ryand96

I got myself into about 8K worth of debt in college. Jumping, drinking, and too many credit cards make for a very bad combination. I charged my first 60 jumps without paying any of it off right away. I actually quit jumping for 3 years as a result until I had it all paid off. I used every trick in the book. I would transfer my balances to any card that came in the mail offering any kind of introductory offer for a cheap interest rate. Took me two years after college to pay it all off.

I'm the opposite. I suck at snowboarding. I also really suck at golf but for some reason every summer I frustrate the hell out of myself by trying time and time again.

:7:0 Didn't jump on Saturday, the weather sucked. Sunday was cold but beautiful. Took full advantage of the caravan and got 7 in from full altitude including an 8 point 4 way with lots of piece moves and a 5 point 6 way. Lots of fun!!!

No chest rings, just hip rings. I did speak to the manufacturer this morning. I sent pictures of myself in the rig. They think that it looks like the right fit. To me it feels very tight and restrictive. I am going to put a main in it, jump it, and see how it feels. The manufacturer was very understanding and said they would have no problem resizing the harness if I still feel that it doesn't fit right after I jump it. I am hoping that they are right and it fits great with the main in it after a few jumps. Edited to correct spelling

I have not had anyone look at it yet. I just got it yesterday. The reserve is already packed in it. It is just missing the main. I sent an e-mail to the dealer last night and I plan on calling the manufacturer myself this morning. It doesn't seem to me that putting a main in the container will really change the fit any. The hip rings will still be at my ribs. The way it fit last night, the bottom half of the container where the main should be was wrapping around my back and the laterals went at any upward angle to the hip rings. I actually think that putting the main in will make the fit even worse since the container won't be able to bend any around my back. I have not owned this type of rig or any rig for that matter. This is my first one. I have been jumping this type of rig for my last 30 or so jumps. It was borrowed from someone else who is considerably larger than I and it fit great. The hip rings were at my hip joint where they should be. The yoke on that rig was a little big for me but I think the main lift web was about right. I'm really not that worried about this. I'm sure they will have no problem fixing it. I'm just kind of disappointed that I won't have my rig to jump for another few weeks now. Does anyone know if it is a pain in the ass for a manufacturer to replace or resize a harness? Does the whole thing have to be rebuilt or just the harness?

It wasn't a dolphin. The container was completed a while ago. We were waiting on the canopies to be completed. There was some sort of mix up with the order for the canopies. I decided to get a stock reserve which they packed in the container and shipped to me. I am now just waiting my custom main to be completed. I was going to try and rent/borrow/demo a main to put in the container for the next month until I had my main. I don't know what tag you are referring to, but that was the info that was on a sticker on the plastic bag that the container was in.

Imagine my excitement. My new rig arrived today. It got delivered to me at work. Well, at least the container, the reserve and the Cypres. I'm still waiting on the main but that's another story. It looks absolutely beautiful. Everything looks good except that the reserve ripcord handle is smaller than any I have seen or jumped. I didn't think anything of it. I love my new rig. I was so excited. I couldn't wait until I got home and tried it on. 5 o'clock comes around and I rush home to check it out a little closer. I try it on and wait..... why are the hip rings at my ribs. That doesn't seem right. I try to imagine how it would look with the main actually in the container. It doesn't seem right. I look at the sticker on the bag that the rig came in. It's got some sizes on it: "Yoke: XL MLW: S Lpad: L Lat: L" I think to myself "That can't be right!" But sure enough, my main lift web is so small that the reserve ripcord handle must be a smaller size in order to fit. I don’t know who is at fault here, the dealer who sold me the rig or the container manufacturer who built it. It is possible that the dealer measured me wrong, wrote down the wrong number, or the manufacturer couldn’t read the dealer’s writing. Who knows? It doesn’t really matter. I just don’t understand how the manufacturer didn’t ask a question when building a rig of such odd proportions. I am 5’11” tall, weigh 200 pounds and have a 30” inseam. Put all of this together and you have a fairly big dude with short legs and a big torso. These proportions definitely don’t belong to someone that should have their rig sized with a small main lift web. All of this information was included on the order form. How could you design a harness for someone that is this tall, with such short legs and make the main lift web so freaking small? This rig is not jumpable. I have to send it back to have the harness resized. I already sent an e-mail to the dealer, which hopefully they will forward to the manufacturer. This whole situation just sucks. If I had wanted a rig that didn't fit I would have bought a used one. I ordered this rig at the end of November. It has been a five month wait, now turning into a six month wait. I can’t deal. I am tired of renting gear. I am tired of borrowing everyone else’s gear. The weather is getting warmer and all I want to do is jump. It just sucks that I will have to wait another month to do so with my own rig. I’m not trying to make this a pity me post. I just want people’s feedback as to what they would do in such a situation. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I also don’t want to put down the container manufacturer. I don’t know that this is their fault. I would appreciate that anyone who jumps at my DZ and knows what I ordered to keep it to him self. I don’t really wish any negative publicity upon any of the parties involved. I am just extremely upset and need a forum in which to rant. This has been an extremely frustrating five months. Thanks.

You can always come and see us at Sky Knights in East Troy, WI. We just got our caravan for the summer and it is nice! We're about an hour and a half southeast of Madison. It will be worth the drive though. Hope to see you there.

Don't mean to brag but:

Most experienced freefliers I talk to think that it is best to wait until you become a proficient belly flier before spending a lot of your time trying to freefly. It is supposed to be easier to learn once you have mastered flying on your belly. I can't speak from personal experience, because I've only messed around trying to sit on a handful of jumps and found it to be rather counterproductive. I would like to freefly but I think I will wait until I have a few hundred belly jumps under my belt. However, I'm sure there have been plenty of successful freefliers who started freeflying right off of student status and never looked back. I still think that it is best to wait.

2:1:1 2 jumps 1 downwind landing - first 1 off dz landing And a lot of fun. Brian, I saw my arm in the pic of Dave, are there any pics with me in them?

It was working last week just fine. I wonder what the problem is.

Does anyone know what happened to www.skydivingweather.com? It doesn't seem to be working.

body - head - arms - legs Am I the only one?

I think you already answered your own question. If you love this sport stick with it. I walked away from the sport 3 years ago due to financial and other reasons. I just started jumping again this past October. It was the best thing I could have done. I am the happiest I've been in a long time. Keep jumping and get out to the DZ as often as possible.

I received quotes and I believe that coverage for skydiving was an extra $2.50 per $1000 of coverage. Which comes out to an extra $625 a year for $250,000 of coverage. I am considering getting a life policy that excludes skydiving and getting the accidental death and dismemberment plan that covers it. USPA sent something about Accidental D&D a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember how expensive that coverage was, but I do remember that it didn't seem that expensive.

You obviously didn't watch last night

I wish he would have. I don't know why he would have chose her in the first place. It almost seemed as if she is being incompetent on purpose. You're fired.

I know I've taken that one before. Took it again. 138 - Not too shabby. I hate the way they make you register for their stupid site though.

Patron!!!! Wow that's some good stuff!!! That's the only way to go.

There couldn't possibly be two cities in this country with the same name, could there?

I went out to dinner. I had a calzone. Good stuff.

It just isn't the same.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask. What are stickers?

It's time for my 7 & 7. I wish I still drank caffeine. I miss my Jack and Coke.