newsstand 0 #1 January 16, 2004 In looking at suits this seems like a good one for a beginner. They call it their "All Around" model for bot RW and FF. Any opinions on that claim? "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjosparky 4 #2 January 16, 2004 I have been jumping one for many years, not the same one of course, and have been very happy with them. It is important to get measured right for them to fit. SparkyMy idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rigging65 0 #3 January 16, 2004 There are several great suit manufacturers out there, but there is no such thing as an "all around good suit for everything". A Freefly suit needs a totally different cut than, say, an RW suit. Do yourself a favor a buy an RW suit and a Freefly suit. You'll be much happier in the long run. If you can't afford both right away, but the one that you'll have the most use for first. You can always get another one later...and you can always start learning to Freefly in baggy sweats or pants and a sweatshirt. It's a bit tough to take grips on jeans though. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newsstand 0 #4 January 16, 2004 Quote...but there is no such thing as an "all around good suit for everything". ... I accept that there would be compromises but lets face it for the near future the biggest problem with RW and FF for me will be me and not the suit. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rigging65 0 #5 January 16, 2004 Quotethe biggest problem with RW and FF for me will be me and not the suit. That may or may not be true, but the suit is definitely going to have a bearing on how you fly. That is an indisputable fact. If you get something that is proper for your height, weight and style, you will learn much faster and not develop bad habits trying to compensate for your suit. Do what you like, but having sold suits and gear professionally for a while now I can tell you this: Buy what's right the first time and you'll be much happier (and save money) in the long run. If this means you learn RW first and spend the next 100 jumps doing that, then move into a bit of freeflying, so be it. Or if you want to work on both styles, you'll have an RW suit and you can just throw on some jeans and a baggy sweat shirt and work on your sit in that until you can afford a proper suit. Your patients will be rewarded! "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACMESkydiver 0 #6 January 16, 2004 ..I've been trting to figure out what company to go with as well for my first suit... The local jumpsuit-making Goddess is terribly ill in the hospital right now... I'm praying for her to get better...I've never met her, but I've been told that she's a sweety. That lady does some OUTSTANDING work, I've seen her suits (Amazon's custom red suit was made by her) and I know I'm going to have a tough time getting anything right...I'm verticlly challenged and stocky.. -to put it kindly... I saw that the Tony Suit is supposed to help with fall rate...I need to slow down just a bit. Not too much, as I've been learning RW jumpers like speed...however, I'm limited in who I can jump with do to a screamin' fall rate...either bigger people or very experienced jumpers who know how to keep up. Anyone else have ideas on that?~Jaye Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hipgnosis 0 #7 January 16, 2004 I don't know about for a beginner but I can tell you that the Tony Swoop Suit is a very nice jump suit for RW. However you should be careful what booties you get on it, they have some larger ones (Mega Airspeed or similar) that take a while to get used to and are probably way too much for a beginner to deal with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bch7773 0 #8 January 17, 2004 yeah I agree. if you feel like doing both RW and freeflying, get an RW suit. you can always use a sweat shirt or long-sleeved tshirt for freeflying. not to mention, free fly pants are pretty cheap, and so you can always buy them later. MB 3528, RB 1182 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newsstand 0 #9 January 17, 2004 Since I don't yet own my own gear and the rentals are not FF friendly it will be awhile before I move to that so what suits do you recommend? "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
helldog 0 #10 January 17, 2004 Had the same problem with a screaming fall rate. As your jump numbers increase you will learn to adjust your body position to slow your fall rate a bit, and have a good swoop suit that fits will help as well. I would suggest that if you don't have a protrac or neptune borrow one and find out what your fall rate is so the suit manufacturer can design a suit that will best fit your needs. Blue ones Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newsstand 0 #11 January 17, 2004 So just get out and into a normal arch, fall straight down till pull time and see what the numbers are? I have been working on fall rate control. Loaded I weigh in at about 220 and was able to stay even with a skinny female coach who was at about 150 and kept changing her fall rate as training for me. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rigging65 0 #12 January 19, 2004 I would recommend a standard 8-panel suit (that is, one without a bunch of spandex). I would also recommend you have it made out of a Supplex material (we call it UltraLite). It's a tight weave fabric that catches air better in the wings than does a medium weight suit (and is cooler to wear). I could go into a dissertation about different materials, but I won't. PM me if you'd like more info on it. You'll probably want a medium to large wing cut into the arm of the suit (not a camera wing, this just refers to how baggy the area under the arm is). And some sort of an adjustable swoop cord system. If your fall rate vs. others at your DZ is very fast, I would also recommend Competition (thicker) grips, Inside leg grips, double layered forearms and Booties. If you really want to slow down, some companies will also sew in ZP inserts, under a lining, to "enhance" the wings. I'm about 285 or so out the door, so I know a thing or two about building big boy suits. I won't try and push one company over another, as this certainly isn't the place to do that. I'd be more than happy to give you more info by PM if you're interested. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
