franck102 0 #1 August 31, 2002 We're getting ready to buy our first canopy, and after reading all I could (a million thanks for this site!) and talking to many people the choice more or less comes down to hornet vs. sabre2, both 170. The rig the Hornet comes with is $1300 cheaper than the rig with the Sabre2, and I would get the Hornet without any hesitation but for one thing: there are quite a few people who complained about hard openings. I'll be sharing this rig with my wife, and she already complains of lower back pains after 8 jumps on a 220 student canopy; I'm not sure she could live with the once-in-while slammer... so my questions are: - if we buy a Hornet and spend time learning the subtleties of packing & experiment with different approaches, can we be quite sure that we'll find a way to get consistent soft openings? - I've seen people mention larger sliders. Para-service who sells the Hornet says people have done that for the heatwave, but never asked for it for the Hornet - did anyone try it and did it help? My wife is 115 lbs and just graduated from AFF. She may have to wear weights when flying with others (had to for almost all her AFF jumps). BTW, a few questions we already answered: we want to buy now mostly because rentals for 2 are pretty expensive, and we'll have to wait 2 month after ordering. And we're quite confident that we know what kind of canopy we want to fly. The Sabre is out because we don't want slammers... and even if you don't have any with your sabre many others do so we'll just not take the chance...The Spectre is out because I'd much rather fly a canopy that has a good glide and doesn't sink in turns (used to be a paraglider)We'll probably buy new unless you can point me to a used rig that flies like a sabre2/hornet 170, has the best possible fit for my wife and me, and whose price can compete with para-service's deal on the hornet/wings rig ($2600 with the options). Any advice greatly appreciated! Thanks, Franck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rgoper 0 #2 August 31, 2002 franck: either canopy "could" slam you on opening(s) the Sabre has more than enough potential to do this on a more reaccuring basis that the Hornet, i flown both. for my money, i'm buying the Hornet. the Sabre is all name, thus the more costly of the 2. in either event, you going to have to go through countless jumps on a "learning curve" before you learn to pack either of the 2 without anything "unusaul" happening at deployment time. good luck.--Richard-- "We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scoby 0 #3 August 31, 2002 For what it's worth, my sole hard opening experience is with the Sabre 2. I was totally shocked by the violence of it. In a way, though, I feel fine about the experience because it has given me a new focus on safety, without the need for a hospital stay. I'm just recovering from last weekend now. I think it comes down to body position and packing. I'm going to be ordering the same rig from Para-Service. I may actually ask for the size up slider, as I don't really want to experience this again. I'm buying the Wings/Hornet/Tempo combo because everyone has good things to say about the gear and it is massively cheaper. I just need to decide on some colors now! Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drenaline 0 #4 August 31, 2002 QuoteThe Spectre is out because I'd much rather fly a canopy that has a good glide and doesn't sink in turns (used to be a paraglider) Please rethink that, spectre is very forgiving on sloppy packing, with the proper wingload it will glide better (or so I heard), you can do some nice smalls swoops and your wife will thank you the day a packer packs a slammer and the spectre does his snivel work and opens smooth. Instead of buying 1 new rig for sharing, think of 2 used rigs, one for each one (you might want to jump with your wife and kiss pass), with a 9 cell main of your choice for you and the spectre for your wife. HISPA 21 www.panamafreefall.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
franck102 0 #5 August 31, 2002 > Please rethink that, spectre is very forgiving on sloppy packing, Depending on how quickly she can transition to BOC she may be able to try a spectre soon, so we may reconsider. > Instead of buying 1 new rig for sharing, think of 2 used rigs From the used ads I found (this site, enclave, the dz), it doesn't work out that way at all... in fact the new hornet rig is cheaper than any remotely suitable used rig I could find -) We'll probably get 2 rigs someday, but for now a new rig fitted for both of us will be a huge improvement as compared to the student/rental gear we're using right now. Thanks - Franck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
christoofar 0 #6 August 31, 2002 Quote I think it comes down to body position and packing. I'm going to be ordering the same rig from Para-Service. I jump a Sabre2 170... it is sensitive to how you pack, but you don't normally get those once-in-a-while unexpected bodyslams like you get on a Sabre. I've noticed I get hard openings more whenever I've paid different packers to pack my canopy vs. me doing it myself. e.g. If you split roll the nose, or if you push the nose into the pack job on a Sabre2, you're likely to have a 180-degree off-heading opening... if you don't set the slider again before you whip the tail around, you're likely to have all sorts of funkiness there, too. ____________________________________________________________ I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brianthomas1966 0 #7 August 31, 2002 The guy (Ned) at PISA told be that the Hornet is designed to have a heavier wing load. Sounds like your wife will be under-loading it by quite a bit. Check into that part before sharing. Blue Skies! Brian Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
