Slurp56

no, the repack goes stale the day after what is written on your repack card Man, you must pay a fortune in having your reserve repacked! My repack goes stale 120 days after what is written on my repack card ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Time to suck it up and buy one. If you are getting it at MSRP you are getting a good deal. There is price flexibility on other PD products, just not the optimum. But hey, it is a nice product ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Paula, Give the manufacturer a call. I'm sure they would be more than happy to drop a couple in the mail to you. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Let's not confuse research with marketing... Even though the pro's have sponsorship equipment, that doesnt mean it's different than joe rookie would get if he ordered from the same manufacturer. A manufacturer is only capable of producing a product that adhere's to the drawings that were approved by the FAA. Sponsorship or not, it still needs to be TSO'd. A more valuable resource to do research would the the FAA Rigger Handbook or any of the poynter's manuals. Hell, even talking to your rigger and/or instructor would likely be more valuable than reading a website. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

That's always the debate on your first rig A couple of personal opinion ramblings. If your instructor let you jump the 190, chances are they felt like you could handle it. It's not uncommon to have to PLF when you're new. Dont let anyone tell you different, we ALL did it. It's hard to really master stand up landing on student status since you generally change gear rather rapidly at first. Consider this, if you order a new container and it will take 10+ weeks to arrive, you will likely be jumping during that time, improving your skill. In my opinion, I think that a 190 is just about right for you, numbers wise. As long as you feel comfortable jumping it, and your instructor thinks you can handle it, get the 190. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Typically you want to use Nylon 6 MDS. Avoid the Nylon 6/6, it is brittle and will likely break on you during product manufacture. Riggermick provided a good source for the material. You may also be able to buy some from paragear, rig manufacturers, or McMaster-Carr. You can use heavy duty scissors, edge sharpness shouldnt be a problem, but you could probably rake the material over a straight edge to knock down an sharp spots. For the corners, just round them using the scissors. To cut the material for grommets use a punch, it works really well. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

I'm with Phreezone. The whole image is choppy in my catalog. The jumpers nose and face as well as the risers looks like they has ribs like a housing. I think it's just a problem with a low quality picture in the ad. At first glance I was thinking housings for a tertiary canopy, but after looking closer I think it's a chest ring. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Hey Maurice, When I was out in Chicago last year, I picked up a pair of the freefly pants. They were very inexpensive and work pretty well. I thought that the belt included (removeable) was pretty chessy and it started coming undone. I threw a couple bartacks in it and hot knifed the end, it should last alot longer now. Overall, for the price I've been pleased with the pants. Keep in mind, if you are going to order over the internet, the sizes ran really small. I believe I had to choose 2 sizes above what I normally wear for them to be a good fit. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

It does. Depends on your definition of "require". I've jumped from 18k with no oxygen, won't mention where though. But it was a fast plane... My understanding is that legally above 15,000 you are required to be provided with supplemental oxygen. However, you dont have to use it. But rules are meant to be broken. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Most drug stores like longs or walgreens will have a variety of batteries. I bought some at walgreens a couple of months ago. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

I figure I'm qualified to help you out with most of those questions. I am most familiar with the Infinity, so my feedback will be based on that. For Mirage specific info, you should give them a call and make sure the same info applies to their rig. Canopy Range and Sizing: The Infinity sizing is based on a 9-cell main. On the order form you write down what size canopy you intend to jump. Unless you specify in the special instructions that you want an "easy pack" or dont intend to downsize, the rig will be built so that your specified canopy is a snug fit, which should allow you to downsize to the next 2 smaller sizes, as long as you dont change between 9 and 7 cell canopies. *Always consult your rigger if you have a concern about how a canopy fits into a container. Different manufacturers differ in pack volume and climate can affect pack volume as well. Reserve Size: You write down on the order form what reserve size you intend to jump and then a rig will be built around your specifications (within reason, see the container sizing chart for more info). For example: if you want to jump a 150 main, there are container sizes that accomodate reserves from 126 sq ft. all the way up to 218 sq. ft. You should really discuss this with your dealer for advice in choosing the correct size for you now and in the years to come. Life Span: This is subjective. Most containers will last for damn near eternity if taken care of. As long as you're not jumping into harsh conditions (i.e. salt water) I dont see any reason you shouldnt be able to get more than 10 years life out of your rig, as long as you keep it maintained. Many rigs have lasted longer. Jump number is pretty irrelevant on a container. Differences: That depends on who you ask. You'll get a different story from the average joe jumper, your dealer, your rigger, and if you call the manufacturer. I'll refrain from saying my standpoint, as I am biased. Just be sure to compare the options that are most important to you. Jump what you are comfortable with because you have to jump it

I havent come into the bonfire for a couple of months now and THIS is the first post I am greeted with on my return? There truly is something wrong with you guys. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

It's mostly canopies manufacturers that bring demos. It is much harder for container manufacturers to demo their gear, simply because they have to provide a complete harness and container as well as reserve and main canopies. Most would also install an AAD. There is alot of overhead in complete demo rigs that you have to supply additional parts, which you dont make, as well as maintain them. It is also not a good selling point to promote demo jumps on gear that is not tailored to your body. That's what makes them comfortable. It's not really beneficial to a container manufacturer to keep a fleet of demo gear. I'm sure though that similar sized jumpers around your DZ would be willing to let you use their gear for a jump or two, as long as the canopies are sized accordingly to your experience. Canopies are pretty easy to demo because you stick them in someone else's complete rig and off they go. Usually if there is no one else wanting to demo that canopy, they will let you jump it the whole duration of the boggie. But for the popular sized canopies, everyone needs to be able to have a turn. Using a demo canopy for a helicopter jump kind of defeats the purpose for both you and the manufacturer. The whole point is to go and fly the canopy and see what you think. Keep in mind that its also new gear, you should be playing with it up high to get a feel for what its going to do close to the ground. Most helicopter jumps that I've been on were about 5,500 ft or below, not enough time to really play with a new canopy in my opinion. It may not be your intention but your post is structured as though you are trying to side-step the cost of renting gear. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

You know, this is one of the things I had been wondering myself. I am by no means an expert on magnetism or magnets but if I find something interesting I tend to google it. It seems to me that the magnets being used in the new riser covers are very similar to the magnets in which George Galloway had sent around with his paratelemetry devices. When I had asked George about the magnets he told me they were made from a powder and epoxy and then coated. That sounds similar to Bill's magnets. Upon further investigation I was informed that these were made of a Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) Material, which also coincides from what Bill's magnets are made out of. Digging even deeper, I found that most places that sell these magnets grade them as N40, one of the stronger readily available grade of magnets. Still curious, and this is where the uncertainty begins, I began finding manufacturers websites that state numbers as high as a maximum of 40 MGOe (about 40,000,000 Gauss) for the material used to make a grade N40 Magnet. However, it seems that when measured, at the surface of the magnet you'll find numbers less than 13,000 Gauss. They tend to have about a 10lb pull force, obviously depends on the material tested with, and would make sense that they see around a 5lb pull force after sewn into a rig. Bill has said he's tested these in all the scenario's he can think of and the only side effect so far was a variation in magnetic compass heading in the front position of a small jump plane. He's given his input on DV tapes, pace makers, etc. It just struck me as odd when he had mentioned such a low gauss with these magnets. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Heh.. While DV tapes do contain data in 1's and 0's, as you put it. A single frame employ's ALOT of 1's and 0's. You dont have to alter all of them, just some of them to distort an image. I'm not saying the magnets go one way or the other, I am just starting an argument for lack of anything productive to post ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

I believe it's called "The Anatomy of an opening" I didnt see that one on the lineup. John Sherman's got one called "Addressing Opening Shock Problems." Think thats the one? There's another one on the 8th called "The use of load cells during R&D Parachute evaluations" but that is put on by Ignatius (Kappie) Kapp. The lineup can be found here for refference: http://www.pia.com/Symposium2007/downloads/PIA/speaker-tables.pdf ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

we've been collecting data for John (Sherman) over the last few weeks for a presentation he's giving at PIA in Feb. Not specifically reserve data, but opening data collected via a datalogger..... once the presentation is over I think he may have me post it on the jumpshack website. I'll post here as soon as I know for sure.... I've only briefly looked over the schedule, but it looks like jumpshack is hosting a couple of seminars. Do you know which one this information will be presented at? Thanks. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

I'd interested to know as well. I was having a conversation about this post earlier and we got to thinking that efficiency doesnt really mean a whole lot by itself. I am curious to see what kind of numbers were collected on force generated.

Something about "Who needs a rig when you have boxes?" Edit: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2605570;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

It's an unnecesary burden to the manufacturer when VISA, Master Card, American Express, Discover, and Diner's Club already offer solutions. You could probably get a better interest rate talking to your bank than any manufacturer financing would be. Bank's also offer lines of credit which you can use to purchase gear. Why re-invent the wheel? All you've got to do is check your mail, you'll be getting a pre-approved credit card sometime this week. Look for the envelopes with the return address in willmington, DE. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

This thread has gone pretty far off topic, so since you addressed me directly, I'll put up a response and then I am leaving well enough alone. I'm not trying to be right or wrong, just an interesting conversation and my point of view on it

I dont want to say thats an ignorant statement, but I cant think of a better word. (I might accidentally ruffle some feathers with that, if I do, sorry man, nothing personal) I definately wont argue with you over jumping equipment that you're comfortable with. I think being comfortable with your gear is one of the most important aspects to jumping, wether it be off buildings or out of planes. If you're not completely comfortable with or completely trust your equipment, you should hang it up right then and there. There are TSO's on single canopy systems, think pilot rigs. I'm not so certain I'd jump one of those if my dual system was available, depending upon the circustances obviously, but for a pre-meditated jump, my choice is clear. Why would you tend to believe that skydiving rigs are sketchy, in this case, as compared to a base rig? Ignorant? well, i hope not. just different. Skydiveing gear serves its purpose for the masses. you have to agree on that. but the way it is built, Harness, is awesome, one every skyjump rig i have seen. but, very thin lines are used to take opening shock, and its not terribly rare they break. two parachutes complicte the hell out of a system. and i am comfortable with jumping my warlock and dagger all the time because i dont see the point of doing crazy freefly shit where i could need a cypress, or big ways, etc. i like tracking dives with good freinds. and wingsuiting. a reserve is packed soooo tight. that shit does not want to come out. the way i jump, and the way i think a lot of other people do, is that im doing things where a second parachute wouldnt do much, and the simple option to be able to makes the idea of useing skyjump gear unsafe. over the past year.5 i have been esentialy turning my mirage g3 into a base rig. packing the dagger into it free, lengthened cutaway cables, and 36" vented PC. i would not hesitate to take it off my local 600meter A, but its heavy. but, also TSOd. skydiveing is safe. retardedly safe. in my 4 years of jumping, i have seen more space cadet morons get to the point of being comfortable with sky jumps. so, when super simple consumers get their hands on the main canopy packing style of the modern rigs, there is no problem with that. but when your flying you wingsuit down to 1500' on the upwind side of the DZ, just behind the tree where the dzo sits, a microlined saber2 135 is not what you want. PS, skydive rigs are sketchy I respect your opinion, everybody is entitled to one, but I don't have to agree with it, and here is why. Skydiving gear serves it's purpose for the masses. Well to some extent, but people still die using it. It's not like it's fool proof, it has just been getting more reliable. The harness's are good and I wouldn't hesitate to say that it can be attributed partially to the TSO and requirements. It's no secret that modern BASE gear uses the same technology and hardware as a proven design. We all know it works, manufacturers have been required to drop test it with loads that it will not likely see. However, as far as "very thin lines used to take opening shock" that is a jumper choice. Go to performance design's website and pull up an order form for a Sabre2. Arguably one of the most popular skydiving canopies and it has an option for Dacron lines, same with the Spectre. Keep in mind, you aren't loading your BASE canopy the same as most skydivers are loading their skydiving canopy (I hope). Two parachutes complicating the hell out of the system? I'm not seeing it and you can't explain it. Is it more complicated than a single parachute system, like a BASE rig? Yes. But that's obvious. A cypress isn't specifically designed for crazy freefly shit or RW. If it was, they wouldn't have a presence on student or tandem gear. Besides, even if you own one, you should never count on it working. In the event of a plane strike on exit or getting kicked in the face on a tracking dive and I go unconscious, I have a better chance of surviving with one, rather than without one. Lets not confuse skydiving with BASE jumping, the same rules do not apply. Tracking dives and wingsuit dives are some of my favorite as well, but I always turn my cypress on. As a side note, a cypress isnt even a gear requirement. You can jump just as reliably without one, same thing for the RSL. About the reserve being packed tight and not wanting to come out? I'm not seeing it and you can't explain it. It's not supposed to just "fall out". We dont want every piece of fabric over head now, the idea behind them being so tight is to meter the deployment, which is not *exactly* the same in BASE. This is one of the reasons that the reserve parachute is placed inside of a freebag. Granted, there are sometimes that we want the reserve overhead and NOW, it is far more likely to cut away your main at 1,000 ft or more and still have working time for the reserve to deply. The whole system is a compromise. Open too slow and you're dead, open to fast and you're dead. If the way that you jump is BASE jumping, then yes, you are probably correct. Granted this is the BASE section of the message forum, but this whole conversation started by the whole "F*CK the TSO stuff, the man is holding us down" which applies to skydiving. In skydiving where we typically jump from 3,000 ft or more, a 2nd parachute can do alot to save your life. Why would you turn your skydiving rig into a BASE rig? Isn't that the whole debate here? How skydiving rigs are over complicated? There is no need for a 2nd parachute? Just because you dont use a Dbag and added a larger PC doesnt make it a BASE rig. It probably is heavy and alot of that weight can be attributed to the fact that its a mirage and that it has a 2nd parachute. The TSO doesnt make it heavy. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that if I snuck a TSO tag and packing data card into your base rig, you wouldnt be able to tell that difference. I dont understand what you are trying to say by the last paracgraph there. Skydiving has been becoming reliable, I wouldn't call it safe. Chess is safe, dropzone.com is safe, but when we cant call sex safe anymore, we sure as hell cant call jumping out of an airplane safe... Is it safer than say BASE jumping? I'd tend to agree. Keep in mind that when you fly your wingsuit down to 1500' on the upwind side of the DZ, just behind the tree where the DZO sits with a microlined Sabre2 135, it was YOUR CHOICE to get into the plane with that configuration... I'd hope you know your setup before needing it, much like packing slider up or slider down or with a larger or smaller pilot chute in BASE. Plan the jump, know the jump, jump the jump. I'm not talking about using a skydiving rig for BASE jumping, and I'm not talking about using a BASE rig for skydiving. The whole point of the differences in these rigs is due to two totally different situations. But to say that a BASE rig is more suitable for skydiving than a skydiving rig is just as fallacious as saying that a skydiving rig is better suited for BASE than a BASE rig. ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

I dont want to say thats an ignorant statement, but I cant think of a better word. (I might accidentally ruffle some feathers with that, if I do, sorry man, nothing personal) I definately wont argue with you over jumping equipment that you're comfortable with. I think being comfortable with your gear is one of the most important aspects to jumping, wether it be off buildings or out of planes. If you're not completely comfortable with or completely trust your equipment, you should hang it up right then and there. There are TSO's on single canopy systems, think pilot rigs. I'm not so certain I'd jump one of those if my dual system was available, depending upon the circustances obviously, but for a pre-meditated jump, my choice is clear. Why would you tend to believe that skydiving rigs are sketchy, in this case, as compared to a base rig? Manufacturers building their TSO harnesses in a safe way is still somewhat up to discretion. Depending on your TSO Certification, we'll selectively choose C23c: "Materials and worksmanship shall be of a quality which documented experience and/or tests have conclusively demonstrated to be suitable for the manufacture of parachutes" granted, most materials in use today are "industry standard" and coincidentally have a mil-spec, but that its not really required. No real point to make, just thought it was interesting food for thought. As far as the FAA is concerned, they dont care if you make your harness out of duct tape, as long as your quality control manual is in order Maybe another example of good idea but poor implementation? ________________________________________ I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

Its almost a necessary evil for a legalized sport. The cost of obtaining the TSO sucks but really, it outlines a minimum performance standard (good thing), then requires you create your own specs, drawings, and quality control system (good things) and then stick to them (good thing). Minor changes, or anything non-structural (for the most part) can be changed at almost any time, you are required to submit updated drawings though. Major changes are submitted to the FAA for approval, but as long as your QC is in line, the drawings are accurate, and it meets the performance standards, they cant really prohibit you from doing it. Essentially the TSO process is to make sure you create a consistant product and be responsible for it. I really dont have a problem with then when I am buying gear. Kudo's to the original poster for your ambition

Kind of depends on where you are and what you drive. The dealership is not always the best choice to go to for this kind of work, granted, they have access to all the special tools and factory train their employee's, there are some real idiots that work there. Dont get me wrong, some are good, but dont be of the opinion that having your car fixed at the dealer is going to get your car fixed right, or the first time. I'd crack open the yellow pages and find a "specialist" in your area. I used to work at a Honda/Acura specialist and I can tell you, that its the way to go. Specialists tend to have all the special tools as well to work on specific makes of cars, and typically specific makes of cars are similar in wear/failure points. Before you do anything though, get a quote and call around to make sure you aren't being screwed. If you happen to drive a Honda/Acura and live within the Tacoma area of WA, I can recommend a great shop, otherwise, good luck