iamspoild

peach, I'm more newbee than you. I'm just starting out and this Pacific NW weather is beginning to be a drag... BTW, has anyone ever headed to Arizona or someplace sunny to complete AFF? can one even do that? (providing they're current) sorry, got side tracked. Anywho, A lot of experienced jumpers recommend waiting to complete 50 - 70 jumps before buying a first rig. Makes sense if you factor downsizing costs(if that's part of the plan), container size, etc. From what I'm gathering, a Spectre and Triathlon are good candidates to demo. Sabre2's have also come up, but their reputation is spooking me a little. A good percentage of people pummeling into the ground under a spinning canopy happen to be sporting Sabre/Sabre2's (that based on what I'm seeing on the USPA incident reports). Could just be a coinkodink since they're so popular and so many people use them. But they also seem to have a reputation for being more sensitive to packing methods and body position during opening than say a Spectre. I obviously haven't demod either (nor am I ready to. This sure is a humbling sport!). Hope I didn't just tick off you Sabre lovers! If I did, well..

I stumbled accross this at PD. Thought it might be insightful (it was to me!

1.0 can be a hot ride on a small enough canopy. I'm pretty dang green though... so what do I know. check this (if you're interested) - especailly "Sue's" expericence on a 135. http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/choosing1.pdf Ya, I plunked this into another thread as well... It just has, well, good facts!

jonnym, I'm even greener than you are - so I'll keep my trap shut. I am in the process of absorbing all the reliable info I can get my hands on though. If you haven't been out to PD's education page - this link might interest you (good stuff on wing loading). http://www.performancedesigns.com/docs/choosing1.pdf peace.