Intentionally loose leg straps

[bdrake529 0]

I was talking to a friend who went to Europe last year for his first wingsuit BASE flights and he said a lot of people over there are loosening their leg straps in order to allow more of a "shrug" when rolling/shrugging their shoulders. He said some even told him to loosen the straps all the way to the stops.

He claimed the performance increase was noticeable enough that he even re-rigged his chest strap to be lower on the MLW so he wasn't choking on it under canopy.

This all sounds really strange to me. Especially in light of the recent tragedy in Sebastian. But even though loose leg straps will support your weight, doesn't this add extremely more stress on your suit since the rig is traveling upward much more than normal?

I'm curious to hear from anyone else that does this. The pros and cons.

Thanks,

Brian

Brian Drake

[vdschoor 0]

Quote

This all sounds really strange to me. Especially in light of the recent tragedy in Sebastian. But even though loose leg straps will support your weight, doesn't this add extremely more stress on your suit since the rig is traveling upward much more than normal?

I'm curious to hear from anyone else that does this. The pros and cons.

I can think of one major con:
the all feared nut-under malfunction.. I'm sorry but I think that is just nuts to jump like that..

[voodew1 0]

loosen your legs straps all the way when your parachute is unpacked - have somebody pick up on your rig and see if you can grab your toggles

STUPID - don't even think about it

The pimp hand is powdered up ... say something stupid

[bdrake529 0]

He mentioned that the first time he did it, he had to climb up the harness a bit to reach his toggles. Obviously, this sounds like a huge red flag. He was loosening all the way to the stops and after that jump he cinched in about an inch so he could just barely get the toggles.

My gut reaction was also to think this is extremely stupid and dangerous, but some of the names he dropped (well known names) in listing who taught him this caused me to want to investigate. Thus my post.

Brian Drake

[VectorBoy 0]

Yes in the old days some of us would have our legs straps much looser than for other types of skydiving.

I stopped doing it when I bought my first mono-wingsuit for obvious reasons of handle swallowing and for the not so obvious reason that when you de-tension the wings just prior to deployment on a mono suit the whole suit balloons out effectively raising the bottom of your container off and away from you and your ability to reach your hackey.

[unclecharlie95 3]

I heard of one jumper doing this. His rig lifted off his back in flight, changing the position of the PC - it took him a long time to pull and was not repeated.

BASEstore.it

[jakee 1,500]

Quote

and he said a lot of people over there are loosening their leg straps in order to allow more of a "shrug" when rolling/shrugging their shoulders. He said some even told him to loosen the straps all the way to the stops

I wear my legstraps a tiny bit looser for wingsuiting than for other disciplines for this reason, but all the way? Who the hell can shrug that far anyway?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[notsane 0]

If you've found it troublesome having testicles, this would be a terrific, if painful way to get rid of them in just a couple of seconds.

[KrisFlyZ 0]

You'd think he was trying to kiss his ass goodbye