Slow suit

Hey!

The setup: I'm 140 jumps in, 210lb (total exit weight), 5' 9", so basically what I'm trying to say is, I've got this nice beautifull natural arch hanging around my belly :).

I've got 2 suits: an old RW suit with some basic booties, with a fast fabric (very smooth, don't know the name), and an old baggy tony space suit (clown suit).

When I'm wearing the fast suit, people can't keep up. When I'm wearing the baggy suit, adjusting fall rate is perfect.

So basically, I'm adjusting the following:
- Trying to lose some weight seems like a logical step
- Adjusting my body position to something still comfortable, but less archy
- Finding an RW suit that slows me down a bit.

This long intro, just to ask people who had the same problem as me, what suit you'd take with what options, to slow you down... Any experiences/advice related to this is welcome!

Bev Suit makes the Majik style competition suit. Ordering it with the polycotton material on the front and a loose fit should do the trick.

Special advantages:
-Has big giant grippers that create extra drag on arms and legs
-The Majik booties also has a lot of drag. Sewn in heavy cordura and with a "flat front".

I'm also around 5'9" and used to be about 230lb (exit weight) before i lost weight and the reduced fallrate when i went from a Symbiosis to a Bev Suit was remarkable.

The saying dress for success is true for skydiving. Your weight/height isn't that far out of the norm. I am 5'8" and around 215# out the door. My BevSuit is a mid range suit with spandex arms, suplex front and large grippers(innies and outties on the legs). I have extra fabric(mini wings) in the arm pits so if I need to slow down, I can open my arms wide and get some extra drag. If I need to go fast, I fly a tight mantis and the extra drag disappears. Other options if you really fall fast are vented booties, double layer fabric on the torso, and swoop cords. Bev, Tony, EG, they all have a variety of suit ranges. Give them a call or email and see which one gives you the warm fuzzies.

Between a suit with a little more drag and just more time flying your body, you will find that sweet spot of suit and skills.

double layers, etc etc all good things - do a search
I'm not a fan of just sloppy extra material and flapping drag
add drag in a functional way where ever you can. I'm not a fan of gimmicks either (vents, cords, etc etc etc) - I'm a fan of clean aerodynamics - but others have contrasting opinions...

(first step is learn to fly and control - next step is full sized booties, BIG grippers, double layers, material type are the best things to start with. finally, if not enough, that's when you move to more material, looser fits. Last ditch effort - goofy gimmicky features. Some people have to do all of them. most don't even need to get to the last ditch group.)

talk to your suitmaker and you can work out something good if they are worth their salt

Do a bunch of searches here too, there are dozens of threads on suits for fast fallers - the trick is find comments about design features that you can take to the suitmaker, the rest is just subjective advertising for each person's favorite. one example

/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=3458325;search_string=jumpsuit%20features;#3458325

Thanks for the replies! I contacted both Bev and Tonysuits for some further help. I'm going to avoid swoop cords/baggy suits for now, and hope the other basics helps. Like you guys said, big grippers, double materials, vented booties...

Will post some pics here when it arrives in a couple of weeks/months :)

just for clarity - I didn't recommend vents, either. fouls up the flow. some people like them - I put them in the 'gimmick' category. It's just aerodynamics, nothing fancy is needed. Skimmer has had three suits last year from other vendors where the customer asked her to just cover up the vents as they weren't helping them fly clean at all. A couple just ended up buying new suits from her eventually.

the key is to talk to suit maker and get advice. My wife makes suits and we both think highly of Bevs suits and Tonys - be skeptical of nifty 'quick fix' features/options, though. A good basic suit really can do what you need, mainly through a correct fit and double layers (and the other stuff). They offer great suits, you will be happy.

good luck

what they said and loose some pounds. I am 5'9" went from 218 to 175. It changed my skydiving. I can leave early and float up, leave late and swoop. Get the new suit but lose some "fall rate enhancing belly"

I did it with 30 mins on wii fit and changed a few things I was eating. You can do it....if you really want to.

I'm not 100% sure what your asking?

Anyways loosing lbs is always a great resolution but few actually do it, if you do then let me know and then would you please help me??
I actually have an older jumpsuit/ jumper from some surplus store that I put on over my jumpsuit. It is baggy and loose, I have concerns when I wear it because of the loose fabric but it really works well with the occasional slow jump crowd. I tend to pull a little higher when I wear this arrangement...

If yo get some wind tunnel time then have them run the fan until the point that you just barely float off the grid/ wire and then really work on your head position, arch, and knee positions. (Knees slightly down, toes facing out, really working your booties.) Run the fan down till you just float, set it a little lower, and then find the position that gets you back up off the floor, most likely in the bigining you wont be able to turn or anything else...the second you raise your chin back off the floor,...down you go and you know your on the right track...


Expensive practice, and seems kind of funny to "waste" tunnel time doing this. Partly because you can spend 20 min just barely floating off the floor, but this exercise can dramatically increase your fall rate range!!!!

With some very light women, when they forget their belt, I can keep up with them merely by moving my head up and down at this point. (My legs are nearly flat out the whole time) I would not have been able to do this until I did the minimal tunnel setting practice!

New suits are always nice though...I can't recommend a M suit from Bev for you if this is your issue, they are made to fly fast and are also made tight by design but she / they will work with you for anything you want....I'm only adding to the previous posters comments about a comp suit being made baggy, seems kind of counter productive but it can work, and work well I might add! And you can always have the material taken in as opposed to adding material to expand tight spots...

Gussets...they help as well, but they do take a little practice to use them well. Don't forget that gussets can be added to and subtracted from, as well....

I suspect at 185 ? your body position can use some minor tweaking first 1st!!!,... then work on the lazy way by getting a new jumpsuit. I'm not being sarchastic here...
But in the end that will make yo an awesome flyir, and improve your already great skills!!

C