Ronaldo

Did someone mention anything about Chutingstar’s website??? It has tons of really usefull information, amazingly well organized. You could spend a week reading and watching the videos.
Oh yeah, customer service is top notch! I’m in Brazil and have ordered many stuff for me and also for friends like I was ordering from the shop at the end of the street. BTW Mike, the Gath visors arrived here in record time (10 days including new year`s)

These are the ones I made for my riser sets (both work perfectly).
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3457338#3457338
I tried the one you mentioned but didn’t like much the bulk created (the risers did not seat as nicely over the shoulder).

These are very thin and almost invisible (volume behind comes from riser housings).

According to The Parachute Manual (Dan Pointer):
Kevlar/ Dacron - 5lbf
Microline (Spectra) - 30lbf for 30s
PD has a method for measuring but I'm not sure if it is the standard for the industry.
http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/linetrims/Measure-Line-Trim.pdf

Cool idea! It wouldn't work in my rig though as the loops are inside the channels.
BTW, it is really good to see other people's smart ideas coming up!
Thanks for the tip on bungee source

Really nice and simple. I couldn't find anything similar here so decided to build something.
BTW, I'still looking for a strong bungee like the one you're using.

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And I've heard once or twice that his customer service doesn't suck too badly either.

Yeah, heard something like that too, guess I’ll take the risk

I’m not sure about the Gedi since it is the strongest of their helmets. The shell looks different. If they had the Gedi model with the bubble visor I would definitely pick one.
Thanks for the quick reply

You’re the man Mike! Please don’t tell me you also have the visors.
I have just checked my mold and it should be an exact perfect fit!!!!

Hi folks,
I’m planning to buy a visor for the Gath retractable to use in a homemade project. Unfortunately, there is no one around here who owns one. Could someone please check for me the approximate width of the visor installed (size L, XL or XXL)? I believe all their surf helmets share the same shell so the measurements should be the same for all of them.
I know these helmets and visors are very flexible but the measurement without tension would be just fine.
This will help me evaluate the amount of work I’m going to have
Thanks a lot!

Ronaldo

I tried that also but it takes a bit more time. It would be perfect if I knew I was jumping only one discipline each day but sometimes I have to change it in the middle of the day. I already spend some time switching canopies .

Thanks
Yes, my rig is custom made and fits really well but on the very few jumps I made without the bungee one or both straps moved a bit towards the middle of the thigh. This happened transitioning from a sit with legs open 90º or more to a stand up position. The straps prevented me momentarily to push my leg down to a stand. Not a big deal in terms of safety as it comes back to place when I’m back to belly but may ruin the middle of the jump.
My jumpsuit is made of supplex and has a straight cut, maybe this contributes to making it slippery for the leg straps.
When gearing up I fasten chest strap first then bend forward and fasten leg straps snuggly (not tight).

Finally decided to put my brain to work a little bit and solve a really annoying issue: removing/ installing bungee straps for wingsuit/ freefly jumps. I installed one set of dot snaps in a small piece of nylon tape and attached it to the leg straps (see pictures). Now it takes only a few seconds to switch from one discipline to another.
My Wings have a channel through which I passed the tape but it can easily adapted for other rigs just by sewing it at the edge of the leg strap (over trim tape).
I’m not sure if this belongs to gear & rigging or here so moderators feel free to move it.
Merry Xmas everybody!

I made a big stash bag for my BASE rig and now use it when travelling with my skydiving gear also. It is much better than carrying the rig exposed, weights nothing and can be squeezed and reorganized to fit inside cabin luggage compartment. You can buy one pretty cheap from one of the BASE manufacturers or have your rigger (or yourself) to make one. Here are a couple of pictures of mine (I took the shoulder straps from my worn Apex stash). The main advantage of making it custom is to adjust it to the size and volume of your gear. I’ll make another one this weekend and probably add pockets on the outside.

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Next is the concept of making a low altitude ball of shit the biggest ball of shit possible. It is impossible to deploy the reserve without cutting away on one of these rigs.

Good point, I forgot that scenario also, such as in a very low mid air collision where you don't want to cutaway but only add more fabric above your head. As always, it is impossible to create a perfect system.

If your thigh measurements and harness construction are correct the leg pads should be close but without overlapping. Did you take your measurements with shorts and is now trying the rig over a heavy suit? This would increase the space between pads.
Regarding hip rings it may depend on harness design. I have a Wings and had the same feeling at first but I know it is how it was designed to be (top of pelvic bone).
Anyway, just relax and contact the manufacturer. If for some reason the fit is not correct they will absolutely fix it for you.

Found this while browsing through Altico’s web site.

http://www.altico.com/universal.htm

Does anyone have experience with it? I found it interesting. The only disadvantage I can see for now is for the jumpers who opt for not cutting away in some high speed mals (PC in tow, hard pulls, lost handle).

The best option would be definitely to contact the dealer/ manufacturer (take pictures and send them). You may also post a picture here so riggers and experienced jumpers can try to help.
From my limited experience a rig will feel slightly tighter with the canopies packed.
BTW, leg straps on a properly sized rig don’t need to be over tighten, just snug.

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I don't know if this applies to all 7 cells, but my Triathlon 160 seems to open a lot harder than the Sabre II's I used to rent (even if I roll the hell out of the nose and the tail).

How many jumps does it have in the lineset? My Tri160 opens like a dream no matter who packs it.

To the OP: the main difference for you at this stage will probably be the glide ratio. The Sabre2 will glide much better than the Spectre (even if flown at brakes). Flare on Sabre2 is much better also but probably won’t be a big deal at a low wing loading.
Since you are considering the Spectre, see if you can find an old Triathlon cheap for sale and jump it. You may save a lot of money to jump which is the most important thing for you now. Also, since an used Tri should be already depreciated it will lose only a small fraction of its resale value.

I’m a little surprised with the results. It is almost unanimous the idea of sticking with the main you already know well than to switch to a lighter loaded reserve you have never jumped.
It’s been a really interesting discussion folks, thank you all for the inputs

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1. There have been cases of reserve parachute malfunctions.

What if you pack your own reserve and have already test jumped it once as a main?

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2. You have more exp flying the main than the reserve.

True, but wouldn't a skilled pilot under a small main feel even more comfortable under a smaller square 7 cell? Obviously you have to adapt to the different glide and speed to make your approach.

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With a dislocated shoulder.... How are you going to pull both handles in a timely manner?

I don't see a problem to cutaway and pull reserve with one hand but surely it will take longer (and you open lower) so it is a real disadvantage. Also, if you can't grab both toggles to flare wouldn't it be better to land at a lower wl (with brakes set)?

Let’s say you fly a small main (elliptical 120 or less) and have a larger reserve (160 or up) and end up in a really bad spot, over the city with little or no alternative landing areas. Would you consider cutting away your main to land under a larger, more docile reserve (and possibly reducing the chances of serious injuries)? If not, in which other scenario would you do it (injured, dislocated shoulder, etc)?
I’m pretty sure I will receive answers like: check your spot before jumping, fly a canopy you can land anywhere, etc, but please remember this is a hypothetical situation.

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Next time you are under canopy try kicking yourself into a line twist. By your theories it can't be done and if you can report back and explain it.

If still are determined to say it does nothing, then I must have done something super special when I kicked myself into a line twist for a photo.

Actually It would be much easier to get into twists than getting out of them for the reasons I mentioned on my previous post. If the canopy is open without line twists the risers are spread and tensioned. This means you have a reasonably stiff structure from which you are suspended. When you kick your body (torso) pushes the canopy (risers/harness) and it reacts on the opposite direction. The first kick is the key for succeeding in this attempt because it is when you have the strongest platform to start with (longer leverage). Once the first turn is made the risers are joined together losing the leverage effect and inertia helps you getting into more turns.
BTW, I’m not saying that kicking does nothing, it does but due to the geometry of the system (jumper/ twisted lines) the effects are dramatically reduced. It definitely wouldn’t do anything in the space (but in this case twists would be our last concern)

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This is entirely false. I just did a 360 by kicking my legs on my office chair.

You’re certainly using the static friction off the bearings as a reaction force every time you kick. According to Newton’s 3rd law of motion for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A body simply cannot change its momentum applying force to itself. This would violate the Law of Momentum Conservation.

I totally agree with you that kicking alone doesn’t do much help for untwisting. What usually happens is that when you start kicking you grab the risers and exert a counteracting torque on them with your body. This is what undoes the twist. Although the parachute has a relatively low mass it is flying and this flight gives it a lot of “dynamic” inertia (it resists to changes in motion).
Try this experiment: sit in an office chair (spin type with good bearings) and lift your feet off the floor. Now try to rotate yourself kicking your legs, arms, whatever you want, you’ll remain facing the same direction. Now put one finger on the desk and push (apply torque). The desk is the parachute, you need this link to create torque and have something happening. Also, to create torque you need a lever and this is probably why untwisting the risers works well. In the above video you can see that when the twists reach the links the risers are allowed to separate. At this moment you have a lever arm (spread risers) and it is exactly when the parachute spins the jumper.
When you don’t bring the twists down you don’t have a good lever to create torque and untwisting takes longer.
It is also interesting to see that the parachute keeps flying in the same direction, it is the jumper that spins which means that although the jumper has a higher mass the parachute has a much higher overall inertia (at this axis).
Who doesn’t love Physics?

This is the one I have always used. The only difference was a sticker outside with instructions in Portuguese since it was an imported product.
http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Guard-DS-SCOTCHGARD-Scotchgard-Safe/dp/B000I1QFI2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1289042869&sr=8-7

I believe the original can design has changed to this:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard/Home/Applications/Fashion_Upholstery/Do-It-Yourself/Fabric_Protector/

At the website above you can see all types available. I believe you should not use the blue can (carpet cleaner/ protector), purple (for crafts) or the black one (car upholstery)
The can you have looks like for general application and I can’t really comment on that