Rigs for big guys

[birdshit 0]

Hey yall. I weigh anywhere from 210lbs to 230lbs depending on how close it is to thanksgiving. Are there any special considerations for bigger guys like me? I am not a lardass, I just have a chest that looks like a 50 gallon drum and arms like a bald gorilla. I have a soft spot or two, but not 'fat' by any means.

I have seen a few posts and heard of 'the brotherhood of the anvil' and whatnot, so I know it is possible, I just need to hook up with the right folks. If they can airdrop an 13 ton armored personnel carrier then they can air drop me, it is just a matter of having the right gear for the job.

Some dropzones have reservations jumping a guy like me; I guess out of concern for the the crust of the earth should I burn in. They don't want the landing area looking like the surface of the moon. The place in intend on getting my AFF isn't near any fault lines or anything so no worries about lava flows or earthquakes should the unthinkable happen. hahaha...



Your thoughts?

[bigway 4]

Have a look at the 'Wings EXT'

They are made for taller people.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[airtwardo 7]

I'm 240 nekid...and jump a 'custom' fitted Quasar.

As you know when someone is 'our' size, off the rack really isn't an option!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[birdshit 0]

Quote

Have a look at the 'Wings EXT'

They are made for taller people.

Thanks for the quick reply! It is not so much a matter of being 'tall' I am only 5'11" and I fit perfectly into every student rig I have ever jumped (260/230) with a standard setup. I have a 45 inch chest. All those damned pushups the Army is so excited about.

Maybe I will just bring a big wad of hundred dollar bills down to the dropzone. I hear that there is no problem that cannot be solved with a liberal application of the universal lubricant... $$$

[birdshit 0]

Quote

I'm 240 nekid...and jump a 'custom' fitted Quasar.

As you know when someone is 'our' size, off the rack really isn't an option!

I will get my own rig, the next time that the Wells Fargo truck comes to refill the atm machine, and I happen to be standing there with a tub sock full of BBs.... LOL In the meantime, I am trying to get my AFF done on student gear. Is 210-230 really so damn big? Can't I sign a 'fatass waiver' or something? I look around the DZ and I see pretty big guys running around all over... I don't know, I have heard nothing but good things here about Skydive Dallas, but the guy I talked to didn't seem overly excited about my business.

[PhreeZone 20]

If you are a really big person looking for gear what you need to look for in a rig is the Max certified weight. Most rigs are only certified to a max weight of 255 pounds. There are a few companies out there that have certified their harnesses to 300 lbs.

At 210-230 you are not near the max harness weight even if its at 255 so that aspect is not an issue. Beyond that its all in the sizing of a harness in terms of if it will fit you or not. If you are 5'3" 230 lbs thats a pretty unusual shape so you'll probally need to look at a custom harness. But if you are 5'10" 230lbs thats a somewhat normal shape (At least here in the States) so all you need to do is find gear that fits your body size.

Talk to your instructors about the size canopies you will want to buy and then look for a rig to fit them and would fit your body size.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[birdshit 0]

Quote

If you are a really big person looking for gear what you need to look for in a rig is the Max certified weight. Most rigs are only certified to a max weight of 255 pounds. There are a few companies out there that have certified their harnesses to 300 lbs.

At 210-230 you are not near the max harness weight even if its at 255 so that aspect is not an issue. Beyond that its all in the sizing of a harness in terms of if it will fit you or not. If you are 5'3" 230 lbs thats a pretty unusual shape so you'll probally need to look at a custom harness. But if you are 5'10" 230lbs thats a somewhat normal shape (At least here in the States) so all you need to do is find gear that fits your body size.

Talk to your instructors about the size canopies you will want to buy and then look for a rig to fit them and would fit your body size.

thanks phree. maybe i just caught the guy on a bad day..

[b1jercat 0]

Hi, I jump a infinity I-55. I weight 220 and am 5ft 11inches. I had about 50 jumps when I bought it and was jumping 193r and 190 main. It is tso to 254 out the door. I did all my down sizing on student gear. good luck
blues

jerry

[3331 137]

http://www.jumpshack.com/

I Jumped with the guys who invented Skydiving.

[MikeForsythe 0]

There are two that I would consider. UPT/Vector and Jump Shack. Both make big guy rigs and have the experience of making high weight capacity containers. UPT offers the skyhook and Jump Shack is a much lighter more comfortable rig (their tandem rigs only weigh 38lbs.). As always, it is a matter of choice and options. You should be happy with either..

Time and pressure will always show you who a person really is!

[Derekbox 0]

Im 260ish right now, your best bet is getting a custom rig. Despite what you may have been led to believe, pretty much every manufactur can build a rig that will fit you fine.

But I will save you soem headache, if you buy a new rig, get a Vector.

There are big buy rigs that go on the classifieds every now and then too. Believe it or not, 200+lbs is relatively common among skydivers.

Enjoy

[askir 0]

Hey:
I have a friend selling his BIG BOY RIG he bought new, the whole thing has 25 jumps on it.
Call John Rose 832-277-0173
The rig has 25 jumps and he is just not jumping much to justify 2 rigs...

LIFE IS LIKE A CIGARETTE, YOU CAN SIT THERE AND WATCH IT BURN AWAY OR YOU CAN SMOKE THAT BITCH TO THE FILTER

[ChrisL 2]

Quote

Hey yall. I weigh anywhere from 210lbs to 230lbs depending on how close it is to thanksgiving. Are there any special considerations for bigger guys like me? I am not a lardass, I just have a chest that looks like a 50 gallon drum and arms like a bald gorilla. I have a soft spot or two, but not 'fat' by any means.

I have seen a few posts and heard of 'the brotherhood of the anvil' and whatnot, so I know it is possible, I just need to hook up with the right folks. If they can airdrop an 13 ton armored personnel carrier then they can air drop me, it is just a matter of having the right gear for the job.

Some dropzones have reservations jumping a guy like me; I guess out of concern for the the crust of the earth should I burn in. They don't want the landing area looking like the surface of the moon. The place in intend on getting my AFF isn't near any fault lines or anything so no worries about lava flows or earthquakes should the unthinkable happen. hahaha...



Your thoughts?

Yo Dude,

We are about the same size. I'm 5' 11" and currently weigh 230 lbs.
in my birthday suit.
Its mostly muscle from lifting. Got a 35" (could be 34 if I tried harder) waist and a 48" chest. Big arms.
All that rot.

I jump a Vector 3 (V357). Fits great and very comfy. A Pilot 188 main.
PD 218R Reserve.

You shouldn't have any problem. When buying gear, make sure you get a nice, baggy poly-cotton jumpsuit. Maybe add swoop cords and booties.

__

My mighty steed

[mnealtx 0]

I definitely agree on the jumpsuit - after this visit, I'm going to send mine back to Bev to get it cut a bit looser - I haven't decided on cords, but I figure I can always order the belt if needed.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[jeremy_o 0]

Quote

Some dropzones have reservations jumping a guy like me; I guess out of concern for the the crust of the earth should I burn in.

The problem is moreso that being a "big guy" puts you extremily close to the limits of the harness/reserve/etc. I know other people talked about this but I didn't see anyone address the issue of weighing 230 + 30 lbs of gear puts you possibly over the certified weight.

Anyway, that is probably the biggest problem not that they don't want your business

http://planetskydive.net/ - An online aggregation of skydiver's blogs.

[bwilling 0]

Quote

At 210-230 you are not near the max harness weight even if its at 255 so that aspect is not an issue.

That's only true if you're out the door at that weight. If your naked weight is 230, you'll be pushing the the 254 lbs TSO max of most rigs, or God forbid, even be over it!

My rig with the big canopies I jump weighs over 25 pounds, so when my body weight is at 230, I'm slightly over TSO limits with full gear! I need to stay under 225 naked weight to be within specs, and even then I'm right at the limits!

"If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

[BIGUN 1,397]

Speaking of Anvil Brothers... let me jump in here.
I'm 6'6" and 250
TallGuy was pointed to me when he first got in the sport a few years ago (he's 6'8/9" and 265)
Your experience at SDD kinda surprises me, having both worked there (tandems) and in knowing most of the staff.
My guess is their student H/C gear is TSO'd at 254#, so you're kinda _bumping_ their level of comfort on the rigs.
Having said that, talk with Ernie about it and your goals in buying your own gear as soon as you're cleared for solo's and get the guidance of those in the Instructors area on gear purchases.
There's no need to go down the _modified_ tandem rig route.

Most H/C's are now rated to 300# and will be a matter of personal preference (I like the WingsEXT best - just cause the hackey is lower on my back - but like different things about all the rig manufacturers and have owned just about all and jumped them all). Finding the proper main & reserve is a discussion best served with your Instructors at SDD.

Feel free to PM me as you go down this path.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[billvon 3,059]

A few comments:

Consider full size (type 8) risers and large 3-rings. They take heavy loads better than mini-risers do. Mini-risers will generally work OK, but combine a hard opening with a spinning mal with somewhat worn mini-risers at those weights and you might see trouble.

Get some advice on jumpsuits for matching other people's fall rates. You may need some additional help to slow down to other people's fallrates - and a slower (i.e. 120mph) fallrate will make things easier on your gear.

If you try freeflying be absolutely sure you slow down completely before deploying.

Canopies for those sizes are readily available, as are harnesses. A PD-281 reserve and a Silhouette-260 might be a good combo for you, depending on what canopies you are used to,

[airtwardo 7]

Consider full size (type 8) risers and large 3-rings. They take heavy loads better than mini-risers do. Mini-risers will generally work OK, but combine a hard opening with a spinning mal with somewhat worn mini-risers at those weights and you might see trouble.


HEY!

I resemble that remark!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Derekbox 0]

Hot damn whats the story there?

[airtwardo 7]

Quote

Hot damn whats the story there?

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2915781#2915781

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[fcajump 164]

Quote

Hey yall. I weigh anywhere from 210lbs to 230lbs depending on how close it is to thanksgiving. Are there any special considerations for bigger guys like me? I am not a lardass, I just have a chest that looks like a 50 gallon drum and arms like a bald gorilla. I have a soft spot or two, but not 'fat' by any means.

I have seen a few posts and heard of 'the brotherhood of the anvil' and whatnot, so I know it is possible, I just need to hook up with the right folks. If they can airdrop an 13 ton armored personnel carrier then they can air drop me, it is just a matter of having the right gear for the job.

Some dropzones have reservations jumping a guy like me; I guess out of concern for the the crust of the earth should I burn in. They don't want the landing area looking like the surface of the moon. The place in intend on getting my AFF isn't near any fault lines or anything so no worries about lava flows or earthquakes should the unthinkable happen. hahaha...



Me: 235lbs (straight from the shower)
My rig: Vector II (v9)
Canopy: Spectre 230 (PD-260 for the first 500 jumps)

Also jump a friend's Vector III (SabreII 230) and Jav. Ody (Sabre II 260).

The Jav is the most comfortable to me, but all are OK.

Tricks:
RIGHT size canopies
RIGHT size rig for the canopies
Custom sized harness fitted to YOU.

Work with a rigger who knows how to order gear to your size. Its out there. DO NOT!! get talked into gear that is not right for you (size or skill).

JW
-still seeking my anvil #...

Your thoughts?

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

[atsaubrey 0]

325 out of the shower you tiny fellas. Then again my gear wasn't easy to come by either but anything is possible with the $$$

"GOT LEAD?"

[tbrown 26]

Quote

Quote

At 210-230 you are not near the max harness weight even if its at 255 so that aspect is not an issue.

That's only true if you're out the door at that weight. If your naked weight is 230, you'll be pushing the the 254 lbs TSO max of most rigs, or God forbid, even be over it!

My rig with the big canopies I jump weighs over 25 pounds, so when my body weight is at 230, I'm slightly over TSO limits with full gear! I need to stay under 225 naked weight to be within specs, and even then I'm right at the limits!

An important point. If you're getting a PD reserve, you'll have to get the 281 size to meet legal TSO reqmts, as PDs are still TSO'd to the old C revision. That or look at some of the competing reserves (Smart, R Max, Icarus, etc), which are TSO'd for 300 lbs under the new Rev D.

I have to watch my weight to keep myself within the Rev C limits of my PDR193. I know they're tested at something like 20% over the approved weight & velocity (254 lbs @ 150kts), but really, your reserve is the last thing between you and a very untidy demise, so don't mess with the TSO requirements.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !