awwsomeerin

If you don't want to read the SIM please stop skydiving.

I feel ya, man. Skydiving has a way of putting everything else in life into place.

Another newbie chiming in! Jumps 1-16 were either on a 210 loaded at .59 or a 190 loaded at .68. I quite enjoyed the 15 minute long canopy rides, though I'm sure my AFF instructors were somewhat annoyed with having to wait around for an extra 10+minutes for me to finally land. Jump 17 I started jumping my own gear - a Pulse 150. I was fully intending/expecting to wait to jump my 150 after jumping a friend's 170 for a bit (the DZ's rental 170s were too big for me) - I even had the 170 in my possession when I went to manifest and they brought my freshly packed and inspected rig down. Both of the riggers - one of whom was also my instructor, the other the DZ manager - were baffled that I was going to jump the 170. He had me hop on the scale with the gear on, made a bit of a funny face, then handed me a weight belt (I'd been using one since Cat C) and just kind of shook his head. They did say I didn't have to jump the 150 is I wasn't comfortable, but fuck it, the rig felt so perfect on I just had to. The first couple of jumps were sans weight belt (loaded at .8) then slowly added lead until I was loading it at about .85. In a stroke of excellent timing, jumps 18-23 were a canopy course and made me feel so much more comfortable with my canopy. However, as the heat and humidity picked up I started to struggle with the Pulse. It was just too much glide for me and that's without even catching a thermal and just... Gliding forever. Front riser input was virtually impossible without flaring nearly all the way. Jump 76 I downsized to a triathlon 135 loaded at .95 and it has been an absolute game changer for me. I feel as though I'm actually a part of the parachute, not just dangling beneath it while it mulls over whether or not it wants heed the input I give it. Of course it's also nice that I can land exactly where I want to, am able to get on my front risers, and just generally feel like I'm actually the one in control now. I am very happy on the 135 and don't plan on downsizing again anytime soon. In no way am I advocating a 40sqft downsize at 17 jumps. Or another downsize under 100 jumps. YMMV. Talk to your riggers and instructors and heed their advice. The small person struggle is real.

Thank you for the reply! I am definitely getting with my rigger - just trying to do as much solo research so I'm more informed when I do go to get my measurements and pick his brain. I just graduated AFF but have yet to get my A license. My instructors are suggesting that I get my own rig as soon as possible since there are really only 2 rigs that will fit me at the DZ and they are always in demand. They are both 210's and my WL is .64 (5'2, ~100lbs). My canopy rides last forever but at least I have a lot of time to play and learn!

Why are the chest rings better for petite people? I'm buying my first rig soon and am a tiny human - wondering whether or not to get an articulated harness.