OK I fall like a brick! I need a suit

[shah269 0]

I'm on AFF-7 and I’ve come to realize that I'm the fastest faller in the DZ! I'm 5'9" @190lbs.
And as such I'm thinking I may need a suit to slow down a little so as not to make the lives of my friends difficult for all the coached jumps.
Besides not going to the gym and Yoga class and leaning out what would you recommend?
What is a "good" suit for a new guy like myself?
I'm looking to spend no more than say $200.
Thanks!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[virgin-burner 1]

start looking at $400, might not be enough tough..

and hey, i'm like 5'11" @ 180lbs.. and you know what, i think i'm FAT..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[half-a-greek 0]

I'm also 5'9" and weigh about 190 and I have the same problem. I have learned how to work with my arch though. It's still a bitch to learn, I can't tell you how many, out of the few skydives I have, I've 'sunk' out of. I'm learning to compensate though and I'm learning with time.

As always though, ask one of your instructors, there more than happy to help. And ask them especially before you go out and just buy something!!!

Good luck!

[shah269 0]

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start looking at $400, might not be enough tough..

and hey, i'm like 5'11" @ 180lbs.. and you know what, i think i'm FAT..

$400! I can get a full leather jacket at that price!
Hell for $600 I can get a full set of leathers and impress way more soccer moms!
OUCH!

Wait, if you are 5'11" @180lbs you would fall much slower than me, so I'm the "fat one"

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[rehmwa 2]

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I'm on AFF-7 and I’ve come to realize that I'm the fastest faller in the DZ! I'm 5'9" @190lbs.
And as such I'm thinking I may need a suit to slow down a little so as not to make the lives of my friends difficult for all the coached jumps.
Besides not going to the gym and Yoga class and leaning out what would you recommend?
What is a "good" suit for a new guy like myself?
I'm looking to spend no more than say $200.
Thanks!

You are not really out of a bad range. A tunnel camp to specifically work fall rate control (both faster and slower is a better fit right now).

Here's the issue with a typical slow suit - all these gimmicks are added that make the suit hard to fy.

If the suit is really loose, that flapping material will also push you around - just when you are trying to learn to control your self. It's like trying to stand on one foot and having people push you randomly.

My wife makes a big guy suit that tries to avoid those pitfalls, but I wouldn't recommend you get one just yet. Learning to fly better up front is better for you now.

Do a search on jumpsuits and fast fall and you can see what I and others think (rigging and RW forums mainly).

But also do a search on fall rate body positions and you'll get good input too.

Seriously, consider going to the tunnel.

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What is a "good" suit for a new guy like myself? I'm looking to spend no more than say $200

Fleet Farm sells coveralls -

you'll have to go used - which is also a good idea right now until you figure out how your are "really" going to fall

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[GaryRay 0]

if you dont want to spend more than 200 bucks and want a "suit" then i think square 1 has there suits for about 100 each, top and bottom's. but what i did is get a pair of plain black BDU's from an army surplus store for 30 bucks, and used a sweatshirt for my top. works just fine and you save a lot of money =D. ive now upgraded my sweatshirt, was using a green USMC sweatshirt, to a mountain hardware fleece.

JewBag.
www.jewbag.wordpress.com

[skymama 37]

I was going to reply sooner, but I couldn't stop laughing at the leathers and soccer moms comment.

Fly your body, not your suit. Your instructor should be able to give you a few pointers on how to slow down a little.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[shah269 0]

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if you dont want to spend more than 200 bucks and want a "suit" then i think square 1 has there suits for about 100 each, top and bottom's. but what i did is get a pair of plain black BDU's from an army surplus store for 30 bucks, and used a sweatshirt for my top. works just fine and you save a lot of money =D. ive now upgraded my sweatshirt, was using a green USMC sweatshirt, to a mountain hardware fleece.

NOW THAT THERE IS SMART!
I HAVE A HOOK UP WITH BDU'S! So this may work!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[shah269 0]

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I was going to reply sooner, but I couldn't stop laughing at the leathers and soccer moms comment.

Fly your body, not your suit. Your instructor should be able to give you a few pointers on how to slow down a little.

+1! Yeah I've had 4 min of tunnel time and it's amazing how mcuh simply moving ones head effects how one "floats"

As for the leathers....
http://www.newenough.com/browse/view_product_images/3472$512!
And it's leather! What are they making this suits out of!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[Remster 30]

Yes, you'll need a suit. But you are not that heavy that you need a really special suit.

That being said, a good RW suit will be about $400. No one told you this sport was cheap, did they?

PS: try getting a set of custom made leathers for what you are saying... we'll see!

Remster

[shah269 0]

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Yes, you'll need a suit. But you are not that heavy that you need a really special suit.

PS: try getting a set of custom made leathers for what you are saying... we'll see!

Well for me right now $ = jump time so.....I'm trying to stay on the cheap.

And these things are custom! WOW! OK that explains the price!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[DanG 1]

You can get a decent, inexpensive RW suit for about $200 as long as you need neither bells not whistles. Contact Windline (863-679-9009 is the number I have, but I don't know how recent it is) and ask for an order form.They also make Freak-n-Suits freefly suits, which are great.

That being said, it's the pilot, not the suit. Work on your body position and you'll be much more successful in the long run.

And since you mentioned your up-coming Coach jumps: any decent Coach should be able to help you with your body position for adjusting fall rate. Make sure you mention your concerns up front. If they can't help you, find another Coach.

- Dan G

[davelepka 4]

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Well for me right now $ = jump time so.....I'm trying to stay on the cheap.

And these things are custom! WOW! OK that explains the price!

First off, as mentioned, body position is a huge factor. Most students tend have an 'ARCH' when all you need is an 'arch'.

What that means is that if your hips are just slightly lower than the rest of your body, you'll fall belly to earth. Instructors teach the hard 'ARCH' because at first, more is better. If helps with stability, and some students have little to no arch, even if they are taught the hard arch.

With a less severe arch, you'll have less airspeed, and, at first, a little less stability, but you'll quickly adapt to flying 'flatter'.

You do need a suit, and they are pricey. If you watch the options, you can keep the price down to the $300 range. However, for a custom built suit that will last for years, there's also the idea of buying the right suit the first time, so weigh the options and your bank account, and order yourself a suit. Black is a bad idea, we only skydive when it's sunny (usually hot).

Also, be careful trying to get 'creative' with your jump clothes. Loose clothing can get in the way of handles, and make other troubles for you in freefall. One guy even had a back pocket turn itself inside out in free fall, and get in the way of his hackey. Freefall is not an 'anything goes' area.

[Gato 0]

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if you dont want to spend more than 200 bucks and want a "suit" then i think square 1 has there suits for about 100 each, top and bottom's.

I have one - they are good suits, but the price is actually $175. I'm 5'9" and 204 pounds, and I can consistently stay @ around 120mph.

Here you go: http://www.square1.com/manufacturers/square1/p1536.asp

I will say that the suit helped me initially by making my fallrate more consistent, and made it easier to stay with my instructors and my friends - BUT, in my opinion, it's more about being able to adjust your fallrate by adjusting your body position than what (or how much) fabric you have on.

I have the black suit with grey stripes - sorry I'm kind of obscured in the photo, but it does look nice in the air. (Especially if you add sci-fi patches.)

T.I.N.S.

[shah269 0]

Thanks for your help guys, I think I'll utilize what I learned from my WT time to my free fall time.
I'll try arching a little less and putting my arms and legs out a little bit further.
I just didn't want to make things too hard for my friends.
That being said I'll stop over at the PX and see if I can get my self a BDU to wear so as to not make a mess out of my normal clothes and to maybe slow down just a little.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[RMURRAY 1]

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Thanks for your help guys, I think I'll utilize what I learned from my WT time to my free fall time.
I'll try arching a little less and putting my arms and legs out a little bit further.
I just didn't want to make things too hard for my friends.
That being said I'll stop over at the PX and see if I can get my self a BDU to wear so as to not make a mess out of my normal clothes and to maybe slow down just a little.

my 2 cents....before you develop bad habits you should spend the cash on an RW suit made for YOU (I would say Bev Suits). if anything tell her to error on the side of "slow". then spend more money early on with a good coach in the tunnel to discover that you can have range to go faster as well as slower...

[LyraM45 0]

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I was going to reply sooner, but I couldn't stop laughing at the leathers and soccer moms comment.

Fly your body, not your suit. Your instructor should be able to give you a few pointers on how to slow down a little.

+1 here. Fly your body. It's a little too early in the game to decide what your actual fall rate is when you are not actually falling straight down the tube and flying correctly. You'll learn how to control your fall rate. Your body weight is not that bad sounding... I'm 120 lbs soaking wet and you and I could probably fly together once you learned your fall rate control. Plus, I would think that if you were that huge of an issue in terms of fall rate, you're instructor would have put you in a larger student suit to give you some drag.

Get some tunnel time if you can, and if not, spend your solo jumps or coached jumps going through the trial and error phase of learning how much or how not much you need to arch and fly your body.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[wmw999 2,446]

Just about every DZ with a gear shop has a selection of used jumpsuits. Starting with a decent-fitting used suit is just fine, and the prices will be better. Your size is not particularly unusual -- if you call around, I'll bet you find one. They're not advertised as commonly as rigs are.

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)

[linebckr83 3]

I'm 228 lbs out the door, so I had the same problem early on. Suprisingly, relaxing will help alot. But like everyone else said, its about body position. I used regular jump suits and learned to dearch and slow down while staying stable. My suit now (Bev Suit in my avatar) isn't anywhere near loose and baggy. On the other hand, you can kind of see in the picture that I have 3'' wings under my arms. Kind of like a camera suit but not as big. I highly recommend them for fast fallers. You can really change your speed alot just by putting your elbows in or out.

Now being a coach, we have a student who is close to 240 out the door. When he arched hard I had to sit down to him. Since then, he's learned to slow his heavy arse down, and now hangs with the rest of us.

Spend some tunnel time or jumps on fall rate and relaxing, and you'll be right there.

"Are you coming to the party?
Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!"
Flying Hellfish #828
Dudist #52

[JohnMitchell 16]

The instructors at your DZ should be able to provide a suit that fits your needs. You're not that far from HWP.Valinda makes custom suits for local jumpers. There are a lot of things that can be done to adjust fall rates, from choice of materials to wing cut, gripper design, etc.

You do have an advantage in that since your suit will be a little on the baggy side, you'll have an easier time buying a used one, if you want to try that route. It's when you're a real feather butt and need a tight suit that it gets harder to find one that fits right.

[Parafoil27 0]

Same problem here dude. I'm 5'10" 215 without gear. I have had the same problem usually after i havn't jumped for a while. For me it's just a matter of taking a breath relaxing and finding the sweet spot in my arch. I have borrowed a big baggy suit before though. It made it alot easier but i hate the idea of using a crutch if it's something i can help by working on my Free fall skills.

EARTH! Short bus of the universe,
since the year T+10.3 billion!

REV. DUDEMIESTER D.S.#120

[shah269 0]

Yeah ok I learned about how reducing arch will increase my lift in the WT. But is it really that much?
Can I at 180lbs fall as slow as a guy @130lbs?

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[dresherr 0]

Fly your body Echo Echo Echo

Then call EG

at www.EGskysuit.com

Tell em Richy from C.M.S. sent yah

Best deal you will find, AMAZING suits!!

If you're not happy with it you can kick me in the balls.

[Remster 30]

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Can I at 180lbs fall as slow as a guy @130lbs?

Its a balance.

1st, get to a tunnel and get a good RW coach to spend time on your position in general, and then on slowing your speed.

You'll also want a suit on the slower side of things (like using bigger booties, cordura, polycotton, etc).

The 130lb guy will do the same, but in the other direction: leanr how to fall fast, get a tight suit in nylon, and wear lead,

Remster

[LyraM45 0]

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Yeah ok I learned about how reducing arch will increase my lift in the WT. But is it really that much?
Can I at 180lbs fall as slow as a guy @130lbs?

This is your mistake right here and you said it earlier... with 7 jumps and 4 minutes of tunnel time you really haven't learned how to control your fall rate properly. 4 mins of tunnel time is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Trust me... take your time and find the sweet spot before going out and spending 3 bills on a suit that you'll regret buying because you'll realized you don't need a huge trash bag sized suit after you've learned to fly your body.

Just my .02 ... take your time and let your instructor/coach give some input as to what kind of suit and how baggy you should invest in for the long haul.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)