cwn

There is one low level officer.

I was referring to the Corcoran I jump boots which appears to be the same boot shown in the link you gave. I never liked them much so they were pretty much new when I started BASE jumping. Seeing as I already owned them and they were "Jump Boots" I figured I'd use them. I was issued combat, jungle, and mountaineering boots which I still have. Those boots all have hooks for the upper part of the laces which I don't want on boots used for jumping. Also with the exception of the mountaineering boots they seemed to me to offer much less support than the Corcoran I jump boots. The point I was trying to make was that there are much better jump boots available than the Corcoran I jump boots. In my opinion the extra cost for the Hanwag is well worth it.

I've used both Hanwag para-gliding boots and U.S. Army jump boots for BASE jumping and some skydives. After 175 BASE jumps and maybe around 100 skydives using a BASE canopy, boots, and other protective gear I'd say that the Hanwag boots are vastly better than army jump boots. When the Hanwag boots are new they are very stiff, but once they've broken in they're great. The trick is to wear them around for a week or so before you use them for something critical.

No, the Raven IV is only 282 when using Precision's measuring method. The PIA standard doesn't count the stabilizers. The reason the Raven seems to pack a lot smaller is partly because it is smaller if measured using the PIA standard.

I found that a Raven III works very well with a Dolphin D-4. Ravens pack smaller than a BASE canopy of the same size even when using the PIA size for the Raven.

I use a Dolphin D-4 for both CRW with a Lightning 176 and test jumping BASE canopies up to 280 sqft.. The reserve is a PD193R. I have to extend the closing loop on the main container for a BlackJack 280 and it's a very tight fit. A few years ago I bought a used Dolphin D-6 with a PD235R reserve specifically for test jumping BASE canopies. I've used it with the following canopies so far: BlackJack 280 Rock Dragon 303 BlackJack 310 Flik (Vtec) 322 All those canopies fit reasonable well in a D-6. For a 266 I'd say that a Dolphin D-5 would be the best but D-4 or D-6 could work too. The construction of the main container on the Dolphin is loose enough that you may not need open corners.

I'll be there 9/27-10/3 doing mostly BASE and demoing BASE canopies.

Are any CRW dogs going to the Moab Boogie that would be interested in doing CRW there? I'm trying to decide if I should bring my CRW rig or not. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=640 Craig Nadler

The manual for the Reflex can be found on-line here: http://www.tridenthc.com/manual.pdf

You might want to look at some of the smaller BASE jumping Pilot Chutes. Asylum Designs makes 32" and 38" ZP Apex Vented (AV) pilot chutes. The Apex Vent keeps the pilot chute stable to reduce off heading openings. I use the 32" AV PC for CRW, the last I heard the U.S. team was using custom 36" AV PCs. http://www.asylumbase.com/

You might want to start by telling people what sort of related experience you have. Your profile says that you only have 35 skydives. Is this number current? You list climbing as an interest which will help.

You could use one of your shoe laces as a pull up cord.

There have been a number of good threads on this topic in the BASE Jumping forum. Generally speaking if all other things are equal the smaller canopy will open faster because there is less canopy that needs to inflate.

I just replaced a Raven 181-M I had in a Reflex (R525) that I bought when I weighed a bit less with a RavenIIg. The 181-M was definitely a loose fit for the container and the RavenIIg (218) is a tight fit. You may want to look at the PIA pack volume chart posted by Billvon. http://people.qualcomm.com/billvon/canopy_vols.html

Vic, No, that is not the one big lesson here. It is to NOT panic and cutaway when you're wrapped up in a canopy. If your reserve can't deploy it isn't going to help you to pull the handle. This is the fourth case I know of where someone cutaway while wrapped up in a canopy, so far we have been very lucky. Even landing your main with the other persons cutaway canopy still wrapped around you is better than cutting away with it wrapped around you. BSSD, Craig Nadler

Thanks, you're right the bottom flap is closed first even if you're passing the pullup cord through the gormet in the top flap first. I was thinking about it in terms of which gormets to pass the pullup cord through.

The Flexon that I have has the closing loop on the bottom flap not inside the container as with most rigs these days. Assuming that the container in question is setup the same way as mine the top flap would be first.

This sounds like the classic problem that young women run into with some skydiving instructors. The instructor is more interested in getting into your pants than doing their job. If someone is asking you to go on a skydiving that you don’t feel comfortable with don’t do it. Your safety may not be as high a priority for them as hooking up with you.

I used a Dolphin D-4 to practice accuracy with a Mojo280 and a BlackJack 280. I packed them using the tail pocket instead of a D-Bag. It was a very tight fit and I had to lengthen the closing loop but it worked for 80+ jumps until I bought a Dolphin D-6. The Dolphin D-6 works well for both BJ280s and BJ310s.

The following is the line in the RI price list for the RSL: AR2170 RESERVE STATIC LINE (RSL)/SS 50.00 The SS stands for Stainless Steel. ParaGear sells Stainless Steel RSL Shackles for $23 for 1 shackle or $16 if you buy 20 or more.

"The Parachute Shop" at Skydive Pepperell is about a hour by car from Boston. It's run by Don Mayer (Master Rigger/ Rigger Instructor Examiner). 1-800-USA-CHUTE (1-800-872-2488) http://www.parachuteshop.com/

Altico sells CRW reserve deflector flaps which you can have them or any master rigger put on your rig. The flap keeps lines from going under the top reserve flap when the rig is closed like a Javelin. I seem to remember that Altico only charged me around $15 for it.

The best experience for someone who wants to get into BASE jumping would be that which best prepares them for BASE jumping. In a skydiving environment they would have the ability to do accuracy jumps with a real BASE canopy. I don't see how flying a paraglider (or small elliptical 9-cell skydiving canopy) could come close the benefit they would get from flying the same type of BASE canopy they will be using when they BASE jump. If they want to jump with the PC in a BOC pouch on a BASE jump they better be able to find the PC on the first reach every time without going unstable. IMO nothing will prepare them for this better than doing it on a few hundred skydives first. BASE gear evolved from skydiving gear and still has many similarities. Experience with skydiving gear will teach them a lot of the basics that they will need to know for BASE. Skydiving makes it very easy for me to practice with my BASE canopy before going on a BASE jumping trip. At a local skydiving dropzone on a good day I can get 10 to 12 accuracy jumps from 4000'. If you want a lot of canopy time per jump and experience with off field landings CReW should do the trick.

Does anyone have a source for RED 600 lbs. Dacron Suspension Line? I can find 800 and 900 pound line in red but not 600 pound.

I've packed using both methods, but I find the way I described to be easier to control the canopy while putting it into the container. Either way will work, it just depends on which one works best for you.