dark color (namely black) gear. dangerous for night jumps?

[superman0710 0]

my favorite color is black, so naturally my jumpsuit and container will be designed mainly with black as the primary color. I'm concerned, however, that if i make sunset of night jumps, i might create a dangerous condition because i'll be hard to see.

are my fears unfounded?

[cvfd1399 0]

base gear?

[superman0710 0]

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base gear?

lol
no. i'm not ready for that yet

[cvfd1399 0]

Yea it was a joke. On topic, I think that a darker color would be less visible on sunset loads, I think that on a night jump things are set up that would prevent that?

[wmw999 2,587]

With decent lighting, its not a huge deal. If you're always pushing the envelope (i.e. on the just-after-sunset load, the windy load, etc), then you should take that into account in your gear choices.

Just as you should take it into account when driving in the snow if you like rear-wheel-drive-souped-up trucks. You can't do everything with anything.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Spizzzarko 0]

On night jumps, you shouldn't be looking for some ones canopy or rig in the sky. All of the jumpers should be well illuminated. Night jumps have an increased risk of incident, as your visibility is greatly increased. There are rules and regulations set out for a reason. Being the sky nija at night and not having the proper illumination is not a cool thing.

[skycat 0]

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my favorite color is black, so naturally my jumpsuit and container will be designed mainly with black as the primary color. I'm concerned, however, that if i make sunset of night jumps, i might create a dangerous condition because i'll be hard to see.

are my fears unfounded?

A black rig will be easier to resell down the road, but you may want to re-think the black jumpsuit since you live in FL it gets mighty hot there.

Fly it like you stole it!

[AggieDave 6]

Container and jumpsuit opinions have been stated, I wanted to talk about canopy color for a second.

I used to have a black and green canopy (my colors are black and green), my 2nd canopy is nearly all green with a little black. Know why?

I was always worried if I chopped it near sunset it would be gone for good, impossible to find. Or if we found it, it would have been out in the woods long enough to be unairworthy.

Nevermind the obvious answer about being a "sky ninja" on sunset loads with other canopies in the air.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Spizzzarko 0]

Nevermind the obvious answer about being a "sky ninja" on sunset loads with other canopies in the air




what do you mean by that?

[superman0710 0]

please elaborate on the skyninja issue

[AggieDave 6]

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Nevermind the obvious answer about being a "sky ninja" on sunset loads with other canopies in the air

A canopy that has a color scheme that makes it hard to pick out of the sky, especially in lower light conditions. That's what I refer to jumpers jumping gear that I have a hard time picking out of the sky when looking down on them or out at them due to their color scheme and the various light conditions of the day (not to mention the "background" of what they're flying over/near).

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[BIGUN 1,483]

If you jump on anything short of a full moon, any canopy other than whites, yellows, etc. are difficult to see. Mine is solid "Cobalt Blue" which can be seen well during the day, but can be as hard to see at night as a solid black canopy.

First, you may wish to review Eric's article in this month's "Parachutist" on night jumps. Second, more so than others, you'll need to double the amount of lighting you have on your rig and body. I wear two halogens and a strobe while under canopy.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[GravityGirl 0]

I used to jump an all grey main parachute. I got really tired of people walking up to me in the landing area and saying, "Sorry! I didn't even see you!"

I was also difficult to spot on night and twilight jumps. So there is some merit to your concern. You can see my canopy colors now on the pic I attached.

As for resale value. I have to disagree with the very generalized statement that Black is an easier resell. I sell a lot of used gear, and most people prefer "some" color over all black given the choice.

If your favorite color is black, there are a lot of really cool things you can do with rigs and parachutes that might just appeal to you. PM me if you want help "coloring".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[Spizzzarko 0]

why do you think the Air Force paints all of their jets grey? Why do you think that the military parachutes are grey? Grey or silver is the best camoflage in the sky. If it's not moving against an off color, then it's very difficult to see.

[GravityGirl 0]

It was a hand-me-down!

Still. I loved that parachute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[bch7773 0]

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A canopy that has a color scheme that makes it hard to pick out of the sky, especially in lower light conditions. That's what I refer to jumpers jumping gear that I have a hard time picking out of the sky when looking down on them or out at them due to their color scheme and the various light conditions of the day (not to mention the "background" of what they're flying over/near).

My plan is to get a main with a light blue bottom skin, and a camo pattern topskin. then i can be really sneaky during landings

MB 3528, RB 1182