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And that lie most of us say everytime we are asked '...and did you pack this bag yourself sir?' As for the 'why stress with trying to take it as carry on': If you're off to a boogie and they lose it/reroute it to bolivia, insurance or no insurance, your holiday just got off to a really bad start as you're rigless. I'd rather have it in the overhead compartment...and hey, you never know, ya might need it! Mike --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Yeah, will do - the 4 of us are spread between London, Germany and 'somewhere up-North'!

Working hard Paul? --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

You mention you're a student. I assume that you mean that in both senses of the word - academically and skydiving wise. Many university clubs have subsidies/discounts and their own gear for hire (we charge ~£3 a pop), which is ideally sized for a first rig - and will get you through the first 20-30 post cat8 jumps until you know exactly what you want and are safe to get/jump it. Looki into it (assuming you're at/going to uni), and even if not, get in contact with any uni clubs at hib. And as has been said, packing is a good way to make/save a few quid, even well before cat8 --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Before Easyjet cancelled their sports allowance I'd have happliy checked it - it's insured). But when they demanded more money last summer (between booking the flight and flying sports allowance was cancelled - WANKERS), i just carried it on. It was in it's rig bag and even the hook knives went through without incident! . I had a cypres card just too, but not needed at all. Since then I make sure i carry my logbook/a BPA mag and all the other bumph that makes it look like a hobby as opposed to a 'parachute'. In Prague, the male security bod squinted at the scanner + a 'what the f*ck is that' look at his female asssitant. Her response was 'durhhh, its a skydving rig...see...there, thats the reserve spring!'. She was quiet fit too... --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

It's very early stages in your jumping - the rig you'll get now will be a BUS 30j down the line and you'll regret buying it! The market for 170s is very good, the market for 260s is not... As for the AAD, for many jumps i'd happily jump without. But, as they're hardly hard to come by (£700 and you have a choice of 5...) means everyone should have one - there is absolutely no reason at all not to. And there are DZs in the UK and abroad that require an AAD no matter how many jumps you have. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Seriously, get someone that does not need to ask such a question to do the checking! There's a fair bit of money dependant on the outcome of the check, and it'll be your ass hanging under it. There are no individual tips, just check everything thoroughly. edited to add: If I were to jump a rig i knew nothing about (and wasn't demo, borrowed etc), I'd get a rigger to also do a 'quick check' as 2 pairs of eyes are better than one. The same goes for new gear. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I can see the potential for a friction induced head wrenching, but: If the clevis pin is filed/sanded down until the 'hole for the split pin' is literally a under millimeter from the end, the situation is a bit better. The pull force on the split pin should be largly independent of the load on the helmet, and even if friction due to tension prevents the pin getting pulled in by the spring, a yank on the chin-cup strap certainly will. However, point taken - if I'm even the slightest bit concerned/unsatisfied with it, I'll pursue other options before jumping it! Mike --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Random update, if anyones after the springs, take apart the office stapler. After a quick tour of my workplace, I now have half a dozen different springs at least one of which should work! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Pasta, couscous, instant oats and vodka appear to be the order of the day then... We're getting round the tent/fuel troubles by going for one of those nice hut jobbies! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Hopefully the goons with the fridge will be around then! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Ahhhh goddamnit, we'll be there for 2 weeks - thats SH*TLOAD of food to drag down there! hehehe, more to the point, is it even possible to carry that much beer? Spirits it is then... Cheers for the tips guys (didn't know there was more to Norway than Kjerag! ). --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

If anyone could answer a couple of quick questions, that would be great! 1) Is it possible to survive there without a car (ie is there a shop, laundrette and pub?). 2) Don't suppose anyone knows/has an english link to the -fast- ferry timetable (the one that goes in the PM too). 3) Any hints/tips? Cheers! Mike --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Thanks for the pm's - all sorted. Mike --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Unless your surname is Thomas. Then you get it okayed through STC because you can't breath without it, or something like that. 'Equalise' (hold nose, shut mouth and blow) higher. Not every 10s or anything stupid like that, but i do (if i remember/have time) somewhere in amongst the turning/tracking/pulling bit. Less of a differential to equalise = easier. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

http://www.baseitalia.com/B.A.S.E.%20Jump%20Italia%202000basinglis.htm It's a pretty chaotic but there might be some contacts buried in there somewhere. Matt, sent you a PM. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I was gonna say, that's exactly how i feel. I was looking for paragliding, but the skydivers got to me first. Thought I'd humour them for a jump with my presence..and shit, thousands of pounds down the line, look what happened! BASE? Gonna give it a go. Might come down thinking 'never again' (and actually mean it, unlike after my first dozen or so skydives), but i'd like to think not! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Anyone know when the best time to ring would be - i'm trying and can't get through [yes, i realise it's gmt-5 over there!]. Cheers, Mike --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I might be totally wrong, but there was something jumpable that we passed whilst driving from Gap to Nice (whch means it could be absolutely miles away - this was a few years ago and the memory is hazy). On the other hand, i don't base (yet) and am (unfortunately) not local to that area! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

That, and the possibility (through major gear negligence) of one of the pin/brindle attachment failing - leaving a pin 'in' and the jumper 'f*cked'. Don't know if it's ever happend, but it is a problem that is 'impossible' in a reserve+cypres skydiving rig. Poorly maintained velcro rigs have the opposite problem... ------- 428, Tom, RP - thanks for the advice given. I deliberately left out the manufacturer I was looking at as most of the questions were independent of that fact. It was morpheus tech, so the the lineover toggles would be as Tom recommended. I will of course ask for their advice on the two slider types. I have previously read that some of the older velcro perigees were built too tight, with obvious annoying consequences before exit. Is there anything like this, or other factors, to be aware of with the Medusa should i decide to go velcro? Thanks again for the advice, Mike --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Disclaimer - i have read much of the recommended reading (and, hearning the collective sigh of 'here we go again', I'm very aware there questions have been ad infinium on this, and other, forums). However, I'm strangely compelled to post regardless... One word answers would be cool. A brief reason brilliant - and feel free to ignore my minds ramblings on point 6. ------------------------------------------------------------ Non-articulated, non-B52'd container, vented canopy .34v, 38v, 42v and 46 non-v PCs. Norway FJC in July, then 10 days out there. 1) Lineover modded toggels. Yay or nay for a first rig? I am aware Toms article advoctes against their use, but some manufacturers consider them 'standard'? I can see both sides of the argument...but can't form an opinion. There is enough debate here/elsewhere to mean there is obviously no right answer! 2) Dynamic corners? I have absolutely no plans for wingsuit base for the mo. Enough shit to think about as it is -and if the future goes down that path, i'll drop the $$$. Will 'enclosed' corners make packing easier/not be detrimental to openings? 3) There are little hole and big hole mesh sliders. For the sake of a few quid, do i want/need both? 4) Windloading. The biggest one will put me at about 0.675, the 2nd biggest at 0.73, assuming buttnaked weight + 10kg (though that will vary with gear carried, future fatness etc). To err on the side of caution - or would that invite those flying backwards situations? 5) One manufacturer advocates that the advantages of venting outweigh the (perhaps momentary) inflation delay on a 46'. I can't help but think that on soemthing requiring a 46' (i know people shorter than that!) i'd have the opposite preferences. Is this another debatable topic, or am i plain wrong? Not that i plan to be soemwhere where that 0.001s matters for a LONG time! 6) Velcro or Pins (I hear the colective sigh change to a 'WTF!'). There was a previous argument for velcro based around the idea that 'so much more can go wrong and it'll still work'. Wheras on a 2 pin rig, I'm not too happy with the idea of needing 2 pins to be TOTALLY out for it to open. There's no reserve and no tertiary method (cypres) to save my ass - so those pins -both- need to work perfectly. Wheras velcro can fail non-fatally in certain respects and it's performance might have a wider 'bell curve', pins are all or nothing. There is that, the packing 'advantage' and there extra simplicity (though i appreciate either has the potential to go very wrong if screwed up). There are technical benefits to pins, but my main reason for wanting velcro are those described - mainly the fact i simply don't such a blind faith in anything to work -perfectly-. Velcro doesn't (within reason) have to and that alone would make me calmer...i think. My only concern is therefore big walls (norway fjc...). I have seen the vids of crazy aussies doing aerials with velcro. I realise i might be irrational in my distrust of pins, but is this an issue (no wingsuit, no aerials)? Is the 'velcro for beginners' argument less accepted that it has been in previous years - sales stats and number of recommendations for pins seems (based on dick all 'real' data) lower than several years ago. Congrats if you've read this far (you must, like me, be pretending to be working...). Thanks for any advice, much appreciated! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Before the 'minor' revolution known as digital, cameras like these were cutting edge and cost hundreds. Indeed, what is available for a few hundred off eBay (camera and lens wise) would cost ten times that for a digital slr. You'll not be limited by the camera if you're after nice pics! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

I was gonna say, a mate is just looking to order a rig from Asylum and they asked about FJC bookings/mentors at the enquiry (sp?) stage, never mind the order stage! Which is a obviously good thing. --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Cool, cheers for that - looks simple and effective! I'll go wander round some hardware stores at the weekend. My only worry is that you yanks have hardass hardware stores, whilst we have B&Q/Homebase/Wilkos - which might sell potted plants/paint/bath taps - but not little coil springs! Still, I'll see how it goes! edit: out of curiosity, would the spring not be better off on the outside (under the strap)? That way it would not need to push against padding/jaw? --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com

Cheers - 'pretty thin' is a good! Ringing/emailing bonehead would be the easiest way, but given everyone around me thinks i'm working (), doing it the longer way is more fun - and likely to get some contrasting opinions and advice thrown in too! --------------------------------------- Ex-University of Bristol Skydiving Club www.skydivebristoluni.com