Re: [idemallie] Spectra vs Dacron vs Vectran linesets in Wingsuit Base?
idemallie wrote:
I would reference Lucifer's post in this thread, halfway down.
http://www.basejumper.com/...ost=2975882;#2975882
The chart was particularly helpful to me in looking at the different factors for material choice. It was posted on Wiki originally by a guy who does sailing in his free time (and relates to sailcloth), so I'm not sure the original source but I bet you could find it if you wanted to do some digging.
While Lucifer's post (chart) is very informative on line materials it doesn't reference any actual real world parachuting applications. I have been out of Europe for a while so I haven't got to see the performance of these new applications in BASE. But when it comes to terminal deployments you simply revert back to skydiving where there have been literally millions of vectran deployments. Fuck they have been using HMA on tandems and reserves for fucking years, why are people concerned about Vectran? I have even heard of a light weight reserve using Dyneema for its lines (which is what Cypres/Vigil closing loops are made of).
To the OP. I think the real choice is between Dacron or skinny lines, lots of pros and cons here. Spectra and Vectran seem pretty interchangeable to me. Will be interesting to see what the new line types do in the sport.
Edit: I also suspect that the chart only refers to the raw fabric and not the myriad of braid types and/or UV coatings offered by braiding companies. Some of which are under contract/proprietary to the canopy manufacturer ordering the line.
Edit Again: Just realized that the chart link specifically states "Sail Cloth".