Squirrel SkySNATCH 2 Collapsible Main Pilot Chute

Squirrel SkySNATCH 2 Collapsible Main Pilot Chute.

The SkySNATCH 2 builds on the toroidal arc PC concept that has proven to be the most stable PC in the industry. The three dimensional partial toroidal shape is the most technically advanced design in skydiving. Simply put, the it is the most efficient and stable PC available.

Note: The latest SkySNATCH 2 PC's are installed without the use of any metal links. This latest version is held in place on your D-Bag with webbing tabs and attaches to the top of your canopy via a Lark's Head knot. The SkySnatch is designed to work with D-bags that have a bottom grommet size of #4 or #5 only. See the photos in this listing and the manual linked below for more info.

The innovative design works across all skydiving disciplines with it's stock configuration, including freefall skydivers, wingsuiters, high performance canopy pilots and CRW jumpers.

The SkySNATCH 2 is a kill-line pilot chute system for skydiving. It comes standard with an 8' bridle from pin to PC attach-point (11' in total) and a hexagonal carbon-fiber handle.

All sizes of the SkySNATCH 2 are constructed from ZP, available in your choice of Black, Red and Blue colorways. It is currently available in the following size/handle configurations:

• 26" Six-gore, 6 panel design with apex vent, kill-line bridle, carbon handle.
• 30" Six-gore, 6 panel design with apex vent, kill-line bridle, carbon handle.

WHAT SIZE SHOULD I CHOOSE?

The SkySNATCH 2 is not more or less powerful than other PCs of similar size. The main difference is stability. For example, if you find that your 30" PC is functioning well for wingsuit use currently, then a 30" SkySNATCH 2 will work similarly depending on the design factors specific to your current PC.

In general, Squirrel recommends the 26" for smaller wingsuits (Swift series), and the 30" for larger wingsuits (Freak series).

The SkySnatch is intended primarily for wingsuit use, but the 26" can be used for freefly / belly / slick jumps.

The 30" size is not recommended for any type of non-wingsuit jump.

HISTORY

Since the release of the original Snatch in 2013, SQRL toroidal arc PCs have become known as the most stable and efficient PCs, ever. Simply put, they changed the game. The Snatch project began after a conversation between Squirrel Co-designer, Will Kitto, and CRW expert, Jim Rasmussen. Although the toroidal design concept has been used extensively in parachutes for over 40 years (it is also known as an annular or pulled-down-apex "PDA" design), it has never before been put into production for skydive pilot chutes due to the complexity of the design. The Snatch has rapidly become the new standard in BASE jumping pilot chutes, where PC stability is critical. The new SkySNATCH 2 is designed for skydivers who seek the highest quality PC available.

WHATS NEW

• No webbing: new seam with Dyneema thread is stronger & lighter
• Individually cut mesh panels, oriented for uniform tension and improved symmetry under load
• Finely tuned panel shaping and skirt curvature improve overall behavior

PROVEN STABILITY & PERFORMANCE

Per square millimeter, the SKYSNATCH 2 pulls with far more stability than a traditional PC. Wind tunnel and field testing have proven superior stability in all applications, from wingsuit to freefly deployments.

WEIGHT & BALANCE, AND MATERIALS

Squirrel is thankful that the Snatch series not only revolutionized PCs, but also killed the use of heavy PC handles. A lighter PC is less likely to entangle with the bridle: it inflates faster and tumbles less. The hexagonal carbon-fiber handle design provides a distinct easy-to-feel shape with minimum weight. Squirrel believes pilot chute weight to be a critical safety factor. For over a decade now, the BASE community has known that hacky-sack-handles are bad, and contribute to PC/bridle entanglements because of their weight. Yet there are still countless PCs in use today which feature heavy and bulky PVC handles and overbuilt/clumsy construction. Evidence suggests that lighter is better, and for that reason Squirrel has created the lightest design they could without sacrificing durability. A lighter PC is less likely to entangle with the bridle: it tumbles less, and is carried downstream at rates more similar to the bridle. A heavier PC can be carried downstream at a slower rate than the bridle, which can cause the heavy PC to then tumble and mix with the bridle in the jumper's burble.

QUALITY AND PRECISION

Removing radial tape results in improved symmetry. The individually cut mesh gores allow us to orient the mesh along the most stable axis, for improved symmetry and performance under load. Each PC is guaranteed to be symmetric, and is built to +/- 1mm tolerances.

THE DESIGN
The SkySNATCH's three dimensional partial toroidal shape is joined together with two mesh cones. The torus shape, like a donut cut in half, has a very high drag coefficient. "Traditional" skydiving pilot chutes are a very loose approximation of this same shape. Traditional PCs are two circles sewn together around the edges, typically one of ZP and one of mesh, with a piece of line or webbing connecting the center of each circle together at a specific distance. When pulled from the center of the mesh circle and dragged through a fluid, it inflates into a rough approximation of a pulled-down-apex shape, but with a large amount of distortion and error, with a wrinkled and asymmetric circumference. Imagine crumpling up a single piece of paper until it forms the 3D shape you want to design - it won't look good, nor be an accurate representation of a 3D surface. Yet that is the current basis of traditional PCs: an approximate and inefficient 2D design meant to perform a task that requires a 3D shape.

The SkySNATCH's design achieves a specific 3D shape when inflated by using multiple panels (gores), each with a mathematically calculated 3D shape. The design is similar to the way that round parachutes are designed from multiple gores to form a hemispherical shape when inflated.

THE MATH
A torus is made by rotating an ellipse around a center axis. For this design, Squirrel used an ellipse with a ratio of 7:10 (height : width) with an axis offset from the ellipse by 20% of its width. Mesh cones meet with the outside and inside edges of the partial torus at an exact tangent to its curve, ensuring a smooth transition from mesh to ZP, which maintains a smooth and error-free perimeter of the pilot chute. The difference between a SkySNATCH and a traditional PC design is immediately apparent when handled or inflated by any experienced jumper.

HOW IT WORKS BETTER
The inherent imperfection of the standard double circle pilot chute design means that there is a significant amount of randomness in its inflated shape. There is a constant tug-of-war between air pressure forcing it into a 3D shape, and the fabric trying to remain a 2D shape. Across its surfaces there are sections of high and low stress, where there is too much material in one section and not enough in another, causing "stretch and sag". This can contribute to the pulsing and surging we see in traditional pilot chutes in freefall. A toroidal design minimizes the randomness and helps to ensure that the inflation is more consistent and predictable. Once inflated, the pilot chute is not searching for alternative shapes: it inflates to its intended shape and stays there. There is no pulsing, and instead only a clean inflated shape.

SkySNATCH 2 BRIDLE LENGTH
The SkySNATCH 2 bridle length is 8' from pin to PC (11' in total, but we don't measure the start of our pony tail at our foreheads). The optimum bridle length for skydiving and BASE jumping has been debated many times. The SkySNATCH bridle length is chosen based on the burble size of an average wingsuit pilot flying at a responsible and acceptable speed and angle of attack for deployment. Extending the length beyond 8', in Squirrel's opinion, only provides a crutch for pilots in irresponsibly slow or inefficient deployment configurations, and also increases the risk of bridle/PC entanglement. More bridle does not increase the inherent safety of the system and in fact decreases it (in Squirrel's opinion, based on extensive field testing in the BASE environment).

HEXAGONAL CARBON HANDLE
The hexagonal carbon-fiber handle design is very light. It provides a distinct easy-to-feel shape, with minimum weight. The carbon hex is standard on all SkySNATCHes. Squirrel does not offer other handle options.

WHY SQUIRREL IS OPEN SOURCING THE DESIGN
When Squirrel released the original Snatch in 2013 they fully believed in the concept. Squirrel knew that the benefits of the design would improve BASE safety and made the Snatch patterns available for free to all. The company will continue to provide the original Snatch CAD patterns for free. The toroidal concept was not invented by Squirrel, and has been in use in the military and civilian parachute industries for decades. In addition to that, Squirrel feels that the benefits of this design are such that all parachutists should consider using it. For that reason, patterns for certain sizes of the SNATCH can be downloaded for free. Just email Squirrel to request 2D patterns ready to be printed or plotted, and sewn. The files available can be opened with all common CAD programs, many of which can be found for free online.

Download SkySNATCH 2 Manual