bwilling

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Everything posted by bwilling

  1. bwilling
    You should consider purchasing your own gear as soon as you're at a canopy size that you want to stay at for a while... until that point, renting probably makes more sense. Once you're at a canopy size you want to stay with for a while, it's certainly possible to find some nice used gear, jump it for the next hundred jumps or two, and then resell it when you're ready to downsize. If the net loss on that gear is less than the expense of renting would have been (and it usually is), you come out ahead financially. And you've also had the benefit of jumping the same gear week in and week out, and that's personally something that I like and value. Good Luck! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  2. bwilling
    That doesn't bother me near a much as the folks who list complete rigs or harness and container systems, and don't list any sizes! And then there's the ones that don't seem to understand that the container size and the harness size are two different things!!! doh! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  3. bwilling
    Yep, whether you like it or not, you will become your mother (or father). "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  4. bwilling
    104? You suck! Try arching! Seriously though, takes popsjumper suggestion and talk to a couple of reputable jumpsuit mfg's for suggestions on a jumpsuit to help 'speed' you up... I did the same thing in reverse... got some help to slow my lard ass down, and it worked. They actually wanted me to arch more on a jump last weekend! And if all else fails, there's always the greatest invention since sliced bread (at least a far as the heavier jumper is concerned!), the weight belt! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  5. bwilling
    An 800 series in bowling (800 total for three consecutive games) is actually a lot more difficult and less common than a single perfect 300 game... And in golf, the double eagle (3 under par! a two on a par five hole!) is way more rare than the 'ace', or hole in one... Me... on a bad day, my golf and bowling scores are interchangable... is that a good thing? "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  6. bwilling
    One of the reasons that custom jumpsuits are so expensive, is that they're custom. Every suit is a one off design and size, and like it or not, that drives production costs through the roof! You might consider something like this suit... I don't know anything about them firsthand, but they come from a reputable dealer that's been in the skydiving industry for a very long time, so I expect that they're a decent product at least, and considerably less expensive than a custom suit... I feel your pain though, it's hard to find used gear for guys our size! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  7. bwilling
    I considered doing that also, but in the end decided to list the number of years since my first jump... in some ways it's a better frame of reference, because I started so long ago that I have jumped some pretty amazingly bad gear, including belly wart reserves, and I have over 50 jumps on round canopies! The folks starting the sport today have no idea how good they have it. But I do! Obviously with my low jump numbers I couldn't have been jumping that whole time, but just putting the 10 years that I've been an 'active' (some years more active than others!) member of USPA doesn't really do justice to how much I've seen the sport progress and grow up, and that's certainly been part of the fun of getting back into it! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  8. bwilling
    I've got a new Tri 220, and while it's not especially tight in my container, I can tell you that $6 dollars seems really cheap to pack that slippery beast! So far I've been committed to packing it myself, but I keep thinking that $6 dollars ain't shit, as I'm trying to get that bastard in the bag myself! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  9. bwilling
    OMFG! I remember seeing that drawing on the board! I remember Chris from the Decatur DZ, and remembered hearing that he went in a few years after I quit jumping... I can't believe you have that. That's fucking cool. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  10. bwilling
    The best way to protect both parties is to use a third party to handle the transaction... the seller ships the gear to a trusted DZO or rigger for inspection, and the DZO or rigger only releases the gear to the buyer once payment has been confirmed by the seller. Payment can be made via any mutually agreeable means since the gear won't be released until payment has been confirmed by the seller. Something traceable is always preferred though. :-) The other thing I'd recommend is communication! It can go a long way to building enough trust that neither party feels threatened by the deal... which helps! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  11. bwilling

    zp vs F-111?

    bwilling replied to crum's topic in Gear and Rigging

    Here's a pretty good article from PD's wesite that explains the difference in detail... The key to finding value deals in used gear is to be flexible. If you like the Sabre 2, then consider other canopies in that class... the Aerodyne Pilot, Icarus Safire 2, and Precision Fusion are all 9 cell canopies similar in performance to the Sabre 2, and are all fine canopies that you likely wouldn't be disappointed in. The likelyhood of finding any one of them in a given size is way greater than finding just one of them in a given size. Oh yeah, and don't be too picky about color. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  12. bwilling
    Listen to the Skydive Radio show with Jim Wallace, and he echos this progression as being ideal too... and he's been around the sport and instructing a long damn time! His school actually requires some tunnel time before the first AFF release dive, but he teaches at Perris, so he's got the tunnel right there! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  13. bwilling
    And you thought coming here and asking for canopy choice advice was bad. Go small... go really, really small. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  14. bwilling
    Life, including skydiving, is about balance. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  15. bwilling
    It's not a free, freefly suit, it's a free, fly suit. See how the punctuation helps? "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  16. bwilling
    It's an intial connection between two people that leads to life long bonding. It's not about what they'd do for you, it's about what they mean to you. Constant contact matters way less than the certainty of the connection... and the fact that they'll always be there. You won't find it often, so cherish it when you do. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  17. bwilling

    LCD monitors

    bwilling replied to eeneR's topic in The Bonfire

    I have a Samsung 710N at work, and I love it! It's my first LCD display, and I will warn you that I had to switch it to its highest resolution (1280 x 1024) before I really liked the image... but now it's crystal clear and sharp! That said, the Sony Xbrite is the single best display I've ever seen! They're not cheap though! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  18. bwilling
    I always thought that was an important part of the tradition too, that it was a bottle of the riggers choice. And as far as I know, the tradition seems to be alive and well in the part of the country where I'm jumping... but hell, we still do 'traditional' SCR ceremonies down here too! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  19. bwilling
    Bounce and blend colors are back! Seriously though, that's a very unique and cool looking rig, and I don't even really like cammo... good job! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  20. bwilling
    Sacrilege! Tie dye will never go out of style... look how long it's been around already! You're just too young to appreciate it! The embroidery on her rig looks awesome though, and is even more unique than tie dye would have provided. "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  21. bwilling
    Yep, it's J. I've seen him dance... "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  22. bwilling
    Sweet! It's got all the bling bling, except for... tie dye! Where's the tie dye? It does have some very nice embroidery though! Nice job girl! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  23. bwilling
    Suit 3, with the snow cammo on the grippers! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  24. bwilling
    I told you already girl, you're not really 'old school' unless you got some round prarachute jumps! I've been in and out of the sport for a number of years now, so I really admire your track record! And for what it's worth, it people like you that keep me coming back. Thanks for getting me current again! Edited to add - You'll know you're antique when you're jumping with the children of the people you started in this sport with! I've come full circle! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."
  25. bwilling
    That's a valid point, but not the only thing that clears it from the dreaded 'spam' moniker... the legitimate marketers will never hide the true origin of the email, and will always have a valid link where you can remove your name from their list, and they will honor your request. That's the real difference! "If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."