Protrack or Full face????

[Jabeln79 0]

My dad gave me money for christmas to spend on skydiving. so what would you recomend.. A full face or a protrack.. IT is cold hear in the Midwest now so a full face might be helpful but a protrack is a protrack.. Any suggestions out there..
THanks
Joe

[landmissle 2]

Hi Jabeln79,
I have a full face Z1 helmet and I just got a Pro-Track as an early Christmas gift. For me the choice would be a no brainer. The full face helmet. Not only does it provide protection but it provides warmth and a distinctly different sensation while jumping compared to an open face or no helmet.
The Pro-Track while a neat toy, is just that, a neat toy. It is a back-up, back-up device for altitude awareness. First being your eyes, and second being a visual altimeter. Yes, I know that it provides addtional information besides just audible altitude warnings, again, more neat stuff, but not as useful, to me at least, as a full face helmet (YMMV).
Feet up, heads down, blue skies,
Landmissle (WWOD?*)
* What Would Omar Do?

[FallinWoman 1]

Quote

(YMMV).

Did I miss something? Am I being stupid? What is YMMV??
Anne
"by stitches, cloth, and cord,...a god of the sky for those immortal moments."-Lindbergh

[indyz 1]

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary
--
Brian
"The sky is lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I pull"

[MiataDRM 0]

I'll second the vote for the Z-1. I have one of the older ones (w/ metal studs) & I love it. It cuts down on the noise, keeps you warm and helps you focus on what you're doing. Search the classifieds and see if you can find a used helmet first. As for the protrack...I've been itching to get one too, but it's just another toy. Buy a cheap dytter for now that's functional (again look in the classifieds first). Just my 2 cents worth.
Blue Sky & Semper Fi
Majdi

[Iflyme 0]

I'd go for the helmet... let's face it: a Pro-Track is a toy. The helmet is an essential safety device. If I could afford it, I'd wear a Z-1 rather than the Gath...
imho ... Frank

[freaksister 0]

Well if you use your head about it, and buy the stuff used, you can have both! I bought a full-face for $75 and its still in good condition. I prefer my Bonehead Mindwarp but it does get cold even in Texas! So sometimes I have to resort to wearing the full face again. I don't know how much money you got, but a Skytronic FX does the same things as a Protrack (and they don't blank out in heat - that was the older original Skytronic Pro) and only costs about $180 instead of $285 like the Protrack. Of course if you get a brand new Z1 - or new Factory Diver that will take all of your money in one pop!
Just my two cents...I've had 4 helmets and 3 audibles in the last year so I might know something about it!! hehe
Sis
I feel so alive,for the very first time-and I think I can fly! - P.O.D.

[freeflir29 0]

"I've had 4 helmets and 3 audibles in the last year"
WOMEN!!???? I bet you rearrange the furniture once a week too! "I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

[MiataDRM 0]

Joe (Jabeln79), I just ran across an ad I thought you would be interested in. "A used Oxygen A3, black, in good condition for $175 (obo)". If it fits, you can get that & a Skytronic FX (similar to Protrack) and come out under what a new Oxygen costs! I found it at http://www.swoopersalley.com/usedacc.htm
**I'm a Pschydiver!
Majdi

[Jabeln79 0]

Majdi
hey thanks for the link ill check it out.. soundslike an awsome deal..

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

If it's cold, then buy yourself a full-face. I generally only wear mine in the winter or when I am spinning fast sequential. You did not mention whether or not you already own another audible, so I am assuming the answer is no. If you do not have one already (of any manufacture, so long as it works), then get one at your first opportunity. It's pretty easy to find used, old, 1-warning dytters for about $50. That's all I use, but it's all a person really needs. I set mine for breakoff altitude to "wake me up".
FYI: I use an old-style, non-flip Factory Diver. This is the helmet still used by the USAPT Golden Knight RW team, so I see no reason to buy another just for sport.
Chuck
My webpage HERE

[mwthomsen 0]

Joe,
The consenses is a full face helmet. Jumping in the cold midwest you should invest in one that has a flip up visor. Otherwise the visor will fog of freeze up under canopy. Look around your dz to see if anyone is jumping with a full face helmet that has the visor off and wearing goggles and ask them why.
Mike

[FallinWoman 1]

yeah, Like Mike said...Jason has a full face, but he took off the visor....fog issues. Ask him about it. Other people were having trouble today, too.
Just food for thought!
Anne
"by stitches, cloth, and cord,...a god of the sky for those immortal moments."-Lindbergh

[BadDog 0]

I like my Z-1. I didn't used to flip the visor up under canopy unless it fogged (only happened a couple of times), but lately I've been flipping it up every time so I can get some wind in my face. Of course, now that the wind is getting colder, the novelty is starting to wear off......
CorporateLawyerDave aka BadDog

[BadDog 0]

Oh, and I also have a Skytronic Pro and a ProTrack in the Z-1. If I got this one at a time, the order would be Z-1, ProTrack, and ...a backup for the ProTrack. If you're backing up the beeper function, a standard Dytter will do. If you're backing up the logging function, a Skytronic will do.
CorporateLawyerDave aka BadDog

[freeflir29 0]

Get the helmet....I bought a Time Out for $30. As long as the battery is fresh it has worked flawlessly.
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay