Gear and Equipment

Jumpsuits 101 - by Lisa Briggs
Nothing you can buy will affect your freefall flying more than your jumpsuit. This is true no matter what body orientation you prefer to fly in, thus making your choice of jumpsuit one of the most important gear buying decisions you’ll make.
(Rating: 8.65 Votes: 126 Viewed: 17100 Posted: Sun Apr 03 2005) Rate It Bookmark It

Derek's Gear Tips - by Derek Vanboeschoten
Derek Vanboeschoten is a Senior Rigger, Tandem Master and AFF instructor with more than 3300 jumps. Derek also moderates the Gear & Rigging forum on Dropzone.com where he first posted this list of Gear Tips.
(Rating: 8.84 Votes: 45 Viewed: 9939 Posted: Sat Jan 03 2004) Rate It Bookmark It

Some Tips on Buying Your First Rig - by Lisa Briggs
You've decided on a few containers you like, a reserve size and shape, an AAD (or not), and what size and possibly brand of main you want. Now it's time to try some out.
(Rating: 8.44 Votes: 80 Viewed: 13844 Posted: Sun Nov 09 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

Choosing your Canopy - by Lisa Briggs
Choosing your main is one of the most vital gear selections you'll make, but all the different types and sizes of canopies available today can be confusing. What's the right main for you?
(Rating: 8.90 Votes: 75 Viewed: 9783 Posted: Sun Nov 09 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

First Rig FAQ - by Lisa Briggs
Lisa Briggs answers some frequently asked questions from jumpers planning to buy a new rig.
(Rating: 9.15 Votes: 71 Viewed: 13572 Posted: Sun Nov 09 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

Taking Care of Your New Gear - by Lisa Briggs
There is nothing quite like the look and feel of brand new gear. You have invested a lot of money in your new rig; how do you keep it looking and feeling new for as long as possible?<
(Rating: 8.18 Votes: 37 Viewed: 6029 Posted: Sun Nov 09 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

Do skydivers care about safety? - by Bill Booth
If I've learned one thing in my 35 years in the sport, it's that it is very difficult to get most skydivers interested in safety.
(Rating: 9.38 Votes: 304 Viewed: 7832 Posted: Sun Aug 17 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

Top 5 RSL myths - by Bill von Novak
I keep seeing the same arguments made against RSL's, over and over. Many of them are just myths, word-of-mouth anecdotal stories passed down for so long that their original meaning has gotten lost. I figured I would list them here.
(Rating: 9.05 Votes: 184 Viewed: 10859 Posted: Sun Aug 17 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

Inspecting your Gear - by Gary Peek
The following is a list of items on your main canopy assembly that you should inspect occasionally. This inpection should never be a substitute for a periodic inspection by a rigger but should supplement your rigger's inspection in between reserve repacks
(Rating: 9.09 Votes: 39 Viewed: 5840 Posted: Sun Aug 17 2003) Rate It Bookmark It

Personal Parachutes: The Ethics of Safety - by Heather Sinclair
As daunting as it is to think of, a parachute appears to be a logical and effective means of escape from a building. Why then have we never seen this technology in use? Simply put, it is not necessarily a good idea.
(Rating: 8.88 Votes: 8 Viewed: 4230 Posted: Fri Oct 19 2001) Rate It Bookmark It

AirLock - by Brian Germain
Many skydivers believe that airlocked parachutes are the way of the future, while others see the introduction of this new technology as a temporary fad. In this article I will discuss the pros and cons, as objectively as I can, to this new development in parachute design.
(Rating: 9.19 Votes: 11 Viewed: 3558 Posted: Mon Nov 08 1999) Rate It Bookmark It

How To Select The Right Canopy For You - by Nancy LaRiviere
In this article we will explore some of the questions you might ask when you go shopping for a parachute. While this advice is intended primarily for the novice jumper--just off instruction to one hundred jumps or so -- instructors may also wish to take note.
(Rating: 7.58 Votes: 14 Viewed: 3888 Posted: Sat Oct 30 1999) Rate It Bookmark It

Spot Cleaning of Nylon Parachute Fabric - by Mike Turoff
Most stains can be avoided by immediately wiping the stained area with an absorbent cloth or paper towel. Always handle the fabric carefully and treat the smallest area possible. The following cleaning procedures have been used successfully to remove stains from coated and non-coated parachute fabrics:
(Rating: 7.00 Votes: 1 Viewed: 2762 Posted: Sat Oct 30 1999) Rate It Bookmark It

Top Ten Misconceptions About Zero-P Canopies - by Bill von Novak
A while back, I overheard a bunch of people discussing therelative merits of different types of canopies and materials forlow-time jumpers. I heard some interesting misconceptions aboutwhat's dangerous and what's not, what works and what doesn't. Inthe interest of getting some discussion going, I figured I’dlist my top ten misconceptions about ZP canopies.
(Rating: 8.52 Votes: 25 Viewed: 4885 Posted: Mon Nov 17 1997) Rate It Bookmark It

Buying your first set of Kit - by Skydive Mag
If you have just achieved category 8, whether on the category system or through AFF, you will probably have between 20 and 40 jumps, possibly all on squares or mainly on rounds. If, like most people you have limited opportunity to hire equipment you will now need to buy something fairly soon.
(Rating: 8.33 Votes: 6 Viewed: 3315 Posted: Sun Dec 15 1996) Rate It Bookmark It

How To Select A Parachute Container System - by John Sherman
There have been a lot of dissertations on parachute canopies. Little has been published about the harness and container system, because, while seemingly simple, they are infinitely complex.
(Rating: 9.35 Votes: 15 Viewed: 6784 Posted: Tue Oct 01 1996) Rate It Bookmark It