Gatorz & Liquid sunglasses are made out of 7075 Billet Aircraft Aluminum with polycarbonate lenses. These glasses can be bent/shaped for your head shape and desired fit. Just apply even, firm pressure to the part you want to shape. Keep trying the glasses on until you find the desired fit.
To secure Gatorz or Liquid sunglasses for skydiving, use a pair of Croakies, which slip over the ends of the glasses and then are tightened with the sliding lock at the back of your head. Continue reading →
To adjust and set your elastic strap on your SkyEyes goggles, first pull the strap to your desired length. Make a double-hand overhand knot, followed by a single overhand knot.
Trim the excess with scissors and lightly melt the edges of the ends of the outer sheath of the strap to keep it from unraveling.
A magnetic slider keeper is mounted to the top of the reserve pin cover flap. The purpose is to hold the slider down behind a jumper’s head after the canopy is open so that the slider doesn’t interfere with cameras, the line of sight and/or allows the risers to open up further.
This is not a gadget for all skydivers. Consult with your local DZO, S&TA, instructors and peers before using a Magnetic Slider Keeper. This type of slider keeper can cause a delay during a cutaway if the slider is stowed in the device.
A magnetic slider keeper, such as the Flexvision XL Slider Keeper, is used after you have a fully open and functional canopy.
As you watch for canopy traffic, collapse your slider and slowly bring the slider down to the base of the risers, behind your head. Stow the slider between the loop of fabric between the magnets. Release your steering lines and fly your canopy.
Tube Stows by Sun Path Products are made out of silicone tubing. Tube Stows are stronger and last much longer than the rubber bands.
The criticism of tube stows is that lines can roll out of the stows and aren’t held as securely…which can lead to deployment issues. Jumpers with canopies more sensitive to packing/line stowage being "just right" should stick with rubber bands. Others have found tube stows to be a great alternative to rubber bands without any drawbacks.
Normal installation involves bringing the smooth side around the stow holder and through the seam side. The seam side should also be in the knot without tension when stretched.
Past posts on rigging forums at one time focused on one manufacturer's solution to keeping a collapsed slider at the base of the risers after opening without anchoring the slider to the container. Many jumpers have concerns about a number of slider holders that connect the slider to the top of the reserve container, which could potentially cause a cutaway delay.
When Team Method (Steve-O Utter, T.J. Landgren and Nate Gilbert) arrived at Atlanta Skydiving Center in 2001, the freefly team showed-off a new slider block design. Over the next few years, ChutingStar riggers tweaked and modified the design for strength, durability and aesthetics.
The Mirage Main Pilot Chute is installed by inserting the kill-line, retention strap and bridle from the outside of the D-bag into the inside of the D-bag through the center grommet. Secure the two loops of the bridle inside the D-bag with a metal link or soft link.
Here's some info and a video of installing one type of main pilot chute. While each main pilot chute may have a slightly different attachment part, the general idea is the same.
This Cazer pilot chute came with two metal links. We prefer to substitute those two metal links with a PD Reserve Slink and a PD Main Slink. The reserve soft link is used to attach the bridle to the inside of the main D-bag. The main soft link is used to attach the end of the bridle to the top of the canopy. Continue reading →
Power Tool: Installing the Replacement Cord