canopy upgrading

[onlegendary 0]

I'm a relatively new student (75 jumps) and i'm looking at buying a rig. I've been asking around and I'm just curious about other people's experience with their first canopy size. i want to do things safe and progress but also want to avoid having to buy and sell 4 or 5 canopies before i get to one that i can keep and enjoy for a few years.

Alot of people have told me that you can start out with something somewhat aggressive and just rent a rig w/ a larger canopy until you get used to it....then use the smaller sizes with some clear and pull jumps. Does this work pretty well?

[yardhippie 0]

Gear rental can get expensive.

I realize you may not want the hassle of buying/selling various canopies over your begginng years, but you can do it. Get coaching, listen to your instructors/peers. Be safe.
I speak from experience when I say if you get in too big of a hurry, it will hurt (at a minimum).

Please, talk to your instructors, they are there to help. It is so tough to evaluate your needs/abilities over the internets. I encourage you to start big and get some coaching. One of the guys who took scott Millers course last weekend at our DZ said: "Wow! I never knew my canopy could do that!"

You should be able to progress through a few sizes over your few few hundred jumps provided you stay current, you jump regurlarly, learn your gear, and stay safe. Usually, its easy to buy those larger canopies and sell them without loosing much, if any, money. Talk with a rigger too, they can help with the equipment portion of your question.

hope that helps.

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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I'm a relatively new student (75 jumps) and i'm looking at buying a rig. I've been asking around and I'm just curious about other people's experience with their first canopy size.

I weighed arround 160 pounds when I started which gave me an exit weight of 185 pounds, bought a 205 for my first canopy with 12 jumps under my belt giving me an exit weight arround 185 pounds for a wing loading arround .9 pounds/square foot, and sold it in 75 jumps.

Brian Germain is uniquely qualified to answer this (he designs parachutes, teaches canopy flight, and studied psychology in school)

http://www.bigairsportz.com/pdf/bas-sizingchart.pdf

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i want to do things safe and progress but also want to avoid having to buy and sell 4 or 5 canopies before i get to one that i can keep and enjoy for a few years.

The typical male skydiver with under 500 jumps who makes over 100 a year is not going to be happy jumping what's safe now in a few years.

Buying and selling parachutes isn't much of a hassle now that everyone has internet access, and as long as you don't buy brand new and don't buy one in need of a line set you'll be spending under $1 a jump in depreciation whether you buy one canopy or half a dozen. If you shop arround for good deals you can even make a little money.

I'd expect to buy 6-7 canopies (meaning 2-3 rigs) before you get to something you'll be happy with for a few years. This will only be expensive if you insist on having color coordinated gear or get too impatient to shop arround.

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Alot of people have told me that you can start out with something somewhat aggressive and just rent a rig w/ a larger canopy until you get used to it....then use the smaller sizes with some clear and pull jumps. Does this work pretty well?

It doesn't take a lot of experience to land a small canopy straight in, with a slight headwind, in a large mowed grass field, without any distractions.

It does take a lot of experience and muscle memory (for lack of a better term) to not make things worse when some one cuts you off, you land off the drop-zone amongst obstacles, you land with a tail wind, etc. 100 jumps a size in the beginning increasing to 200 at smaller sizes is not an unreasonable number and perhaps not coincidentally matches up with Brian's Wingloading Never Exceed formula of 1.0 + .1/100 jumps with adjustments for smaller canopies and higher elevations.

Only one of the guys I know who downsized faster than Brian's chart suggests is dead. Only a couple took more than a single bone-breaking event (usually femurs, although there were a few tib/fib breaks, spinal fractures, and other injuries).

Some of us were lucky enough to avoid doing anything too painful until we learned judgement.

[rhys 0]

Very well said,

I want to highlight this part as it really answers the question well;

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I'd expect to buy 6-7 canopies (meaning 2-3 rigs) before you get to something you'll be happy with for a few years. This will only be expensive if you insist on having color coordinated gear or get too impatient to shop around.

Experience isn't the destination, experience is getting there!

whats the hurry?

Blue skies,

Rhyso

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix