ever heard? weight belt lost??

[freeflygirlz 0]

Just a thing I thought about today:
Recently one of my students lost his helmet on an aff-jump, just as he was pulling. The helmet landed on the DZ, far away from the landing area without any problems, no damage. The student was very surprised, but no problems. In the plane we checked the helmet, and it was closed, the lenght was all right. It just opend on its own.
So I started thinking about weight belts. What if someone would loose one?? Have you ever heard about that? Would be pretty dangerous...
What else, other than helmets did you drop or loose unintentionally??

[happythoughts 0]

Not in the US, but in Australia a couple of years ago. The individual weight units came loose. Witnesses said they thought the impact was little explosions.

[phoenixlpr 0]

Some years ago I saw a student coming back without a helmet. The helmet landed on the field witout any damage.

[rwieder 0]

I'm sure we're all aware that weight belts should be worn inside the jumpsuit. I can't fathom a weight belt coming off if properly utilized, but Murphy's law is ever present.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[phoenixlpr 0]

I`ve seen worn then inside and outside too.

[rwieder 0]

Quote

I`ve seen worn then inside and outside too.

I'm not denying this fact. I've never seen anyone wear them outside their jump suit, but if they did, the S&TA should shut them down because that is dangerous. Opening snatch force can be a muther some times!

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[efex 0]

You are actually incorrect there.

There are very valid reasons for wearing a weight belt outside of the jump suit. The first one which comes to mind is when jumping near bodies of water. In the off chance you land in water you must be able to jettison the weight asap, otherwise you could potentially drown. If its inside your jumpsuit you first need to take off you rig and then undo your jumpsuit. If you dont have 100% mobility this can become a problem.

edit to add: there has recently been a post about the most suitable place to wear a weight belt.

Warwick University Skydiving Club

[FrogNog 1]

Another reason to wear them outside the suit is if you wear them inside or clipped to your rig.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[rwieder 0]

Quote

There are very valid reasons for wearing a weight belt outside of the jump suit. The first one which comes to mind is when jumping near bodies of water.

All of the DZ's i jump do not have water hazards.

Quote

In the off chance you land in water you must be able to jettison the weight asap, otherwise you could potentially drown.

that's a given.

Quote

If its inside your jumpsuit you first need to take off you rig and then undo your jumpsuit. If you dont have 100% mobility this can become a problem.

do you think a weight belt weighs in water the same as it does in the atmosphere? or is it lighter?

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[FrogNog 1]

Quote

do you think a weight belt weighs in water the same as it does in the atmosphere? or is it lighter?

The density of lead is 11.4 grams per ml.
The density of water is 1 gram per ml.
The density of air is about .001293 gram per ml.
(If anyone sees errors here, please point them out.)

So lead is about 8816 times as heavy as air on a per-volume basis, and about 11.4 times as heavy as water on a per-volume basis. That means in both air and water, lead will reduce buoyancy a lot for every unit of volume of lead someone is carrying. Being dragged to the bottom of the air is OK for us skydivers but being dragged to the bottom of the water is a problem.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[skybytch 273]

Quote

I've never seen anyone wear them outside their jump suit, but if they did, the S&TA should shut them down because that is dangerous.

I see your point but disagree that it is dangerous. Thousands and thousands of jumps have been done by jumpers wearing belts outside their jumpsuits. Like any other piece of skydiving gear, a properly designed, built and used weight belt can be safely worn outside a jumpsuit.

[rwieder 0]

Quote

Thousands and thousands of jumps have been done by jumpers wearing belts outside their jumpsuits. Like any other piece of skydiving gear, a properly designed, built and used weight belt can be safely worn outside a jumpsuit.

Agreed. I never said i hated it, i just stated imho it's dangerous. I've seen a lot of women wear weight belts, and all of them wear them inside their jump suits. I guess i'll have to straighten them out?

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[phoenixlpr 0]

I`ve seen that way. Women wear belt or west inside, guys wear belt outside.

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

Agreed. I never said i hated it, i just stated imho it's dangerous. I've seen a lot of women wear weight belts, and all of them wear them inside their jump suits. I guess i'll have to straighten them out?

A lot of people wear weight vests inside their jumpsuit. However, weight belts are designed to wear outside.
Leadbelly weight belt

Quote

The most comfortable weight belt in the world!" This innovative weight belt is designed to be worn OUTSIDE the jumpsuit

(Capitalization theirs)

I must know over 100 people who wear them (myself included) and we all wear them on the outside.

If a water landing is imminent, it can be unclipped and released. There are also vests that are designed to fully release.

Here is a better picture that shows the two clips and the Velcro fastener.

[sukaidaiba 0]

Quote

I'm sure we're all aware that weight belts should be worn inside the jumpsuit. I can't fathom a weight belt coming off if properly utilized, but Murphy's law is ever present.

U try jumping near a water hazard with one inside your jumpsuit!

Its not dangerous to wear one on the outside, in fact the majority of people do

the ideal falling motion of something subject only to a gravitational field

[billvon 3,120]

>I've seen a lot of women wear weight belts, and all of them wear
>them inside their jump suits. I guess i'll have to straighten them out?

Most of the women at Perris wear them outside their jumpsuits, both for tunnel flying and regular freefall. We have only minor water hazards (a swoop pond, canals.) It's pretty much a requirement when jumping at Otay; exit is often over a lake.

In terms of danger from dropping them - I would think camcorder batteries and camera lenses, both of which are generally less well secured than weightbelts, would pose a similar threat. I recall a video showing a wide angle still camera lens spinning away after a student kicked it on exit.

I think it is a given that any dangerous object must be well-secured. A well designed weight belt, worn on the outside, would seem to be about as secure as one worn inside one's jumpsuit.

[upndownshop 0]

The only time I have seen a problem with wearing on the outside was my dumb_ss. brother.

He wore it loose and when he went to pull, the hackey tucked itself underneath the belt, he tried twice and dumped the reserve.

I believe he had around 6000 jumps at the time.
I gave him a hard time about that one.

So I guess my point is make sure they are snug around the waist.

[happythoughts 0]

Quote

I think it is a given that any dangerous object must be well-secured. A well designed weight belt, worn on the outside, would seem to be about as secure as one worn inside one's jumpsuit.

Even if my belt came unclipped (2 clips and a wide velcro pad), it is still fairly snug under the webbing.

The use of belts by 4-way teams is huge and I haven't heard of any problems. I can understand if freefliers don't use them, but most flatflyers are well acquainted with them.

I have used mine for 4-way on rare occasions, but mostly on big-ways.

[pilotdave 0]

Quote

A well designed weight belt, worn on the outside, would seem to be about as secure as one worn inside one's jumpsuit.

Well designed is the key. I always cringe when I hear people talk about homemade weight belts. Not that they're bad... it's just that I don't know how much thought went into them.

Dave

[gemini 0]

Quote

A well designed weight belt, worn on the outside, would seem to be about as secure....

Most belts designed for skydiving have multiple buckles or snap catches to prevent accidental release. I have had one of my releases pop open under canopy, but the other held.

I am also not sure even if both releases came open if I would lose the belt. I have tried to pull it off without taking my rig off and the round 2-lb weights prevent the belt from sliding past the harness in several spots.

I have seen some people jumping with scuba weight belts. These are designed to drop quickly and in some cases the weight pockets themselves open down which could be a hazard to someone below. I do not recommend wearing a scuba type belt when skydiving.

Blue skies,

Jim