Re: [mchamp] Skydiving rigs & BASE rigs
mchamp wrote:
So I have a theory that people who tend to buy Brand X skydiving rigs and canopies usually go with Brand Y BASE rigs and canopies. I'm just curious/wondering if there is any particular correlation between the two.
I doubt it.
Lesee -
I have one Reflex I got new because it was my size, reasonably priced, and in-stock. There's usually a mostly pink Monarch 135 in there for wingsuit jumps because the size and price were right and I thought it flew fine; although sometimes I jump a Stiletto 120 because at the time you couldn't buy a better canopy and at $600 with a fresh line set I couldn't pass up the deal. Tempo 150 because it was affordable and a comfortable size for out landings.
I have a second Reflex the same size I ordered custom because I liked the first one and one set of spare parts worked for both. That rig has a custom Samurai 105 in my colors because it dived more, was still was nice to fly like a Stiletto, I didn't think I was going to down-size more, and with 600 jumps on the preceding Stiletto mostly at the same wing loading I was pretty confident in that choice. PD143 because I saw a reserve with its only spanwise reinforcing tape at the tail split into 2 & 5 cell pieces (I thought the guy would be dead after I watched that "landing", but he wasn't), it flew nice, and was a good size.
I got a used Javelin with a Super Raven III for classic accuracy because the size was right and it was real inexpensive. I just throw a BASE canopy in there.
I have a Stunts Extreme and Fox 245 I got used because the combination was my size and a good deal.
I have a Vertigo Warlock and Dagger 244. We jumped a lot in Moab, sometimes with Jimmy and Marta. They were always cool. I just wanted a pin rig and hadn't really planned on buying a second canopy, but Marta sent a new one out as a demo "You jump it, see if you like it, and either pay for it or send it back." I liked it well enough.
Equipment is a local thing. That can come from where the manufacturers are - there seemed to be lots of Infinities in Washington State, lots of the Colorado crowd jumping in Moab ended up with Vertigo rigs, and there were a lot of Big Air canopies when Brian lived in Colorado. It can come from whatever the cool kids are jumping. You might get some correlation from that.
