AFF Rig fitting problems

[rob223 0]

Hey guys and gals

Newbie AFF student here.(lvl4) Got a question regarding my AFF rig.
Im a big build and am at the top of the weight range about 92kg.
Im not fat (seriously) but have big shoulders and medium ish chest and am finding my AFF rig very restrictive and tight around my shoulders as a result.

b4 you ask its the biggest rig they have and its on max adjustment :/

WTF, Im not THAT big....

Im almost certain its causing me to de arch and as a result not be as stable as I could be, because its literally pressing so tight on my shoulders to get it on, that I dont have much movement left, even with chest strap having a bit of slack left when its done up :/

I've tried arching on the ground with it on stood up and I can no way arch like I can without it on..

Ive got a great arch in the tunnel so the coach says(and am stable as hell) and Ive been told on the ground by several AFFis that Ive got a good arch on the practice bench thing...I KNOW I should be able to arch better in freefall...

Ive mentioned my concern to an instructor but i got 'well, its on the biggest size it will go to'!!!

wtf, I dont want to have to quit aff because they dont have a rig that fits me?

What should I do and how tight are shoulder straps meant to be? I heard another affer getting kitted up and the AFFi said it should be 'comfortable' with some degree of movement for the shoulders?

Ive got NONE. NADA.

and Im really getting concerned about it..
all your advice is appreciated

[rob223 0]

sorry if this should be in the gear and rigging forum...Moderators please move it if you think it is best suited in that forum? thanks

[mnealtx 0]

Unfortunately, student rigs are a 'one size fits most' - I had the same problem. It's something you'll have to work through, but it will get better once you have your own gear, obviously.

Edit: Something that may help is to get the rig settled on your shoulders as best as you can and do up the chest strap, THEN do the leg straps. What I did was get the rig on, then bend over and push the rig up high on my shoulders and do the chest strap. Then, I'd straighten up and do the leg straps.

It's also possible you're arching from your belly/chest and not your hips.

The best description I've heard was "arch like you're trying to screw a leper through a barbed wire fence".


Good luck!

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

[AndyMan 7]

You didn't mention where you jump. There may be other DZ's in the neighborhood that have better gear for big jumpers.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[rob223 0]

mnealtx/
Thanks for this input.
Am I to understand that your AFF gear was very restrictive to your movement as well?
How did you deal with it?
..just 'get on with it' seems to be a bit of a high risk strategy..which is why Im wanting advice.

andyman

thanks dude.
Im at a large European dropzone that has allegedly got a reasonable gear stock. (but not for beefy students it seems..)
They seem a decent outfit and Id rather not name them at this time because I dont want to cause any friction there.
...Ive paid all the money for the course upfront or I would 100% have gone elsewhere to be honest

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

Am I to understand that your AFF gear was very restrictive to your movement as well?

Yes, it was tight through the shoulders - I dealt with it as best as I could by the procedure I described above.

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

[flyinhi79 0]

Quote

Hey guys and gals

Newbie AFF student here.(lvl4) Got a question regarding my AFF rig.
Im a big build and am at the top of the weight range about 92kg.
Im not fat (seriously) but have big shoulders and medium ish chest and am finding my AFF rig very restrictive and tight around my shoulders as a result.

b4 you ask its the biggest rig they have and its on max adjustment :/

WTF, Im not THAT big....

Im almost certain its causing me to de arch and as a result not be as stable as I could be, because its literally pressing so tight on my shoulders to get it on, that I dont have much movement left, even with chest strap having a bit of slack left when its done up :/

I've tried arching on the ground with it on stood up and I can no way arch like I can without it on..

Ive got a great arch in the tunnel so the coach says(and am stable as hell) and Ive been told on the ground by several AFFis that Ive got a good arch on the practice bench thing...I KNOW I should be able to arch better in freefall...

Ive mentioned my concern to an instructor but i got 'well, its on the biggest size it will go to'!!!

wtf, I dont want to have to quit aff because they dont have a rig that fits me?

What should I do and how tight are shoulder straps meant to be? I heard another affer getting kitted up and the AFFi said it should be 'comfortable' with some degree of movement for the shoulders?

Ive got NONE. NADA.

and Im really getting concerned about it..
all your advice is appreciated

How many jumps do you have left? How many have you already done? If the instructors say it fits and feel safe with you wearing it than I would trust what they have to say. Maybe you can post some pictures as it is difficult for anyone to understand without actually seeing how tight it is.

[Chubba 0]

Everyone has similar problems.

I'm only 60kg (6 foot 2), but the student javelins felt like complete shit, EXTREMELY tight around the shoulders.

Quote

I've tried arching on the ground with it on stood up and I can no way arch like I can without it on..

Ive got a great arch in the tunnel so the coach says(and am stable as hell) and Ive been told on the ground by several AFFis that Ive got a good arch on the practice bench thing...I KNOW I should be able to arch better in freefall...

Give it a couple of more jumps, once you get comfortable in freefall arching comes really easy, you don't have to try and break your back to fly stable.

[riggerrob 643]

Welcome to one size fits most!
Guess you never spent much time in the military?

It is tough to design student harnesses to fit everyone. They are either too tight on tall people or too loose on small students.
For example, Student javelins are built with B sized shoulder yokes (distance between chest strap and top edge of reserve container) and most of them adjustable main lift webs (vertical webbing between chest strap and hop joint).
For comparison, most guys wear Javelins with C-sized yokes.
Petite women wear Javelins with A or O-sized yokes.

A few student harnesses have adjustable lateral straps (between hip joint and lower corner of container), but since few rotund people try to learn skydiving, they were never very popular.

Stretching the main lift web, chest and leg straps will help large guys arch better, but if those straps are too loose, they create other problems.

Sounds like you have D-sized shoulders.
The best you can do is grin-and-bear-it until you graduate, then order a custom-made harness with an extra large shoulder yoke.

No it is not practical (or economical) to re-size a shoulder yoke. consider how many housings (3) cables (30) and other dimensions are involved.