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Sorry if this has been asked before...

I am working my way through my skydiving in preparation for BASE...I'm still renting gear at this point and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to buy a BASE canopy for my main for skydiving when I decide to purchase gear.

It seems like this would be a good idea for a few reasons.

It would allow me to get used to the flight characteristics of a BASE canopy and work on my canopy skills with the rig I intend to eventually jump while I work on my other skills from a plane such as tracking, CRW etc...

I'm not particularly interested in high performance skydiving canopies and it seems like it would be a good idea to save the money I would spend on my first skydiving canopy and buy a new BASE canopy and use it as a main. When I am ready for a FJC, I could then purchase a BASE container down the road.

Are there any drawbacks to this?

I understand that BASE canopies tend to be larger than what a very experienced skydiver might use, so it seems like it would be a good deal for me since I would get a canopy that is around the size I would be using in my skydiving at this point (~260sqft) and spend my time working on accuracy and flying skills.

Thanks

In general, I think it's a very good idea.


You may have trouble making it back against the wind. Skydiving canopies will have more available forward speed to fight the wind, so the spot on a load may put you way further out than your canopy likes, while being no problem for anyone else.

Also, depending in where you skydive, and what their feelings about BASE are, you may find some negativity directed your way for using a BASE canopy.

Something else to think about. Hop-n-pops baby! If you are going to learn BASE canopy skills from a plane, get out low. For one, you have the air to your self. You don't have to fly a pattern, you don't have to worry about all those little fast canopies diving all around you. Dont waist your time learning bad habbits in terminal free fall, If you want to skydive, then skydive, if you want to do BASE specific canopy skills, do BASE specific canopy skills read this.

You mentioned size. A BASE canopy is about 100sq/ft larger than your naked body, or at least shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops.

Like TomAiello said, a long spot can suck under a big canopy. So when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! What better practice than trying to sink it into someones back yard because you couldn't get that penetration and make it back to the DZ.

Good luck!

downsides?

- added wear and tear on your BASE parachute.
- social dynamics at your dz. as mentioned, management may not be impressed. by following a different path you risk separating yourself from the other low timers. plus the local BASE crew might not like it. some jumpers prefer to keep a very low profile and may not be overly friendly if you raise it. (then again, none of this speculation might prove valid.)

I personally think this is a great question to ask of the local BASE crew (if you know who they are). eventually you will want to lean on them for assistance, why not start now? one of them might even have an older canopy for you!

Seems like it would be a bitch to pack in a skydive rig and it would open too hard on a skydive.

terminal is terminal. the air does not care if a jumper started from an airplane or a cliff.

using a slider and other techniques helps a lot.

Thanks for all the responses!

From what I've read around here...people are getting their BASE canopies into significantly smaller SD containers without hassle. Maybe it was just the Feather though, can't remember. I do seem to remember reading here one guy saying his 260 Seven fit into a 190 SD container....maybe this is without a Bag?

I don't think many people around my DZ will care about a me flying a BASE canopy, there are lots of BASE jumpers about. No one really batted an eye when I told them that BASE is a long term goal. Long spots may just mean I have a long walk across the desert.

That's another thing I was wondering...how would you pack a BASE rig for a soft(er) opening in a SD jump? Does it matter? Is it hard on the gear? Is there a difference in packing for terminal BASE? Would one just use a normal sail slider?

Sorry if I'm screwing up terms and asking stupid questions...still got the training wheels on.

If money is tight, you can always get something like a Raven III (249 sq ft.) and jump that. I picked mine up for $300 with 0 jumps and it has served me well. Upsides: big 7-cell, F-111, cheap, container you put it in will also accept base canopies for testing/refreshing. Downsides: does not fly near as well as my Blackjack with ZP, sucks if the wind is over 12 mph, gets pretty boring flying such a low performing canopy after a while, and you occasionally get called out as a cutaway if it happens to be all white/or other solid color.

I think generally it is not very good idea. The OP did not state his jump numbers in skydiving but given the fact he is still renting gear I would guess he is fresh off the student program. That said he is far off from BASE and from my point of view should not think about BASE. BASE might be a long term target or a dream but at this point of time I think he should concentrate on skydiving and forget about BASE for couple of years. Get proper skydiving gear, learn to skydive, become current and experienced skydiver and then in few years review the situation if you still want to pursue BASE or not. The drawbacks I see :

- If you start with BASE canopy, honestly it will be boring to fly after 50 jumps, you can't make back that well from the long spots, it is big and bulky and heavy and there is a high risk that you lose interest towards skydiving and think "you might start base since I have BASE canopy anyway and it is boring to skydive with it"
- If you stick with skydiving (with your BASE canopy) for 500 jumps or so, you have already put in significant amount of jumps on it and therefore are looking to purchase another one very early in your BASE career. From money point of view it is much more cost efficent to get a second hand skydiving parachute for skydiving and then get a BASE gear once BASE is a short term goal, not a long term vision.
- Skydiving in it's own right is an awesome sport and it should not be seen just as a mandatory preparation for BASE. There are very good canopies built for skydiving which are fun to fly, pack smaller and are more comfortable to wear. From my point of view skydiving should be conducted with skydiving gear (because they are designed for it) and BASE with base gear. Of course it is good idea to borrow / rent a big container and pack your fresh base canopy there for 10-20 jumps once you have sufficient amount of skydives and are going to go to your FJC. But I think that is entirely different scenario than buying BASE canopy as your primary skydiving main.

Just my thoughts on this.

+1

+1

Good Post Maretus!

I see a lot of students who squeak out the minimum number of jumps for a FJC (100 for the Apex course, for example) and then immediately run out to take a course and start BASE jumping. I also see people who don't even make that many, and then have their buddy throw them off an object.

While I think that this is a bad idea, the reality is that it is happening more and more all the time.

Given that it will happen, I'd rather see that guy with 100 (or 50, or 30) jumps have those jumps under a BASE canopy before stepping off an object. The reality of the situation is that these students _never_ buy another canopy. The first jump they ever make on a BASE canopy is their first BASE jump.

Would they be better off if they made more skydives? Of course! And in that case, they are probably the kind of person who is going to get a BASE canopy and put some (airplane) jumps on it before they start BASE. But I'm not worried about that guy--he is taking a reasoned, methodical approach to BASE, and is likely to do fairly well regardless.

The guy I'm worried about is the one who is so eager to BASE jump that he gets on an internet forum before he has even a handful of skydives, and starts asking questions about BASE. This is the guy who will make 20 or 30 skydives, and then be so impatient that he will get anyone who is willing (and there are always people willing) to toss him off that tower next to the dropzone. The plain reality is that this sort of person will be substantially safer on their first BASE jumps if they have been skydiving a BASE canopy. And the fact is that people like this make up a larger and larger percentage of new BASE jumpers every year.

Just to be clear. I am not that "guy". I am not terribly eager to BASE jump to be perfectly honest, in fact the thought is quite terrifying, but it has a lot of appeal for reasons that I'm sure most people can relate to. Will that ever translate into reality....who knows? Honestly, I really don't worry about it. The journey is the appeal. The goal is the vehicle of this adventure.

My aim is a calculated and systematic approach. It may wind up being different from how others may approach the same problem, maybe not.

Exposure to the flight characteristics of a BASE canopy makes sense for the reasons outlined by others on this thread, but so does just chilling out and focusing on the here and now of skydiving, and I don't really see these as mutually exclusive. I never meant to insinuate that having a BASE canopy would be licence to just go for it. That's really not my style. To be exposed to some of the aspects of the sport in the environment of skydiving seems to be a good approach, but I have no problem with being completely wrong.

I have been exposed to BASE through many years of climbing and not a single one of my friends that jump have suggested anything other than a long and gradual introduction to the sport, even those who did not approach it in such way themselves.

I agree with a gradual approach whole heartedly, it's what seems to work best for me. Several seasons in Patagonia and having friends die due to, in the final analysis, poor judgement, has instilled a sense of patience and a survival instinct that I carry with me in any risk based undertaking. It does not however keep me from asking questions to those that know what it takes to climb the most difficult routes. Preparation is everything, physically, mentally and emotionally. I have checked none of these with skydiving let alone BASE.

The seeking of the guidance of those who know can provide an efficiency to learning that, perhaps, can be confused with a kind of arrogant disregard for adequate preparation. The tone of some of the responses in this thread is, no doubt, the result of extensive experience. Perhaps its because Im asking questions I shouldn't?

I ask these questions without any prejudice and my inquiry is born of genuine curiosity. I'm just trying to learn and everyone's input is taken with respect.


Thanks again.

Viralata.

for a bit of background...

this question seems to pop up at least once a year. as Tom mentioned, overly excited newbies regularly seek to begin BASE.

100, or even 200 jumps may not be enough to develop an "air sense" or let the jumper understand how they will react when things go bad. it may not be enough time at the dz to witness carnage either.

you may not fit the eager wannabee profile, but the comments do!

hahaha....fair enough

thanks