Best Canopy

[skydiverkeith 1]

I just wanted to get some opinions before I demo.

What I'm looking for at between 1:1 - 1.2:1 in the 135 - 150 range...

Soft, on heading openings.
Stability in turbulence.
Some body position forgiveness.
Good range for long spots.
Easy to dial in for accuracy.
Great rear riser turns.
Good double front riser dive/wind penetration.
Fast toggle turns with a short recovery arc.
Easy to pack and forgiving of some sloppiness.
Wingsuit friendly.
Flies like an original Sabre.


Thanks guys.

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[Heatmiser 0]

JVX.

What you say is reflective of your knowledge...HOW ya say it is reflective of your experience. Airtwardo

Someone's going to be spanked! Hopefully, it will be me. Skymama

[NovaTTT 2]

Spectre


or that JVX!

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[Joellercoaster 6]

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Flies like an original Sabre.

Get an original Sabre?

(I voted anyway)

--
"I'll tell you how all skydivers are judged, . They are judged by the laws of physics." - kkeenan

"You jump out, pull the string and either live or die. What's there to be good at?

[BobbyR1990 0]

pulse

[JohnRich 4]

Paracommander

[skydiverkeith 1]

Quote

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Flies like an original Sabre.

Get an original Sabre?

(I voted anyway)

I've got an original Sabre. What I'm looking for is a NEW canopy...

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[masterrigger1 2]

Crossfire II

Skyworks Parachute Service, LLC
www.Skyworksparachuteservice.com

[jakee 1,561]

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Flies like an original Sabre.

Get an original Sabre?

(I voted anyway)

I've got an original Sabre. What I'm looking for is a NEW canopy...

New canopies don't fly like the original Sabre, they fly better than the original Sabre.

If non-swooping, short recovery arc is what you're after, then (IMO) the Pilot is the one that best fits those criteria, though it opens nothing like a Sabre - but none of them do.

But to be honest, you'd probably like any of those three, though you wont know which one you'd like best unless you're able to demo them.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[skydiverkeith 1]

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though it opens nothing like a Sabre - but none of them do.

Yep, my Sabre used to slam me, but now I have a giant dome slider on it, although I hear pockets are better than the dome...

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[kingbunky 3]

Lotus! i've had one for the last 350 or so jumps, loaded at ~1.3:1. great fun, and i like the air locks.

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[billvon 3,067]

>Flies like an original Sabre.

What's THAT doing in there?

Canopy that comes closest is probably a Pilot, with Safire2 a close second. For on-heading performance consider a Nitro. For softer openings consider a Spectre.

[ripcord4 0]

Spectre, hands down.

[skydiverkeith 1]

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Lotus! i've had one for the last 350 or so jumps, loaded at ~1.3:1. great fun, and i like the air locks.

The Lotus is no longer available...

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[likestojump 3]

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Lotus! i've had one for the last 350 or so jumps, loaded at ~1.3:1. great fun, and i like the air locks.

The Lotus is no longer available...

Unless you must have a new one, there still are plenty Lotus canopies on the used gear market.

[trigger 0]

CF2 excellent range been jumping one for 7years

.CHOP WOOD COLLECT WATER.

[kingbunky 3]

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Lotus! i've had one for the last 350 or so jumps, loaded at ~1.3:1. great fun, and i like the air locks.

The Lotus is no longer available...

wow, that sucks!

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[darkwing 5]

I'm a big Pilot fan. I hate the Sabre2, but I'd try the PD Pulse.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[phoenixlpr 0]

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Lotus! i've had one for the last 350 or so jumps, loaded at ~1.3:1. great fun, and i like the air locks.

The Lotus is no longer available...

wow, that sucks!

If you read the whole story.

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No Longer Available

The Lotus is Big Air's medium performance 9-Cell parachute equipped with “Airlocks". Similar in some ways to the PD Sabre 2, the Lotus is a versatile airfoil that will please both conservative experienced skydivers, and newer jumpers looking for a safe canopy. The rigid feel of the wing is reminiscent of the Jedei, but without the severe “ground-hungriness” or radical turns associated with elliptical designs.

Big Air's Canopies are now available as a Signature Series line only. That means that each one is hand-crafted by Brian Germain himself. Delivery times may vary, so contact us for details.

So you can have one although it would be quite expensive.

[burtonjm 0]

I recommend a Stiletto

This shit, right here, is OK

[champu 1]

Kind of an eclectic set of characteristics you are after.

> Soft, on heading openings.
> Some body position forgiveness.
> Wingsuit friendly.

...these are all kinda the same thing.

> Easy to dial in for accuracy.
> Good range for long spots.
> Good double front riser dive/wind penetration.

These are somewhat conflicting traits. When people talk about being good at getting back from long spots they generally mean that the canopy is trimmed to fly flatter which means more forward speed on straight-in landings (which can make dialing in accuracy more difficult) and that can affect front riser pressure as well. These boil down to personal preferences and have more to do with how you like to fly the canopy.

> Fast toggle turns with a short recovery arc.

Again, this is kind of a personal preference thing, do you mean fast as in "not a lot of input"? This can run against the openings you're looking for or how easy it is to dial in landings.

> Stability in turbulence.
> Easy to pack and forgiving of some sloppiness.

These are probably not going to be major discriminators for you. Dos and Don'ts are more important than canopy design here.

> Great rear riser turns.
> Flies like an original Sabre.

I have no idea what you mean here. (and I have 700 jumps on original Sabres.)

In any event, I would recommend demoing at least a Pulse and a Safire 2 before buying. Obviously you can also try other canopies too to see what you think. The size and wing-loading affect a lot of the things you're talking about even more than the design, but you should have no trouble finding what you're looking for in the range you're talking about.

[yeyo 1]

Soft, on heading openings. - YES
Stability in turbulence. -YES
Some body position forgiveness. -YES
Good range for long spots. - rears will get you there
Easy to dial in for accuracy. -YES
Great rear riser turns. -YES
Good double front riser dive/wind penetration. -YES
Fast toggle turns with a short recovery arc. -YES
Easy to pack and forgiving of some sloppiness. -YES
Wingsuit friendly. -YES
Flies like an original Sabre. -NO



Triathlon...10 out of 11

HISPA #93
DS #419.5

[blondeskydiver 0]

I started out on a used Sabre - and now I'm under a new Pilot. Love it!!! Better openings, much better flight and landings. I'm not a swooper, so the Pilot was the best choice for me. Good luck!!

[skydiverkeith 1]

Thanks for all the replys! After reading everything, I'm going start with a demo Pilot 140

One question. I know that Aerodyne measures differently than PD. Is it true that a Pilot 140 would be about the same sq. ft. size as my Sabre 150?

Blue skies,
Keith Medlock

[wmw999 2,532]

I doubt it. I flew a Pilot 150 for awhile, and it flew just like a really nice 150. Not "really nice" as in bigger, just super smooth and predictable. My usual canopy is a 135, but I liked the 150 better than the 140 that I demo'd for a couple of jumps.

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)