For the last 25+ years, impact-rated helmets have not been an available skydiving gear option. Helmets with impact ratings, such as from the motorcycle world, tended to be too big and bulky for sport skydiving.
But in the past two years, we have seen helmet manufacturers figuring out how to create skydiving helmets that are passing impact testing, and be comfortable and form-fitting for the heads of jumpers.
And in a recent ChutingStar survey, we found that nearly 75% of jumpers want or need an impact rating. So what are the options available? Continue reading →
Cookie's Fuel is the easiest "plug and play" option for a skydiving camera helmet available today.
The majority of the available options can easily be installed through the modular mounting system on the top and sides. Additional options for larger camera mounts are available that require drilling into the helmet or attachment via VHB tape.
Check out our video below that outlines many of the options for the Cookie Fuel, and then click through the links below to order the helmet and/or the additional options.
Packing parachutes while all of your friends are jumping out of airplanes all day or packing late into the night while they relax and party doesn't seem to make sense to most skydivers. But only riggers know the internal rewards of the mostly thankless profession of parachute rigging.
FAA Master Parachute Riggers Steve, Mike & Vitaly at ChutingStar Rigging Loft.Continue reading →
Skydivers use one of our smoke mounts to attach the smoke to their shoe or ankle, and the smoke gives a definite "wow factor" for people on the ground whether it's used in freefall or under canopy. For several years, we've had requests for colored smoke but we could only find specialized manufacturers with complicated ignition systems and/or the smoke canisters needed larger brackets.
But we were recently turned on to a UK smoke grenade company, Enola Gaye, that now distributes in the United States. Skydivers, drop zones and demo teams had started trying two different "wire pull" smoke grenades from the company with great success.
The EG18 and EG18X smoke grenades not only come in several colors, but have a lower price than the Sport Smoke and can be used with all of our existing skydiver smoke grenade brackets. And then this year they added two larger "pro" smoke options in the CM75 The Cloud Maker and the SD75 The Fastest Cloud Maker giving skydivers the most options for smoke grenades every!
Here's a comparison of the 5 different smoke grenades (4 in multiple colors) we carry for skydiving:
(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.
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:
A huge thank you to the 187 of you who responded to the main canopy survey the first two weeks of May at ChutingStar.com!
This one was a bit more long-winded than our past surveys, but we felt that was the only way to truly get feedback on main canopies that are so varied by manufacturer, type and size as well as everyone's different experience level. We truly appreciate all of you that took the time to complete this survey.
After sorting and reading through all the results, comments and feedback, we've found that we can't sum this up in one article. So we're going to be doing a series of articles over the next several weeks in our blog
What we can tell you so far is that the 187 of you who took this survey have a combined 280,876 jumps! The average number of jumps for those responding was 1502 and the average mains you've tried is 9. So the responses were in-depth and rich with information.
PD's Sabre/Sabre2 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. Continue reading →
Those with a sewing machine and the materials have been able to make reusable cloth face masks. ChutingStar has face masks as well as face mask alternatives available. One of our fellow skydivers and parachute riggers, Nikki Kingen, demonstrated on a recent trip to Walmart for supplies for her family how a neck gaiter can work as a face mask too!
Neck Gaiters or Headsocks have been a staple at ChutingStar for years. These multi-use fabric tubes can definitely be used as a face mask alternative. Furthermore, these can be washed and then after the need for mask subsides, these can later be used on your skydives or in the wind tunnel.
Our ChutingStar Face Mask design is manufactured by LiquidSky Sports, and are washable and reusable as well.
While you can always see our comparison of current audible altimeters at this link, we wanted to hear from you on what you love, hate and/or desire in an audible altimeter!
And did you ever let us know what you think! More than 200 of you took our survey that was open April 1-15!
For the swag pack winners, we decided to award four of you, instead of one, and chose those who identified in the COVID-19 question as a person in the medical or first-response fields. Thank you for your support during this time! See our related blog article on those stories at this link.
The short and sweet from the survey is that the majority of you use and love anything made by Larsen & Brusgaard, and L&B's Protrack II is the audible that is being most considered as your next purchase. Still, the Alti-2 N3/Atlas also received high marks as well the AON2 Brilliant Pebbles. And most importantly, we think the written feedback and comments from all of you is an invaluable resource for other skydivers and the manufacturers.
So lets dive into your responses on these and all the others...
Like most everyone else during this pandemic, ChutingStar and our crew members have been negatively affected during this COVID-19 pandemic. This worldwide shutdown will indeed change the world forever, and has resulted in the loss of loved ones.
At the same time, we're encouraged by the love and strength of the human resolve to not only survive, but make the best of the situation. Stories of families becoming closer, communities supporting each other and businesses switching gears to keep staff employed show us hope for tomorrow.
In our April Survey on Audibles, we put in one question at the end asking "Good, Bad or Indifferent, how has the Coronavirus and worldwide shutdown affected you?"
These are the raw responses below. I think the biggest takeaway I get out of these is that we're not alone in our struggles and fear. Empathize with your fellow human during this time. They may put on an "everything's fine" front, but deep down we all have many of the same issues during this time. Encourage, support and help others as you're able. Continue reading →
So what are the options available? Continue reading 
After sorting and reading through all the results, comments and feedback, we've found that we can't sum this up in one article. So we're going to be doing a series of articles over the next several weeks in our blog
What we can tell you so far is that the 187 of you who took this survey have a combined 280,876 jumps! The average number of jumps for those responding was 1502 and the average mains you've tried is 9. So the responses were in-depth and rich with information.
PD's Sabre/Sabre2 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. Continue reading 
In our April Survey on Audibles, we put in one question at the end asking "Good, Bad or Indifferent, how has the Coronavirus and worldwide shutdown affected you?"
These are the raw responses below. I think the biggest takeaway I get out of these is that we're not alone in our struggles and fear. Empathize with your fellow human during this time. They may put on an "everything's fine" front, but deep down we all have many of the same issues during this time. Encourage, support and help others as you're able. Continue reading 
