Reserve pad or handle

[hookitt 1]

hehehe.. I'm sure I bought my reserve handle to be cool.

When I started freestyle, and freeflying, big handles really weren't that secure. Stick a big fat handle between a layer of type 8 and a layer of type 7 sew the back of it shut so there's barely enough room to secure it with velcro and no thanks. A vector 2 was not a good option for what it was to be used for so I opted for the new Talon. The "Soft" reserve handle which isn't soft by the way, seemed quite appropriate for the task. Sure enough, it was. The wrap around pocket works rather well for D-handles too.

If the D-rings weren't so big and they stayed in more secure than they did at the time, perhaps I'd have stuck with them.

Never thought to put a D-ring on both sides, but with better handle pockets and handle shapes, that would certainly peak my interest. Besides, it would totally confuse people for the first year they were available.

Black handles on a black jumpsuit already confuse some people.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[Andy9o8 2]

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I've always been concerned that if the shit hit the fan I might find a reserve pillow "tucked under" and hard to grab, so that's why I prefer the d-ring.

Do you have a pillow for a cutaway handle? Have you ever been concerned that your cutaway handle would be tucked under the main lift web if you ever needed it?

Nope, I've always had a D-ring. But I've heard & read about the occasional tuck-in, so that's why I think what I thunk. But I have an open mind to others' opinions on the subject.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Nope, I've always had a D-ring.

You have a D-ring for a cutaway handle? I've never seen one before. Who made it?

Derek

[sundevil777 102]

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Wings has been offering a free alternative 'smaller profile metal reserve handle' that might reach the middle ground for people worried about accidental pulls. Less than a inch gap exposed.

Attached is a pic of my smaller/low profile reserve handle. It simply sticks out a lot less (about 1.5 inches). I like it a lot more than other alternative handles, such as the triangular shapes. The handle looks weird in the pic because it is not actually installed (cable doesn't go into the housing). As you can see, I also like to use my opposable thumb to grab my cutaway handle.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Andy9o8 2]

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Nope, I've always had a D-ring.

You have a D-ring for a cutaway handle? I've never seen one before. Who made it?

Derek

Oh, shit! My bad, I mis-read your post. For some reason my brain registered "reserve handle". I only had 3 hours of sleep last night zzzzzzzz.
Yes, I have a pillow cutaway handle. No, I don't recall its ever getting tucked-under.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Yes, I have a pillow cutaway handle.

Have you ever been concerned that your cutaway handle would be tucked under the main lift web if you ever needed it?

Again, if pillows are so bad, why do they work so well for a cutaway handle, which is harder to pull than a reserve handle?

Derek

[EvilLurker 2]

sundevil:

Yeah, I like that setup. That's a metal handle, right? (Hard to tell from the pic). Did you have to modify your rig any to go that route, or are you using the same velcro that a pad would use?
(Sorry for all the questions, but I'm seriously thinking of going that route on my rig if it's not a huge rigging bill.)

Thanks

[sundevil777 102]

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sundevil:

Yeah, I like that setup. That's a metal handle, right? (Hard to tell from the pic). Did you have to modify your rig any to go that route, or are you using the same velcro that a pad would use?
(Sorry for all the questions, but I'm seriously thinking of going that route on my rig if it's not a huge rigging bill.)

It is a metal handle, fits the same into the harness. I got mine from the good folks that make the Infinity, but anyone should be able to get it. This handle has been quite popular on Racers.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[EvilLurker 2]

Well, small world. I've got an Infinity (original one) so I'll give them a hollar. I like that a lot better than a pillow that can get folded under, and I'm betting it would be a huge advantage in the event of a hard pull. Thanks for the info.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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I'm betting it would be a huge advantage in the event of a hard pull

If you have a hard pull on your reserve, get a new rigger.

Derek

[EvilLurker 2]

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If you have a hard pull on your reserve, get a new rigger.

Huh, it looked like a cutaway handle to me. Picture must be reversed.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Attached is a pic of my smaller/low profile reserve handle.

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Huh, it looked like a cutaway handle to me. Picture must be reversed.

Nope, the metal D-ring is the reserve handle.

Derek

[EvilLurker 2]

Okay, I completely lost my mind, folks. I was looking at the red cutaway "handle", which in the picture looks like fabric to me. Thanks for catching that, Hooknswoop.
sundevil, has that cutaway handle got a stiffener in it so it can't get folded under, or is it just webbing? Did you get that from Velocity Sports, too?

[sundevil777 102]

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has that cutaway handle got a stiffener in it so it can't get folded under, or is it just webbing? Did you get that from Velocity Sports, too?

It is very nice handle, stays in place quite well, the yellow cable is in the loop. I've seen a few others with similar handles, VSE made mine, and I think it is better than others I've checked out.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Andy9o8 2]

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if pillows are so bad, why do they work so well for a cutaway handle, which is harder to pull than a reserve handle?

Yes,you make entirely valid points. I'm not really advocating one handle over the other. I'm just saying I feel slightly more secure with the greater grab-ability of a rigid/open reserve handle. But maybe that's just because it's what I've always been used to. As I said, I've got an open mind on this subject, especially since I've seen, first-hand, so much evolution in gear (and gear philosophies) over the past 30 years

[Amazon 7]

I got the pads on my first rig. later in the year on a trip to CA I got my hand jammed into the door on a kingair exit... I dislocated my ring finger on my left hand and within 30 minutes I was unable to grab the handle so I sat on the ground rather than take a chance of not being able to grasp the pad. When my hand got cold it was reallly hard to grab the pad. I had Kelly replace it with a low profile reserve handle. I like the ability to grab it wih just a thumb or other fingers.. rather than having to grasp the pad. YMMV

[CReWLL 0]

You are also supposed to "look", well looking at 2 pads won't help. So what, just close your eyes and "try and remember". blue skies, black death. I like to have the odds in my favor. I also have in a closet, a Mirage that has the handles in revere position. It came that way and I jumpped it for 2000 jumps. I've had rigs the 'correct' way before and after that. I like to use all my senses when jumping; "feel" the opening shock, hear the wind, see my good canopy, see my emergency handles, hell, I even have heard people yelling at me to cut away.