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e.a.hernandez

Underloading a canopy???

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There is nothing unsafe. You will not drive into winds that other jumpers will drive into, that's about the only thing.

I have several hundred jumps on canopies at a much lower wingloading, and BASE canopies are pretty much always loaded less.

Downsides? You might have to quit jumping in lower winds than some others, and it packs up bigger. Note that those winds are still in the range where you might not want to be jumping anyway. Upsides? You land softer, and have more room to screw up.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Is that 155 exit weight, or 155 just your weight? If it is just you, the 190 is the right size for you.



I fully agree with this. I weigh 155 or so on the scale stepping into the shower. With all my gear i weigh about 190.

I jump a 190 Triathlon and it has served me very well. I don't get a whole lot of forward drive in strong winds, but I know and plan for that.

I love my Tri:)
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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There is nothing unsafe. You will not drive into winds that other jumpers will drive into, that's about the only thing.

I have several hundred jumps on canopies at a much lower wingloading, and BASE canopies are pretty much always loaded less.

Downsides? You might have to quit jumping in lower winds than some others, and it packs up bigger. Note that those winds are still in the range where you might not want to be jumping anyway. Upsides? You land softer, and have more room to screw up.

Wendy P.



BASE is a bad example...BASE jumpers dont jump in high wind (normally)
IHYD

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155 lbs with nothing on. Adding the gear would be like another 25-30 lbs so exit weight of about 180-185lbs.



Put on all your gear and step on a scale. You might be a bit surprised (I was).

Including helmet, altimiter, goggles (yeah, I know goggles aren't much), gloves, jumpsuit, and the shoes and clothes you normallly wear. All that stuff adds up.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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A Triathlon (which is what he's jumping) is a high-aspect 7-cell. No, all canopies are not alike, but he's not underloading that canopy. The rest of what I wrote also applies.

To the OP: if you want to swoop eventually, you'll probably end up getting a different canopy after awhile. But you'll still have learned a whole lot that's applicable under a forgiving platform, that lets you stretch the boundaries without as much risk of serious injury.

You can hurt yourself on any canopy. But it happens faster on a smaller one. Nothing wrong with jumping with a canopy that gives you time to think about what you're doing.

Wendy P.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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Hi,

I have 48 jumps weight about 155 lbs and jump a Triathlon 190. Have heard from a couple of people that I am underloading my canopy. What is going on??? Am I doing something wrong?



Your canopy is overloaded for classic accuracy - something like a 260 would work better at your weight. For other jumping there's nothing wrong with what you're doing.

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The Triathalon is a canopy that handles underloading pretty well. Some canopies (notably Stilettos) need a reasonable loading, but Triathalons are pretty stable even at very light loadings. I put a few jumps on a 260 loading it about .7 to 1 with no problems.

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