Wings W13 and canopy options

I have a Wings W13 and it currently holds a Sabre2 170 loaded at 1.3.I am looking to get into wingsuiting. My experience with the openings from both my packjobs and those of several others does not give me much confidence for use with wingsuits. My container has all the wingsuit modifications and I also have ordered a semi stowless dbag which is on its way. 

First, does a Wings W13 (which holds a Sabre 2 170) hold a Pilot 188 ZPX? Aerodyne says that a Pilot ZPX packs similar to a regular ZP for the first 100 jumps and then "somewhat smaller" after but still not as small as a Pilot 168(even though their website says ZPX has about 20 percent smaller pack volume). According to Sunrise, a Wings W-13 fits a 170 ZP and no more but they said that a Pilot 188 ZPX "would go in there". Those two seem to be conflicting. Does a Pilot 188 ZPX pack larger or smaller than a 170 Sabre 2?

Also, what do you guys think about an average skydiver using a Sabre2 loaded at 1.3 for wingsuiting? Finally, would the Pilot 188 ZPX be a much better choice than a Pilot7 167 ZP (there is one for sale that I think fits my budget) or a Spectre 170? I prefer to buy used.

of those listed I would go for the Pilot7 167 ZP . Spectre will be slightly better than the SA2 but not much. Easy pick

23 hours ago, A-73988 said:

I have a Wings W13 and it currently holds a Sabre2 170 loaded at 1.3.I am looking to get into wingsuiting. My experience with the openings from both my packjobs and those of several others does not give me much confidence for use with wingsuits. My container has all the wingsuit modifications and I also have ordered a semi stowless dbag which is on its way. 

First, does a Wings W13 (which holds a Sabre 2 170) hold a Pilot 188 ZPX? Aerodyne says that a Pilot ZPX packs similar to a regular ZP for the first 100 jumps and then "somewhat smaller" after but still not as small as a Pilot 168(even though their website says ZPX has about 20 percent smaller pack volume). According to Sunrise, a Wings W-13 fits a 170 ZP and no more but they said that a Pilot 188 ZPX "would go in there". Those two seem to be conflicting. Does a Pilot 188 ZPX pack larger or smaller than a 170 Sabre 2?

Also, what do you guys think about an average skydiver using a Sabre2 loaded at 1.3 for wingsuiting? Finally, would the Pilot 188 ZPX be a much better choice than a Pilot7 167 ZP (there is one for sale that I think fits my budget) or a Spectre 170? I prefer to buy used.

There is not too much point in going from a Sabre 2 to a Pilot. They are both 9-cell canopies and while the Pilot is a bit more docile than the S2, it's still a fairly lateral move. You'd be much better off buying a Pilot 7 if you're getting into WS. I own a P7 and it works very well with WS. If you bought a P7 187 in ZPX, it should pack around the size of a Sabre 2 170. The fact that it is 7 cell knocks off about half of a size by itself and the ZPX knocks off at least another half size.

Also know that Aerodyne does make the P7 in Ultra LPV as well, but that might actually be too small for your container. Ultra LPV is around two sizes smaller.

The Pilot in question is actually bigger than my Sabre2 (170 vs 188) so I thought the upsize might work in my favor. But it looks like the consensus is with the Pilot7, even a smaller one. Thanks.

I would find a cheap Sabre1 170 and put a pocket slider on it. I've been wingsuiting a Sabre1 135 at about 1.4 for a few years now. No cutaways, no issues, lands like a real ZP sky canopy. Love it!

Does the pocket slider completely solve the issue? I swear I read somewhere on this website that a dude was getting very hard openings even with the pocket slider. The thought did cross my mind. 

2 hours ago, A-73988 said:

Does the pocket slider completely solve the issue? I swear I read somewhere on this website that a dude was getting very hard openings even with the pocket slider. The thought did cross my mind. 

I owned Sabres for years. Went from a 170 to 150 to 135 to 120. Even with a pocket on it, the 135 and 120 would slam the shit out of me on wingsuit jumps occasionally. The pocket helps reduce the frequency of slammers but doesn’t negate them entirely. Went to a Spectre and found it opened too slow. Swapped for a Pilot and have never been happier.