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i got to thinking about gear checks, bridles, etc.
in skydiving, it seems common to have other people open your flaps and do pin checks etc.
in BASE, similar pre jump gear checks occur when jumping in groups. i am simply curious as to other people's preferences.

personally, i do not like other people touching my gear before i jump. i am quite confident in my checks during gear up and my methods before exit that everything is in order. in a few incidences when i've been offered a last minute gear check, the person doing the check has accidentally popped pins and created a problem when otherwise everything was fine, just the way i had it. barring the possibility of that fumble, i still think gear checks may be a good idea, but i feel that they're unnecessary.

typically, i will simply ask for a visual check to confirm my bridle is clear when going HH, (even though i can tell that is, confirmation is nice).

also, if you do request gear checks often... how do you then feel about prepping for a solo?

just food for thought. simply curious...

Where's the option for "I ask my buddy to pat me on the back and say 'you're all good'"?

I will always ask for a gear check if there is someone who can give one. I frequently jump by myself though. I figure if there is another set of eyes to check on things, then why not?

dropped the ball on that option... i also forgot to check the box to allow multiple answers.

a set of eyes, yes. another set of hands, not for me.

people may think the last option is a joke, but i've had the pleasure of jumping with more than one person like that... and they were not "newbies".

Fixed it for you.

Different Stages Different Practices

Jumps 1 ~ 11 I needed someone
to help me wipe after I destroyed
the bathroom plus double check
me before I climb over the rail or
step off the edge of a red platform.

Jump #12 was my first solo , so I
gear checked my self a dozen times
including what I was wearing and a
long list of what-ifs for 5 minutes.
The only reason I got off that night
was the false sense of security from
talking through those variables...

These days, 318 BASE jumps later,
before EVERY jump at least once
I do a check list of all the variables.

Example FF Wanda:
Boots
Knee Pads
Leg Straps
Chest Strap
Helmet Strap
Camera's ON
Good Packjob*
Bridle is clean
{big deep breath}
3 2 1 Take It Light

* In my mind I actually see slider-off,
both brakes set deep, the tailgate set,
bridle/PC installed correctly, PC size

However, I will accept a gear check
from another jump if the situation is
such that there is zero time constraint
and 1) they want/need the practice or
2) they could use the stall time to get
their own head ready to jump but all
I ever ask for on most HH jumps is
a quick visual to comfirm my bridle
routing is clean from hand to the pin,
don't need it but a pinch of safety is
worth a peek.

That's pretty funny.

Now a days I like someone to look at my bridle and give me a tuck if going handheld, but i often do it myself depending on who's on the load. Maybe pin tension if it's lowish and I am shitting a brick. If I am in the wing suit though, I don't need anything.

Now that said, we should though be looking at each others gear at least in passing. Mick stopped me from jumping with a twist in my Riser in the valley several years ago, I twisted it gearing up and his keen eye stopped me right at 2 in the count I believe. Would have been an interesting opening, probably smacked the shit out of me. I also have caught a few things, or at least raised the question if something looked awry to me.

When I started though, it was full gear checks every jump, over the years it just became less as I am responsible and comfortable/paranoid enough to check my own gear.

One time on a solo during my first year, I pulled out my cell phone and took a picture of my bridle routing behind me, how's that for paranoid?

As for skydiving, don't touch my shit. I don't think I could skydive in the UK with all their silly rules about gear checks.

_justin

ps chuck, just make sure my beer is secure in my BOC. that's what friends are for.

haha, yeah buddy... good times.

but, did you mean a twist in your harness? a twist in the riser would be tougher to spot once packed.

keeping an eye on each other is exactly what friends are for (and the beer thing)... just don't touch me unless i ask you to or unless you're trying to get my attention to pass me a beer on a dark antenna or rooftop.

Yeah, sorry, Harness. But then again, Mick knowing how I pack, could probably spot that as well!



_justin

I had a jumper notice my MLW was twisted as we were gearing up before a climb, that was nice. I do a visual inspection once geared up I look/ touch my chest strap to ensure it is routed correctly, then I move both hands down each MLW to check for twist, and check/ hide my cut-a-way handle, then check each leg strap.

I recently did a gear "pin" check probably four times on a JUMPER because everytime it was "go" time, because of traffic, we had to get down, hide behind a car, get in and out of a car, all that bending over moving around, rubbing against door frames and car seats, the jumper was, rightfully so, concerned about his pins.

I would hate to see something happen because we didn't check everytime. I think if you have someone with you, why not? How many fatalities have there been due to not getting a gear check? How many fatalities have been prevented by having a gear check? BD gear checks alone have saved several jumpers.

just ask for a STD Screen next time

DONT FORGET THE 3-RINGS KIDS!!! Some dont think it should be part of a gear check. I was taught by my mentor from day one to visually (and by feel) inspect the rings, loop, and make sure plenty of cable was routed through. In fact this is the first thing I do before every single jump (then move onto pins, bridle, etc.). I'll admit it's not common for accidental releases to happen in BASE, but is still very possible. And we all know a release in BASE makes for a very bad time. If you're jumping hard, you are putting wear and tear on your gear, cant avoid it. Stranges things can happen to ANY piece of your gear. To all you newbie jumpers out there, IMO if you are not checking the ring/loop/cable system on you BASE gear (and sky rig as well).....you should be every single jump. When jumping at night always have some type of light to give a quick look.

while this is true, BD is a "special" category. and when i say special, well... i think you know what i mean.

i wouldn't count BD gear checks because they are mandatory, so people tend to do dumb stuff.

i totally agree... obviously very important.

although i have two rigs that do not have 3 rings, so that helps alleviate some potential error.

also, proper 3 ring maintenance is crucial... but i don't think they're useful except in a very small percentage of jumps. mainly, moving water landings. getting stuck in a tree, then it's just a bonus.

there are some good methods out there to mod your 3 rings so they cannot possibly fail, yet still allow you to cutaway the canopy in a relatively timely fashion should a situation arise. 3 rings were designed for skydiving cutaways, and that's where they are best suited.

more food for thought.

Yeah you could. There are rules and there are 'rules'

Personally, on low stuff (if not solo) I'll sometimes get a gear check, or at least a bridle routing/tuck once over if HH. On high stuff, pretty much never.

I'm not against it, I just don't see a need. Although if someone came up and started grabbing and pulling stuff without asking like some skydivers do I'd be pretty fucking pissed!

I have actually been thinking of doing a mod to my gear that would eliminate the possibility of an accidental 3-ring release. (Part of the reason I have been contemplating this is one of my cutaway cables seems very short and at most has a couple of inches thru the loop. I have been meaning to get another cutaway handle made but alas I haven't gotten there yet.) Needless to say I concur...I ALWAYS check my three rings and and the length of cable through the loop prior to jumping. Once I jump though it always ends up back at the same position with ~2" through the loop. The other side is much longer and my other rig does not have this issue.

Do you have a good method of eliminating both the 3-ring release and the loop? I was debating using a small quicklink or something along those lines thru the loop but the loop is still potentially a weak spot. If I were to be jumping over the water I could just remove an appropriate mod and still have the option of cutting away...if you could post your idea that would be great...or pm me if you don't want it on the forum. Thanks.

I have solved this issue.

I have added a second set of three rings to each riser. The top set must fail, or be released before the bottom set can be released.

"Any of you homos touch me I'll kill ya. Any of you homos touch my stuff I'll kill ya."

Lighten up Francis...

Jokes aside, the edge container has a 4-ring system. The load on the white loop is only a third of the usual.

Get real guys and cut out the macho act and use some common sense. Four eyes are always better than two, so long as it's not a "10 jump wonder". If it is, you should be putting him off first anyway. But, I don't mind a person I trust checking my rig like the 3 ring loop which means they have to look uncer the riser and touch it. and I don't mind them checking my flaps, pins or velcro. I was on the top beam of a 1900 foot tower in OK. back a few years, like 85 with my best buddy, BASE 1. We were on the top beam leaning against the stinger, which was warm with radiation even through a fiberglass cover. We were going to do a dual camera jump and I notice Smitty had his cheast strap undone. I said, "Smitty your cheast strap is open", and he took a deep breath and we carefully kneeled down so he could hook it. We stood up gently, as the stinger was so wide, we had to lean right against it to keep our balance. Always a good idea to check and if there is something you don't want touched, just tell the person, no big deal.

please tell me you are joking!

there was a good discussion about this some years back... if you're considering disabling the 3 ring system, it's worth the read of the varying opinions from back then.

http://www.basejumper.com/...ng=3%20ring;#1886206

Fuck no man, right now I'm working on a third set of rings for redundancy yes I'm joking


photoshop

Rick, i totally agree it's a good idea to check. not being macho when i say i prefer not to be touched. having a good routine in place prevents error. the same reason the military (and all pilots since) adopted checklists.

you run a checklist long enough, and it is routine.

a visual check is nice in case something interrupts your checklist, but if you're following a good routine, you shouldn't miss anything. again, that's what friends are for... looking you over, but also without the need to ever say anything.

i gear check everyone i jump with, visually. without ever touching anything unless they ask, or unless i see something odd, and then i will ask.

i am genuinely concerned for everyone else on the exit before myself. BASE jumpers and the stupid things they do scare me.

haha, ok... just checking. nice photoshop.

shit i was looking at that pic for a few minutes trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Should this be in the techy forum?

I assume that Blitzkrieg put it here because he wanted the discussion to have a more "general" tone and not a "techy" one.

Unfortunately, common sense is often fairly uncommon.

I've been thinking about making a set of risers and sewing them to the large ring in the same fashion as leg straps are sewn to the articulation ring on the MLW. If you had to cut away, just hack away at the risers. It would be a replaceable integrated riser. If you had to cut them, you could still use the rig with a regular set of three ring risers!

I have caught my own rigging mistakes at the exit point, know someone who made a jump (successfully) without there chest strap routed properly, have heard stories of saves involving caught misrouted bridle but in my illustrious BASE career I am always trying to rig/gear myself so I ultimately don't need one.
Please accept my humble reply without ridicule oh gracious BASE Gods?

methods for temp three ring disabling? tacking thread? Could you explain some of those methods that you hinted at? I don't really jump near water.
Thanks
-Adrian

Pure genius. Your tickets to Stockholm to receive your Nobel Prize in BASE Jumping will be mailed to you overnight.

Now, there's still a lot of spare room on that riser, can you put even more rings there?

Thanks for the input...I read the thread you setup a link for. Interesting though it seems fairly inconclusive...varied opinions then as there are now. Perhaps I ought to just fix my cutaway as they did make mention of 5-6" of cable beyond the loop, where I have approximately 2"...that is really the part that concerns me. That being said I think integrated risers would be nice in the right situation as it does away with any chance of failure of the three rings/loop/short cable, etc.

@ Gauleyguide...nice setup! Talk about redundancy, all jokes aside pretty fine work with photoshop.

Clicky