degeneration

Parapack/cordura will last longer, no doubts there, but spacer foam will be comfier - I think. As it is a rig I will have forever, I want comfort first. If the spacer foam wears out, then I'll look to get it replaced. Is this assertion correct: Cordura - hard wearing, tough, will last a long time. But probably not overly comfy (by comparison). Parapack - Softer to touch, won't last as long as cordura, but a bit more comfy. Spacer foam - Softer, more airy, comfier, but probably the least durable. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I have an Icon on order, which has now been delayed due to the company that supplies the spacer foam. Basically it seems as though they haven't. So I can either have my rig ready in time if I choose cordura or parapack, or wait till mid january and get spacer foam. Given that this is the container I think I will have pretty much forever more, which is likely to be the best? What plus points do cordura or parapack have over spacer foam? Cheers. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

So if someone has a 10 year old, 800 jump Pilot for example, the used value is $50 based on chutingstar's price? Sorry, I'm bored and am nit-picking. On the flipside to not knowing gear value, sometimes if someone is in the right place at the right time, they can pick up an absolute bargain. For example I picked up a 5 year old canopy with about 70 jumps on it for £715 (or about $1150), which is maybe only a slight bargain in the US, but as that was from an EU country so all VAT and tax had been paid as I'm in the UK, it was a significant saving. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

My own personal experience with first kit in 2007 I think, was with a rig similar to this - a 1996 dolphin container, a PD190 main, a Raven-I reserve, and I bought my own AAD. The main has more than 100 jumps on it too. The kit (exc. reserve) cost me £400 (approx. $650). Now it wasn't sexy, but it was airworthy, it worked, it got me down safely and it allowed me to skydive within my limited budget. It meant I didn't have to pay for kit hire, which allowed me to save for a brand new rig when I was ready. So while the PD190 is an older style canopy, it isn't as good as the modern ZP canopies, it can still get you to the ground safely. I downsized to a PD170 also with more than 100 jumps on it, then got my own brand new kit after that. To address the car analogy. What if the OP isn't wanting to do the flash "sporty" stuff that the modern canopies can do? What if he is happy to jump, then have a Pinto style canopy ride for now, then move up to the sporty stuff in the future when he feels ready for it? So from my own personal experience, the PD190 and dolphin container I had were very cheap, not at all flash and sexy, but they worked fine for the intended purpose which was to skydive and land safely. Of course the condition of the particular kit in question will determine whether it is airworthy etc. Now I'm not recommending this rig to the OP as the reserve/main sizing doesn't seem suitable, but I'm just saying that for people on a budget dolphins and PD190s can be ok cheap deals. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

My details are more or less exactly the same as yours. I bought my first kit about jump 30 ish, which was about 4 years ago. It wasn't sexy, but it did the job. It cost me £900 for a Dolphin container, PD190 main, Raven (I or II, can't remember which) reserve and a 1 year old Vigil (got a bargain on that). It wasn't overly comfortable, but was more comfortable than student gear. It took 1 downsize to a cheap PD170 main, then I sold on the whole lot (except the Vigil which I still have) for the same money that I spent on it. If style, looks, age don't bother you, then it is definitely possible to get the kit. Just get it checked out to make sure it is suitably airworthy. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

My opinion - get used gear to start. Will cost less, leaving you with more money to get more practice at jumping. But opinions vary widely on this sort of thing. Ask those who you trust and who taught you, and value their opinions more! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Spoke to Precision about fitting it in my Icon, they effectively said speak to Aerodyne, as they didn't know specifically. Spoke to Aerodyne and while they said the R-Max 138 should fit fine in the I3, I'm getting a growing suspicion the more I read around, that it would actually be more tight than I'd be happy with. And through pack volume reading up, I am not confident that using the R-Max tech specs pack volume and comparing that to the Icon's stated pack volume is a like for like comparison in sizing methods. Which is why I'm wanting a real world comparison and actual container fittings of the R-Max. If it is more like a PDR-143, then I would be very surprised if it does fit in the I3, or it would be probably beyond the acceptable limits of tight. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I've read nothing but good things about them, which is why i am considering one. The crux of it is that I am trying to get a gist of sizes, and specifically, which one packs the most similar to a Op.143. I remember reading somewhere on here that they are measured using the bottom skin so the actual area of the canopy is larger than the stated value, or something like that. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

What size R-Max do you have, in what size container and is it a loose, good or tight fit? The 138 is my particular size of interest, but other sizes will help me get a rough feel for how they compare to other reserves. I'm doing my research into different reserves and find official data difficult to compare, so would like to hear actual experience. That way I can get closer to making a decision on what to get! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Soap box or not, you make very good points that are well received. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I've found several reserves that are of equal size or bigger than the one I have at the moment, so I don't think I'll need to change the order, just maybe change my thoughts on reserve!! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I use: http://keepvid.com/ It gives you all the available video quality options, so you can choose which to download. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

pchapman - cheers for that response. It basically answered my questions. Mucho appreciated. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Possibly. Although I had intended on starting out not doing this!! I had the set of reserves that I figured I would definitely be happy with lined up, knew they would fit in the container I wanted so was happy. As to why to go smaller than a Smart 150 - yes a reason was to fit in the container. I wanted a container that had max. main size equal to my current main, I found one that also allowed reserves in sizes I was happy with. So I thought all was good. My 1st choice was an R-Max 138, which was a size I was happy with, so I figured if I was happy with it... But now given the available options, it is possible that I may be going for anything from a Op. 143, which if I am right about the different ways PD and aerodyne measure their areas, would actually be quite like 150 in size, or a Speed 200/X-fast 170, so I may be upsizing my reserve! So who actually jumps the reserves like PD113 or PD126? Cause surely they are over the MSW? The max certified weight is the legal limit, but the MSW is just a suggested guideline and there are no legal ramifications for exceeding? Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Having just ordered a new container, I was looking into what reserve canopy to get, or keep an eye out for on the 2nd hand market. There were several different brands and sizes that I was happy to jump that I knew would fit in the container, but then I started to notice their MSWs. With the exception of the low pack volume reserves, every single one of the other reserves in the size I thought I'd be happy jumping, that fit in the container I ordered, I exceeded the stated MSW. I'm getting an Icon I3, and it will fit up to a 135 Smart reserve, but for an Advanced skydiver (which it is unlikely I'd be classed as anyway), their MSW is 176 pounds. Out the door with my weight belt on (which I do usually wear) I am about 185 lbs, so going by this I'm too heavy for it, even though it is a size I thought I'd be ok with. So what is the deal with MSWs? as I read on forums people having high wing loading on reserves, which would quite likely exceed the MSW. And alot of the smaller reserves must either have tiny people using them, or people ignoring the manufacturer's MSW. Is it illegal or anything to jump them over the MSW or just strongly advised against? To try to help me find a reserve for my new container I made a basic excel spreadsheet - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?28v523525x4n8c9 - which will show all the reserves that would fit in the given reserve pack volume range required for my rig (fields are editable) and also where my exit weight is below the MSW. That's where I was surprised to find that only the Optimum, Speed 2000 and X-Fast have sizes that fit all criteria. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

One comment is that this suggestion was given to you in post #19!! Other comment is think about your reserve too. That's the one that you really need to save your life should shit happen, so make sure it is a size that you are completely confident in your ability to land. Another comment is, do you know and like how the Pulse flies? You do seem quite fixated on getting a low volume main into the smallest container possible. As you've stated that you will be looking for something a bit faster, do you know for sure that the Pulse is that canopy for you? What if you spend all this money to get the small packing kit, think it looks awesome cause it is all tiny and stuff, but then hate how it flies because you got the wrong canopy for what you were wanting? Size isn't everything, shape and handling count too!!! After you've thought about it all, and got it all decided, I hope you enjoy the rig. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Cheers for that. I was worried that that would be the answer. I guess I'll hold fire on stills stuff until my budget allows me to get a 2nd hand Canon. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I'm toying with trying out some stills camera work in the future, and as such am looking into what would be a decent camera to get. 2nd hand SLR cameras aren't cheap, so are probably a little too expensive for just trying out the discipline. I've seen some of the "mega zoom" cameras that are styled like SLR, which I assume are better than the basic compact point and shoot ones, but are any of them any good or usable for skydiving? So in short, are there any relatively cheap cameras that can use things like a bite switch that I could get to try out stills work? Then if it is something I like and enjoy I can then look into a more decent camera? Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

First rig bought from ebay. Used Dolphin Container, with Raven I reserve and a PD190 main. Cheap, not at all sexy, but it worked. Bought a 1 year old Vigil to go in it. Got a 2nd/3rd/4th/who knows how many hand PD170 main as a downsize, then sold all of it (except the Vigil) as one package, when I bought my first custom kit around jump 100. Didn't lose a penny. Well worth it. I didn't have much of a jumping budget when I first started so having this cheap rig made it so much easier... interest free credit cards also helped. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Dude, if you are going to talk about it being like a first child, you gotta post some pictures too... What's the point in telling us how awesome it is if you don't show us! I'm going to be ordering a new icon soon, so want to see pics of as many as possible to get colour ideas! Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

For those that are interested, I got a reply from Herman Landsman regarding the query I had on the container and reserve sizing. This is what he said: Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I'm still waiting on a reply from Aerodyne on an I3 reserve size query, so I'll wait till that comes back before I ask about this. I think one difference might be that in the 0.3 there seems to be round plastic (?) discs sewn into the canopy around the line attachment points on the stabilisers - (think it it is the stabilisers, hard to tell when it is stuffed into a bag for safe keeping). I don't recall them at all on my v0.4 canopy... Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Not exactly much help just now, but I have just got a Pilot 132, which I have gone to from a 150. I am hoping to get it swapped over with my 150 this weekend and get a jump in, but as I'm at a specific event, that might not happen. If there are no people giving their experiences here over the next few weeks to months, I will try to make sure I come back with my exact thoughts and feelings on how the 132 is compared to the 150. My exit weight out the door is between 170-185 depending on whether I am wearing my weight belt. I started jumping my 150 on jump 104, and have loved all 300-ish jumps on it. Now my reason for going for the 132 rather than the 140 was similar to your thought process, but I also asked someone that did the same downsize a while back for his advice, and he was happy with his choice. After looking for a 132 for many, many months, a 140 came available on UKSkydiver, so I figured I'd go for that (out of frustration), but someone got their reply and offer in minutes before I did, so they go it. Assuming the 132 is all I'm hoping for, I'm going to be glad! Be a vulture over the classifieds and swoop in when one appears. But like you said, Pilots don't hang around for too long on the classifieds, so you have to get in quick when they appear. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

Very old thread being resurrected, I know, but it was the closest I could find to answering my question, but it didn't have the specific example I was after to answer my question. Basically, attached I've copied the Icon sizing chart with annotations. I'm planning on getting an I3. For reserve I was set on an R-Max 138 as I've been told it will fit fine in the I3. My main is a Pilot 132, so with having an Aerodyne main and container I'm thinking for sentimentality I would like to have an Aerodyne reserve too. However, the 'x' marks on the chart only indicate a 110 or 120 reserve - too small for me. But the min/max reserve pack volumes correspond to sizes 110 and 135. Now a 135 reserve I'd be happy with. Does anyone have any experience of a Smart 135 in an I3, cause I don't know what bit of info to trust - the 'x' marks, or the min/max volume. There is a cross over on all other sizes, I6-I5 on a 190, I5-I4 on a 150, I3 - I2 on a 110, I2-I1 on a 99. So a crossover with an I4-I3 on a 135 would fit the pattern. I emailed an Aerodyne rep last week asking this, but am awaiting the reply, so thought I'd ask here too while I wait. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).

I've just got myself a new to me Pilot canopy, DOM May 2006, which on the label says version 0.3. It is a downsize from my current Pilot canopy, DOM June 2008, which says version 0.4 on the label. What is the difference between these two versions? Anything significant regarding performance? Want to make sure I know my kit well, so am curious about the differences to expect. Sky Switches - Affordable stills camera tongue switches and conversion adaptors, supporting various brands of camera (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Panasonic).