board somewhere (like dropzone but for pilots) where our pilots hang out with interesting stories :) Anyone?
  10. D-Fens

    Ozone

    This is a great helmet. Very lightweight - I haven't tried it with cameras but without it feels like I'm not wearing a helmet at all. Before buying, I would recommend you try the helmet first. According to the sizing chart I was a "XL", but that model was way too tight, so I had to go with the XXL instead (which is a bit weird, since my head is not that big, most other helmets I've used were of size L). So in short, try it, and you will probably like it :)
  11. I've used Adidas Elevation Climacool for a couple of years: http://sportrx.com/order.asp?product_id=AD18 You can change the lenses and there are quite a few different lenses for it. I mostly use clear lenses for jumping and tinted lenses when using them as sunglasses. I lost the foam part once when hurrying from one balloon jump to the next and had the goggles hanging around the neck, so I bought a new one. The foam part has now started to come loose at the nose though. Quite nice, but you have to pay extra for having to advertise the brand.... Looks interesting. Do you have a problem with fogging?