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For Starters - All the Gear | August 2003 |
| Once you gain your Cat 8, you will need to buy equipment of your own. There is a wealth of choice with suppliers who will try to convince you that you need every latest gadget and you must buy new. It is sometimes implied that, as skydiving is such a dangerous sport, anything else might prove unreliable in your hour of need. In reality, apart from a good rig, alti and helmet which can all be acquired relatively inexpensively, most other pieces of equipment are optional. |  |
New
or second hand?
New or used should be a financial choice not one made out of fear or a
need to impress. If money is not a consideration, then acquiring all of
these toys is an exciting game. If, like many people, your finances took
a big hit from completing your recent skydiving course, your mortgage
is due and your salary is still two weeks away, then you may have to make
some choices about the type of equipment you need relative to what your
budget can afford. There is little point in having all of the gear and
gadgets and no money to spend on jumping. Buying used gear, or a mixture
of new and used, can often be a great way to get good skydiving equipment
whilst saving money to enjoy the sport that has just become your latest
obsession.
Weights
If you are reasonably light and are flying at the edge of your range in
a fairly extreme body position to keep down with others, wearing weight
will help you adopt a more comfortable and versatile flying position.
The amount of weight and how you wear those weights will be determined
by your body size and mass, the neutral position you use and your experience
level. In order to maintain a comfortable neutral whilst flying in a diverse
group, both weights and a good jumpsuit are very useful tools. Learn to
adjust the amount of lead you wear depending on the jumping you are doing,
to keep you flying in a comfortable position for that fall rate.
Be aware
that 12-14 lbs of lead will cause your canopy to handle as if it were
approximately one size smaller. Also be aware of the need to be able to
jettison the weight easily in the unlikely event of a water landing.
| Weight
vest When using a box position (such as the photo right) a weight vest is an appropriate choice. It is also the first choice if you are much heavier in the hips than shoulders and wear a larger container. When most of your weight is below your centre of gravity, there is a tendency to backslide. To fly in neutral requires compensation with a more legs out position in freefall. This drastically reduces your ability to move forwards dynamically and, paradoxically, creates more drag. When chest weight is worn, legs can come back to a 90-degree position, and a faster fall rate is achieved whilst allowing a fuller range of movement. |
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There is a limit as to how much chest weight is efficient. After a certain point, weights will also need to be worn in the middle of the body. A weight vest that accommodates upper and lower weight is the ideal solution. It is very uncomfortable to wear more than about 12 lbs of lead in a vest, and places a huge strain on the neck and shoulders. A weight belt can then be used to assist in weight distribution.
| Weight
belt If your body weight is more evenly balanced a weight belt is the perfect choice. It is also the preferred choice when flying in a mantis position, as the head and shoulders are higher than the knees. It can be worn outside the jumpsuit and is generally one of the more comfortable ways to wear lead. When wearing a weight belt, make sure that it does not interfere with your handles. This is especially true if you have a short torso. Always check that your handles are clear before exiting the aircraft and after deployment. Whether you use a vest or a belt, keep it loose enough to be comfortable. |
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| Rig
weight Weights can also be worn in the rig itself. Some rig manufacturers or riggers can build pockets in the back pad of the rig to accommodate some lead. The size of the rig will determine how much lead can be comfortably worn in this location. It is one of the safest and most comfortable places to wear a small amount of lead as it is safely stowed and the weight is distributed through the harness of the rig. |
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A well fitted jumpsuit, built with your fall rate requirements and type of skydiving preferences in mind is worth its weight in gold, and is probably one of the best value for money items on your shopping list. Initially, the price appears very expensive for an item of clothing; however, the value in terms of durability, materials and workmanship is excellent. A formation skydiving jumpsuit is custom made from materials to measurements. The best manufacturers usually sponsor a top team who provide research and development feedback. Suits will be modified and updated regularly from recommendations based upon thousands of jumps and many wind tunnel hours. Suits to be avoided are cheap copies of originals where the manufacturers don’t even jump.
I highly recommend buying your first suit from a dealer, rather than measuring yourself. Most dealers provide excellent advice on the type of suit most suitable for your skydiving requirements and fall rate needs and they will take expert measurements, also asking what you wear underneath your jumpsuit and taking this into account. They will also provide colour fabric swatches from different manufacturers and will assist in choosing jumpsuit options. Any alterations will then be at their expense. Unless you pay for a rush order, most jumpsuits will take on average eight weeks to be manufactured depending on the time of year. If you do decide to measure yourself or have a friend do it, take into account warmwear and weight vests.
If you are doing any formation skydiving, booties are a necessity. If you compare buying a jumpsuit to buying a car, booties would be the fuel injection option. They dramatically increase your range of motion and speed of movement. There is a concern that lack of flying experience may create control problems in freefall, but I have found that the benefits outweigh any short term challenges. If you are fortunate enough, 30 minutes flying in the wind tunnel makes a new suit feel like an old friend. When choosing options, ie, competition grips, inside leg grips, etc, think long term. After graduation it may seem that your first 4-way is a long way off but 100 jumps later when your first team is trying to build a caterpillar formation, those inside leg grips will seem pretty important. It is much cheaper to buy an option at the outset than to pay for an alteration later.
It is possible to buy a good jumpsuit second hand. It is a good deal if you can find a team jumper who is your clone selling a suit with all the options. You should be able to pick it up for half price or less. A suit that doesn't quite fit or needs alterations is rarely a good deal. You may as well put the money to a new custom suit.
The main
points to look for when choosing a manufacturer are the quality of the
suit, the price, delivery time and, very importantly, after sales service.
To narrow the choice make a list of which manufacturers the top teams
use. Although their suits are sponsored, most high level teams would not
wear a mediocre suit even if it were free. They have a choice of which
suit they wear and whom they choose is a positive endorsement.
| Hot
Tip |
Altitude
devices
An altimeter is one of the mandatory pieces of skydiving equipment. Although
there are plenty to choose from, I recommend using one that is easy to
read and has excellent after-sales service. I know of at least one manufacturer
who provides free lifetime warranty. This service is particularly useful
when you drop your altimeter on the creeper pad.
AudiblesAlthough not strictly necessary, I enjoy the added security and particular benefits of wearing an audible. Whilst not relying on it, the extra altitude warning is extremely useful. An audible is especially useful if you are doing different disciplines – such as flat-fly, freefly, breaking off high – as freefall time will vary from skydive to skydive. If you intend freeflying, many coaches will not let you jump without an audible (or even two) as they are such a useful safety precaution when learning to fly at the higher speeds involved.
Which one you choose will depend on whether you want a basic model or if you want the top of the range which will act as a log book, measures your freefall time, speed and can be hooked up to a computer for even more statistics. Generally speaking, the more functions the higher the price.
Helmets
Again these are mandatory. The main considerations when buying one should
be comfort and safety. Try on as many as possible to find the perfect
fit. I wear a full-face as the added protection has saved me a few times
from kicks in the face. It also provides added security when wearing contact
lenses. In the UK, there is a 50 jump minimum requirement for wearing
a full-face. If you do decide on the flip-top option, the only practical
solution if you wear glasses, it is a good idea to practice lifting the
visor on the ground so as not to run into problems when using it under
canopy.
Most open-face
helmets allow easier communication as you can see the person’s whole
face, although they do not protect the jaw and mouth. A separate pair
of goggles is necessary, trying on several pairs to find one compatible
to your face and helmet is a good idea.
Leather
frappe hats, whilst meeting the minimum mandatory requirements for wearing
a helmet, provide little protection from injury. In the UK, these can only
be worn if you have 200 jumps.Gloves are extremely useful to protect the hands from landing mishaps, line burns, scrapes and cold weather. Good skydiving gloves should be thick enough to protect from the cold whilst being thin enough to feel your handles. Buying from a skydiving store rather than a sports shop will ensure that the gloves you buy have been tested in freefall.
Hook KnivesYou will need to jump a hook knife, the main reason being in case you get a line-over malfunction on your reserve. There are many types, they all work. Find one you like which will conveniently fit your rig. Locating on the chest strap is not a good idea as it is easy to lose; the leg strap is preferable. To keep it sharp, do not use your hook knife for random tasks.
annemaxwell1000@hotmail.com
Other
related articles
Getting Started - April 2001
Head-up Flying - August 2000