The Best BASE gear.

[Calvin19 0]

So, lets throw out what gear, in our opinion, is best. and for what reasons.

Best Container-
final generation Vertigo Warlock

it is a simple, lightweight, and functional.
it has a good flow over the body, the rig is thin.

Best Canopy-
EASILY the BlackJack with ZP foreskin.
Best Glide ratio, good Vents/valves.
the F111 feels very nice to the touch.

Best Risers-
Asylum inverted 3 rings.
the lack of grommet passing through the lower part of the riser is very attractive. it seems stronger. the riser while packed covers the stringy thing to protect it. and being that that string is your life, thats a good thing.

[pocbase 0]

Best PC?
Of course considering there may be different preferences for different sizes...

The bums will never win Lebowski, the bums will never win!
Enfin j'ai trouvé:
Bieeeen

[base_rigger 0]

Best Container
First generation Warp III

Best Canopy
EASILY the Cruiselight or a Unit

Best Risers
Type 17

You know you have a problem when maggot is the voice of reason at the exit points

[stitch 0]

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Best Container-

I like the Huck-It, for obvious reasons. Also the APEX DP has some nice features

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Best Canopy-
EASILY the BlackJack with ZP foreskin.
Best Glide ratio, good Vents/valves.
the F111 feels very nice to the touch.

** You're probably right, but I'm poor.

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Best Risers-
Asylum inverted 3 rings.
the lack of grommet passing through the lower part of the riser is very attractive. it seems stronger. the riser while packed covers the stringy thing to protect it. and being that that string is your life, thats a good thing.

Maybe you need to get out more. Most, if not all "integrity risers" are built that way.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[Calvin19 0]

aye, i do need to get out more.
i thought Asylums were the only ones like that.

-SPACE-

[TomAiello 26]

It would also probably be useful to list your experience with each piece of gear.

Quite honestly, I see many, many people who swear that "Gear X is the best," but turn out to have made 95% of their jumps on that gear. Without a basis for comparison, what makes them form that opinion?

Many people strongly hold the opinion that whatever gear they own is the best, and turn out to believe that because someone else told them that when they started jumping, so they went out and bought that gear, and have never used anything else.



Perhaps something like this:

"Of my 350 jumps, 150 were made on a Rig A, 100 were made on a Rig B, and 50 each were made on a Rig C and Rig D. I liked Rig B the best because of X, Y and Z, compared with Rig A, where I saw H, J and K."

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[TomAiello 26]

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...the lack of grommet passing through the lower part of the riser is very attractive. it seems stronger. the riser while packed covers the stringy thing to protect it. and being that that string is your life, thats a good thing.

For what it's worth, I definitely agree with your thoughts on the integrity style (reversed) risers. That little white string is by far the most fragile part of your life support equipment. Anything that protects it is a big plus in my book.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[KevinMcGuire 0]

The best gear out there is, with out a doubt, the gear you build for your self. Nothing else even comes close to matching the feeling of standing at the bottom of an object, alive and intact, wearing your own freshly unpacked design.

[PeteS 0]

Amen, Keivn. NOTHING, beat the feeling of using a complete peice of gear that I put every stitch in, from the legstraps to the top of the pilot chute......

[stitch 0]

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The best gear out there is, with out a doubt, the gear you build for your self. Nothing else even comes close to matching the feeling of standing at the bottom of an object, alive and intact, wearing your own freshly unpacked design.

Maybe. But a person could probably buy a new rig from every manufacturer out there, for what the cost of the equipment and a "NEO" (to copy the pattern from) container would be. ........wait......did I just say that.

"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

[katzurki 0]

I think a far more interesting comparison would be for people to list what they think is "the worst currently produced BASE gear."

[Calvin19 0]

Aye.

Ok, of my 200ish BASE jumps (i dont log)

150 were on a dagger 222 and a warlock
40 on gargoyl and 260 Blackjack/ZP
10 on other random rigs.

The Blackjack is magic compared to the dagger, flick, rock draggon, when it comes to flying safely i think.

The Warlock is sweet. i wish i could have afforded another one before they were 'phased out' and replaced by a new 'improvement'.

i guess i dont know anything about gear that i havent jumped a lot. i was just trying to start some shit. as usual.

[pope 0]

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I liked Rig B the best because of...

Tom, where can I get my hands on one of these "Rig B's?" Based on your report, it sounds like a Rig B is the way to go. Do you know how they handle H, I, or J?
What is a Rig B going for these days?

Thanks!

[MMK 0]

Not a 100% related, but valid (in my opinion none the less). Did an outdoor First Aid Course the other day and the instructor asked what the best First Aid kit was. I rambled on about all the niceties of what to have and he just looked at me and said: "Its whatever you got". No point flying XYZ and wishing you had QWERTY - tough luck!

Mick

Just My Penny - 'No comments are meant to offend individuals and are purely a personal view presented by myself'.

[nicrussell 0]

[reply That little white string is by far the most fragile part of your life support equipment. Anything that protects it is a big plus in my book.

[blitzkrieg 0]

sure, a softlink thru your 3rings on jumps you don't intend to cutaway.

[nicrussell 0]

I was thinking of something not permanent (not PLANNING a cutaway) but something more durable. More like the yellow lines that go thru the white string. (I know they are not pliable enough, but closer to those than my shoe laces.)

[pocbase 0]

L-Bars

Although I really don't see anything wrong with 3 rings. There's hardly any force on that "shoestring" if the system is properly built, so I don't see how it would wear out.

The bums will never win Lebowski, the bums will never win!
Enfin j'ai trouvé:
Bieeeen

[wwarped 0]

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I know the amount of force on 'the white string' is very small, however isnt there a better (more durable, stronger, etc..) substitute for the little white string. even on a skydiving rig, there has got to be something better besides a shoe lace on some watered down steroids. but what do i know.

define "better?"
stronger?
easier to manufacture?

what problems do you wish to overcome?
real, or imagined?

remember, "the white string" has been used for decades. if there was a serious issue, surely it would have been corrected by now.

DON'T PANIC
The lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
sloppy habits -> sloppy jumps -> injury or worse

[dride 0]

The best gear out there is what I currently jump--an old (but modified) Vector with no reserve and a Straocloud (sp). I do use a 9' bridle and a 42" PC. The harness is the BEST on the market even today.

It works great - I've only landed hard 4 times out of my 11 BASE jumps at the Perrine.

I love this sport!!

[TomAiello 26]

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There's hardly any force on that "shoestring" if the system is properly built, so I don't see how it would wear out.

It wears out from being dragged against the ground when you stow the lines. There has been at least one actual failure of the white line from this (which was caught prior to jumping) and at least one failure of the white line in use (which was possibly from this as well).

The white line has failed once and put someone into the hospital. Why not look for a superior alternative? Remember that the original system is engineered to work in a skydiving environment, and one of it's main criteria is functioning in a high G cutaway (which doesn't apply to BASE).

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[pocbase 0]

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It wears out from being dragged against the ground when you stow the lines. There has been at least one actual failure of the white line from this (which was caught prior to jumping) and at least one failure of the white line in use (which was possibly from this as well).

Wowaaa!

Ok, point taken then

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The white line has failed once and put someone into the hospital. Why not look for a superior alternative? Remember that the original system is engineered to work in a skydiving environment, and one of it's main criteria is functioning in a high G cutaway (which doesn't apply to BASE).

True. Integrity's would even have a tendency to hang up...

L-Bars?

Just cut away with the hook-knife

The bums will never win Lebowski, the bums will never win!
Enfin j'ai trouvé:
Bieeeen

[VincentVL. 0]

What are the advantages of a Blackjack with ZP foreskin (yes my brain does work that way) over a vented Troll. Specifically when dealing with low objects (fast inflation needed) on the one hand, and object strikes on the other. Thx!

[Calvin19 0]

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What are the advantages of a Blackjack with ZP foreskin (yes my brain does work that way) over a vented Troll. Specifically when dealing with low objects (fast inflation needed) on the one hand, and object strikes on the other. Thx!

My Best freind has a troll with mdv, and we just got back from a jumping trip in moab.

I think that there is not much difference in safety of lower objects, they both are realiable for opening stuff. but the black will outfly a troll, or any other BASE canopy for that matter. the ZP foreskin (i think that way as well) gives a lot more than people think.

understanding the way a foil can be effiecient, one loses the most effective aspect of a wing by making the topskin poris. so, zp is magic.

[460 0]

For slider down jumps, it may not be the best idea to necessarily choose a canopy with the most flying distance capability. Is heading performance the cost for flying distance? Packing with ZP topskins are more difficult and the material itself due to its lower elasticisty may result in a higher chance of an off-heading opening. There are only a few objects where flying cross country is required when jumping slider down. The vast majority of slider down objects have landing areas near the bottom of the object. If anything, consider that the bottom is where you'll land if you have a recoverable malfunction.

Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174