i know this is a common question on this board
i've got $2000+ to spend on new gear
i've seen and used a few different set-ups however i am looking for other opinions that may sway me in a different direction than i intend to go
what manufacturers of containers and/or canopies would you kind folks out there recommend and why?
thank you
this is how i keep my
girlish figure --------> :9
sorry
i had to
do it
We Strongly recommend that you buy your new BASE rig from either Adam at Consolidated Rigging, or Marta at Vertigo BASE Outfitters. Stay away from them people in LA LA LAND.
Speak for yourself. Ask around and speak personally to people about what their preferences are.
Is it your first gear?
If so, I'd recommend velcro.
But, if I was buying new gear today, I'd get a Gargoyle (Morpheus Technologies) with dynamic corners, and stick an Ace (Consolidated Rigging) in it.
Of course, that all depends on what kind of stuff you are going to jump.
--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com
Tom,
Can you tell us more about why you like the Gargoyle over other pin rigs ?
thanks
Sky
aidclimber@hotmail.com
He has a review somewhere on here. I have one and I've loved it. Jumped from 200 ft to 1900 ft with it.
if you are lucky enough to get your hands on one, there IS only one rig......BANDIT.......remember the name, you will hear it again.}>
Actually, I haven't posted a Gargoyle Review.
I needed a minor refit, due to a communication error on the original order. I decided not to post a review until the refit (which Morpheus is doing for free--now that's great customer service) was finished.
--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com
What I like about the Gargoyle:
1) Pin protection. This rig has the best pin protection I've seen on a two pin rig. The "across" rather than "around" pin cover flap allows for excellent protection, while not forcing you to make weird decisions (like leaving your pin flap open at low altitude).
2) Comfort. Aside from the Vision (which is velcro) this is the most comfortable rig I've worn.
3) Dynamic Corners. The best corner design I've seen, these optional corners make the pack tray completely flat on your back when opened. (The Vision corners do this as well, but I like the Gargoyle solution better.) In fact, I like them so much that I had my other rigs retrofitted with them. I wouldn't be surprised to see other manufacturers copying them soon.
4) Complete closure. The rig is easier to close cleanly and completely (no bits of canopy peaking out) than many other rigs I've used.
5) Customer service. I've bought gear from almost every BASE manufacturer, and Morpheus has the best customer service and support I've seen. They've made free retrofits of problems caused by communications errors that were at least partially my fault, they have overnighted me gear I needed at the last minute (before a trip to Malaysia), and then called me to be sure I'd gotten it, and they've put up with my often forceful opinions about BASE gear.
--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com
Your question is a good one -- there are many different manufacturers out there and plenty of styles to choose from.
Posting on the Board is a good idea as it will get you many different opinions from a wide range of people. Once you've gathered the opinions of other jumpers, your best bet is to head out and get your hands on as many different types of containers/canopies as possible. By doing so, you can look at them for yourself, compare them with what others have said, and decide for yourself which style you prefer. Of course, this may not be an option for you if you don't know any other BASE jumpers and/or live in a very remote place. If you can wait till October, the Bridge Day tradeshow is a great place to look at gear.
You'll find that almost all of the major manufacturers make great container/harness systems. (Consolidated Rigging, Paratech Rigging, Basic Research, Morheous Technoligies, and Vertigo) Each one has it's own unique style and philosophy. I would stay away from lesser, smaller, more garage-style manufacturers. It's not to say that they are inherently unsafe, it's just that they usually do not have the in-depth knowledge and understanding that the major manufacturers do. (Adam at CR has been engineering/designing/producing quality gear for 13 or 14 years!) I've personally seen some of the garage rigs out there and I know that there are unsafe designs flaws -- one of them *may* have contributed to a recent fatality. Anyway, getting back on track...
Now, keeping in mind that any of the majors I listed above make good, quality gear, I will give you my personal opinions:
Container/Harness Systems:
Definitely go with a velcro-closed container for your first rig. Less-complicated, less gear fear, and safer for a first rig. Trust me on this one.
Consolidated Rigging is my #1 choice. The Perigee 2 is very clean, extremely well-designed (all others to date have copied it), and Marty Tilley is one of the best craftsmen the world has seen. Meticulous and highly experienced are words that come to mind when I think of him.
Paratech Rigging would be my #2 choice. Very, very beefy and hands down the most comfortable rig I have ever worn in 600+ BASE jumps.
Vertigo would be my #3 choice. Vertigo has one of the best vibes on the planet. They make nice, clean, functional equipment and they probably jump more than any manufacturer in the world. Noone comes close to their cool style!
Canopies:
This one I'm very opinionated on. No other canopy out there comes close to the Ace and the Black Jack. Hands down, these are the best BASE-specific BASE canopies the world has ever seen. Their flight characteristics are unbelievable and get even better as you learn more about the canopy through use. Openings are crisp and clean, and the landing characteristics are out of this world.
I can stand it up in very deep brakes AND I can surf it across the ground with lots of speed if needed. I never thought it possible for a canopy to do both.
Fox VTECs open GREAT, but they're flight characteristics are poor when compared to the Ace/Black Jack.
Stay away from the Dagger. They fly great, but they are manufactured by Precision. I've inspected several Daggers and have found them to have the poorest workmanship -- I've found missing bartacks, missed sewing, and poor workmanship throughout. They're reputation in skydiving definitely bleeds over to their BASE manufacturing.
And the Troll is just a copy of the Mojo, no more, no less.
Well, there you have it. My lengthy post. I hope it's useful to you and please remember, take as many opinions (there's alot out there) and then look at the equipment as much as possible, and then make an educated choice for yourself.
Have fun out there -- it's an awesome journey!!!!
BASE Jumper
Now when it comes to canopies, there IS a big difference in opening and flying characteristics. If you ever run across the opportunity to demo canopies, I would highly recommend that you do so.
I see Feral hasn't stepped up to the plate yet so I'll mention it for him.... there's an Australian canopy called a Pooster - and I think most of the time they don't even use a container - just hold the canopy in their hands and toss it out.... That would leave you more money to spend on beer....
Skypuppy BASE92:+
>And the Troll is just a copy of the Mojo, no
>more, no less.
Have you jumped a Troll and Mojo in comparable sizes? I've got around 100 jumps on a Mojo and about 70 on a Troll, and I've had radically different experiences with them.
I found the Troll opened worse and flew better. I upsized canopies between them, though, so the sizes weren't comparable.
I'm aware that the Troll design is quite similar to the Mojo, but my experience has been that they behave differently. I'm trying to work out the opening issues I've had with my Troll, so any experience you can share in this area would be really helpful to me.
Thanks.
--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com
Tom (and or anyone else with an opinion), what are the merits of the dynamic corners? Especially when it seems like some containers go the other route and have pretty solid and defined corners that you snug the folded canopy down into, which I believe has a staging effect that the manufacturers advocate.
Is this staging effect good, bad, good in theory but hard to achieve in practice, etc?
Si, Senor Outlaw!;-)
This is my opinion. There are lots of experienced jumpers who would disagree.
I don't really buy the staging effect. It sounds good in theory, but I've never seen any real video evidence to support it. Has anyone else?
The tighter wrap around corners at the bottom (Perigees, for example) do not, in my opinion, have any negative effect on normal deployments. If you are deploying from a stable position, or even a pretty good track, I doubt there will be any issues with the corners of any BASE rig.
Birdman recommends modifying skydiving rigs with open bottom corners for wingsuit jumps. In my opinion this is principally important for bagged canopies--because the bag can hang up on the bottom corners. I think this is less important for freepacked BASE canopies. However, I am far from an expert on wingsuits, and most of the more experienced wingsuit BASE jumpers I have asked have been advocates of open corners for wingsuit jumps. Maybe someone with more wingsuit experience can add an opinion here?
The place that the wide open corners (traditionally a Vision strength, but even better as Morpheus' Dynamic Corners) become important is on unstable, head down, or "pitch to save your life" deployments. When things are coming off your back at weird, potentially changing angles, and your normal staging is getting shot, I would much rather have no pockets, corners, or potential snag points on my back.
The bottom line is: I don't see a downside, and I do see an elimination of potential dangers on unstable deployments.
--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com
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