Product Rant & Rave

(Latest update October 2020, with new youth sizing info!)

Cookie Helmets created quite the buzz in the skydiving world when they unveiled the G4 Full Face Skydiving Helmet on Feb. 4 at the 2019 Parachute Industry Association Symposium.

The G4 is the next step up in the full face helmet progression that started with the GAS back in 2007 as a solid, easy-to-use carbon fiber full face helmet with a visor that didn't flip-up. That soon progressed to Cookie's first flip-up visor full face helmet with the G2 in 2009, also made of carbon fiber.

But it really was the G3 in 2011 that radically changed the skydiving helmet scene as Cookie was able to produce the helmet on a larger scale, in more colors and with a consistent production standard due to a switch to the ABS material shell. The G3 has become the worldwide standard for not only experienced skydivers, but also new skydivers and wind tunnel flyers due the reliability of the opening mechanism, the quality of the construction and the availability of the helmets and parts all over the skydiving world.

Cookie hasn't rested on that success, and instead continued testing and developing new ideas for the next full face helmet, which has now been showcased with the G4.

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With more than 40,000 canopies manufactured by Performance Designs in the Sabre line, the Sabre3 has some big shoes to fill. 

The original Sabre was released in 1990 and more than 20,000 were manufactured until the Sabre2 came on the scene in 2001. By 2018, the Sabre2 reached 20,000 canopies sold like its predecessor. One of the biggest improvements skydivers talk about from the Sabre to the Sabre2 is a softer opening.

ChutingStar recently conducted a main canopy survey, and PD's Sabre/Sabre2 line topped every category as the most popular first canopy, your favorite main canopy and the canopy most recommended to others as their first main canopy. It also tops the list as to which canopy you're currently jumping.

Here are some of those comments from the survey when asked what canopy has been your favorite:

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We heard from you! Thanks so much to the 303 responses to our full face skydiving helmet survey March 1-15, 2020! This was nearly double the responses of our last survey. Woohoo!

Full face skydiving helmet offerings have changed dramatically over the past year with manufacturers now offering helmets with impact ratings. We recently updated our Full Face Helmet Comparison article at this link with our take on the features of each, but we wanted to hear what you love, hate or want to see in your full face helmet.

There is so much great feedback we received from all of you detailed below. We hope this helps you in your next helmet purchase as well as for those of you purchasing your first full face helmet. And we've sent these notes to the manufacturers too so they can work on fixing issues or incorporating your ideas into future full face helmets.

The quick summary is that Cookie's G2, G3 and G4 helmets are clearly the most used and loved helmets, but when it comes to what helmet you're interested in purchasing next, the Tonfly TFX and Square1 KISS are also high on your list after the G4. We also found that an impact rating is important to more than 70% of our survey respondents.

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ChutingStar's newsletter will help you stay in the know on the latest skydiving gear with links to new gear, expert advice blog articles and coupon codes for special event sales. Our e-mail information blasts are short and sweet...getting you the info you need to know quickly and allowing you to click over if you need the full scoop. Sign up at this link, or click the image above. You can unsubscribe, or resubscribe, at any time. Continue reading →

Rigging Innovations has added the long-awaited MOJO MARD system to it's container options for the CURV and CPX harness/container systems. The most well-known example of a MARD system is the Skyhook by United Parachute Technologies. MARD stands for Main-Assisted Reserve Deployment System and is basically an RSL (reserve static line) on steroids. When using a MARD system and you cutaway your main, the main essentially becomes your reserve pilot chute. This results in a much quicker transition sequence from a cutaway to an open reserve canopy. The MOJO can be added to any new order of an RI Curv or CPX container from ChutingStar at Continue reading →

Jumpsuit manufacturers are dialing in sizing for a larger number of body types and sizes to allow jumpers to find a jumpsuit that fits them off the shelf so they can be in the air or tunnel by the weekend in a new suit instead of waiting several weeks or months. Henry Kochen of the ChutingStar Crew put together a video overview of the the current selection of stock jumpsuits available to you at ChutingStar to give you an up-close look at their features, construction, pricing and sizing. Below are links to stock suits from Tonfly, Parasport and PittZ that can be ordered for immediate shipment so you're able to use it by the weekend! Continue reading →

Mudflap mounts may have become more popular due to Wingsuiting and Swooping, but now they are being used by all types of skydivers for an easy-to-view placement of your altimeter.

Henry Kochen of the ChutingStar Crew took some time in the video below to show the different types of mudflap altimeter mounts available, their options and how they are installed.

You can find all the mudflap altimeter mounts on ChutingStar at this link.

Available mudflap mounts include:

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ChutingStar's Rigger Closing Hook is a unique parachute rigging tool used for closing reserve containers.

Those who have attended a ChutingStar Rigger School Course or one of our Parachute Industry Association Symposium Seminars, have seen up close how the tool is used.  But if you haven't, the tool isn't exactly self-explainable.

So here's a short video on how it's attached to the pullup cord and how a parachute rigger uses it for closing the reserve container.

How To Use The ChutingStar Rigger Pullup Hook from ChutingStar.

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The Fusion helmet is the latest skydiving and wind tunnel helmet from USA helmet manufacturer, Bonehead Composites.

Bonehead's Fusion is exactly that...a fusion of their Aero, Rev2 and and REvolve helmets.

Check out these features:

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Our ChutingStar Crew gets tons of questions on the different options and setups for Tonfly Helmets. With 6 different helmet types and numerous available configurations it's easy to get overwhelmed on where to start. ChutingStar's Henry Kochen took some time to explain the most popular configurations in this new video shot inside the Marietta GA ChutingStar Skydiving Gear SuperStore. Ordering Custom Tonfly Helmets from ChutingStar. Continue reading →