Are dark canopy colors of much advantage on urban base jumps? I wouldn't think it would be real helpful in the country unless you were needing to stash gear untill you can get it later. Wouldn't want to do that unless desperate.
Thanks, Keith
Are dark canopy colors of much advantage on urban base jumps? I wouldn't think it would be real helpful in the country unless you were needing to stash gear untill you can get it later. Wouldn't want to do that unless desperate.
Thanks, Keith
Why would you think dark colors would help? Hell, you should go ahead and order that magenta and neon orange canopy. In an urban setting, there won't be anyone around to see you anyway. You could wear some glowsticks so your friends can get you on video, maybe a headlamp so you can see your landing area.:)
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Actually olive and black is hard to see at night. Stealth is nice if only for a little piece of mind.
Besides, cops are not that smart, a little camo and standing still fools em everytime.
"hey Charlie, (sniff) where the hell did dat parachute fella go (sniff), he was right there...."
"let it go Clarence, besides, we're late (sniff) for our weekly shake down of the donut shop, and you know it's sprinkles Thursday!"
"cool, let's.....HEY! How come your lines are (sniff) always bigger than mine? You always get to chop!"
Colors...
I prefer white, black, red, dark blue, various shades of purple, ivory, and the whole "flesh colored" genre. But more important qualities are "tight" and "shiny". God knows I love "tight and shiny"!
You have to be sexy yet vulnurable. It's a fine line, I'll help you.
Take this advice; especially when basin urban style!
Sheer white stockings, tucked into those impossible black stilleto heels, balanced beneath that "double take - Oh ####!" thin black satin skirt (you know, the one that makes peple stupid), offer a stylish compliment to the too tight white lycra tube top; especially when you've gone the extra distance to wear my favorite red lipstick and platnium wig. Don't forget to smile baby.
Yea, colors matter!
cheers
MB
The simple way to look at this question is....."If someone sees your canopy, no matter what color, you were busted already".
The colors can help if you are a poor planner and/or you just like to burn objects.
Please do not take this as a flame!!!
I am trying to be very serious. I have an extremely bright colored canopy that I have used on many urban and other jumps. I do not really worry about it. I do however, _ONLY_ use black stashbags.
I have been seeing many purple and red stash bags lately. This is not good.
When you are jumping, the colors should not make a huge difference in weather you are seen or not. Actually, if something does do wrong, like a car running a red light. That bright canopy might save you from being run over.
But when you are done.....The real issue of stealth begins.
A black bag draws less attention than a bright red one. Not to mention that GLAD does not make Red Trash Bags.
BUT.... IF you are really interested in stealth colors anyways, I have talked to many people that agree that a grey and Midnight blue canopy is quite stealthy. Better than black. Most areas are not black, they have lights but are dark. So the grey and blue is similiar to this, but _NOT_ having a solid color actually blends the 2 colors into the scenery. Just like hunting CAMMO is not 1 solid color.
Now if the manufacturers can just make them open silently, we'll be in the clear. In my opinion, stealth colors are useless in most jumps because the WHACK of your canopy opening is what gives you away.
I buy bright yellow canopies....so I'm easier to locate if I've crashed and burned.:P
------------
Jason Bell (BASE428)
Email: jbell@vertical-visions.com
Web: www.vertical-visions.com or www.bridgeday.info
I have to agree. When you landed 20 feet from that cop driving by and he didn't see you, it convinced me:)
White stash bags sometimes come in handy if you jump in snowy conditions.
As far as canopy colours, I've always been of the belief that if the gunshot opening didn't give you away, neither will a brightly coloured canopy. I like the suggestion that a bright canopy might keep an unexpected vehicle from running you over (say, a taxi cab or car full of screaming teenagers that somehow got missed).
Michael
Here's my 2 cents on colors...
Canopies: It's all about the same except for the neon colors. And the argument that they will hear you anyway when you open...well what about slider-up over a loud river? Also, consider your background color. If it's a tower jump, it's probably the sky. On a bridge, more people are going to see you from the exit point height on observation decks or the road. Your background here would most likely be the ground. Hard to believe, but grey and white are hard to see against the sky, even at night. I wonder if that's why Navy seals use those light grey canopies? I think A dark topskin (OD green perhaps) with a grey bottom would be ideal for any base environment-kinda like the WWII warplane color pattern. Black is stealth for night jumps, but very anti-stealth during the day.
Stash bags/containers: Depends on the environment. Kind of a predicament for me, because before a jump I want to look like the average shmuck with a daypack. That lends itself to bright dorky colors. Afterwards I want a big camoflage, waterproof trash-bag that I can hide in the woods if necessary. Hmmmm, how about a reversible stash bag? Patent pending.
And I don't buy the idea that you can control every aspect of a jump, whether you get busted or not. Sometimes there is someone hiding down there that you just can't see. You do your best, but a couple of hikers just happened to be napping behind a tree, just up the trail from your landing area. And every jerk has a cell phone these days.
One time I watched a guy jump from a tower at night and land in the street just as a car was coming around the corner. He landed, I yelled "get down!" and he dragged his still-inflated canopy off the road. Too late, the car ran right over his pilot chute without stopping. Oh by the way, it was a cop car and a solid black canopy. That kind of thing just happens; better to be ready for it than not.
Of course with legal jumps, banana-canopies all the way.
Just buy what ever colors you want. Remember, it's all about the look!
}(
I heard you were a banana pilot.
How come you never told me this before you ordered my new neon orange canopy?
>>One time I watched a guy jump from a tower at night and land in the >>street just as a car was coming around the corner. He landed, I >>yelled "get down!"
Hammer time!
Skeh,Skeh, Skinsta (scratching noise) Yo!
:+
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