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Skydiving Equipment: More Than A Fancy Parachute

September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Article by Andrew Caxton

A Good Skydiving Helmet

In the world of skydiving, there are several pieces in the equipment puzzle that are considered essential, even crucial. This is certainly the case in most extreme sports and in some where the element of risk is part of the allure. When skydivers purchase skydiving equipment, they invariably include a good helmet, primarily to protect the head if something goes wrong (but also for general protection during the jump).

Which Style Fits You Best?

First-time purchasers may choose from a variety of styles. It might be wise for the student or learning skydiver to talk at length with expert amateurs and professionals, to get some ideas about the best helmets. Personal taste and opinion will always have some bearing on these skydiving equipment decisions, but no one should try to save a few dollars and sacrifice comfort or safety.

The basic choice, and among the least expensive, is the open face helmet with a simple strap for the chin. A separate pair of goggles protect the eyes from the wind during the dive. These fundamental helmets come in various colors and are often the helmet provided during school and training.

Some skydivers add a full-face helmet to their skydiving equipment bag. These models have a moulded chin guard as part of their design. They also have a visor that takes the place of the separate goggles mentioned earlier. Many skydivers find this type of helmet more comfortable. They also enjoy better viewing because there are no goggle frames or edges to obstruct the view. Those who wear eyeglasses may find this type of helmet ideal.

Filming The Jump

Most beginning skydivers don’t include a video camera in their equipment because they rely on the skydiving school or instructor to provide video record of their activity. But some who stick with this exciting sport eventually invest in a helmet with built in camera. Almost any camera of reasonable size can be accommodated. Some skydivers attach a camera to a standard helmet using specially designed brackets. The appearance is more bulky than a camera helmet but the results are usually very good.

Some skydivers include headgear that is little more than a leather cover for the head that holds hair down. But these are not recommended, as they provide no protection for the head during or at the end of the jump. A good helmet worn during a skydive can literally be the difference between life and death.

Andrew Caxton enjoys writing about skydiving gear for http://www.skydiving-parachuting-guide.com.A focused website that offers the best articles on skydiving t-shirts and skydiving gear.










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How Do You Know If You Should Have Children?

September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Whether or not to have children is the decision that requires more forethought than any other decision you could possible make. Unfortunately, far too many people leave this decision up to chance, or up to the hormones that drive their “biological clocks” rather than taking time to realize all the of the implications having a child will have on their lives.

Having a child does not only affect the would-be parent. It affects the parent’s family, society, and of course, the future child him/herself. When considering having a child, you need to think about many different factors first.

Are you capable of raising a child? Not just having a child (most people are very capable of doing that) but raising one. Do you have the financial and emotional resources to help your infant grow into a happy, healthy, productive member of society?

Finances

Will you have to go on welfare if you have a child? Your decision to have a child should not be draining public funds that are desperately needed for other things, so you had better make sure you can afford the things that children need before you conceive. Don’t just think about diapers and formula, think farther down the road to things like sports equipment and school supplies. Remember that children will also want toys, and constantly pester you for the latest gizmos, and you will feel guilty if you are unable to provide at least some of those things. You need to be able to leave room in your budget for those little extras.

Emotional Stability

Is your relationship with the other parent of this potential baby stable and secure? Or will your child grow up watching you fighting, or being disrespected or abused by your mate? Remember, children grow up thinking of their home life as “normal,” so if your mate does not treat you properly, your child will grow up thinking disrespect and heartache are an acceptable part of a relationship. If you or your partner have anger issues that may cause you to lose your patience with a child, you need to get help for those issues before going ahead. You don’t have to hit a child to be an abusive parent, and those who say hateful things in the heat of the moment need to change that behaviour before attempting to become a parent.

Effort

Are you willing to put in time and effort to teach your child to be a responsible adult? It is not the job of the public education system to teach your child manners. As a parent there are things you need to teach your child about how to treat others and how to make

important decisions. If you’re not willing to engage your child in conversation or teach them how to read because “that’s the school’s job,” please, don’t have children. Children require intellectual stimulation from their parents, not an educational void until the age of five or six. Also, children will imitate you, whether you want them to or not. If you approach areas of your life, especially parenting, as though just getting by is enough (for example; not helping with homework or caring if your child is learning) then your children will believe that they, too, should coast through life. All this does is put more future adults into the welfare system to be a burden on others.

Experience

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who have no experience with children whatsoever before actually having children. Would you take a car on the highway without having been inside one before? Would you skydive without training and lessons? Why would you assume the care and responsibility of a helpless little person who will look to you for guidance on every aspect of life if you’ve never dealt with children of various ages before? Not everyone babysits or takes a job as a camp counsellor as a teen, but you can always volunteer to help coach a local sports team, or to read to children at the library, or ask people you know who have children to let you babysit so you can “practice” your childcare skills. Children are demanding and exasperating, not because they mean to be (well, most of the time!) but because they have not reached an emotional level where they are capable of realizing that other people have needs, too. If you have no experience dealing with a range of childhood behaviours, you will find yourself stressed, losing your temper, and perhaps saying or doing things you will regret later. Don’t have a child without a range of hands-on experiences!

Although there are other things to consider when thinking about having child, such as which diseases run in your or your mate’s families, and whether you would be capable of parenting a child that ended up with a chronic illness or disability, the above things should be considered first. Parenting a child without any special needs is challenging enough, and if you decide you can’t realistically handle the above considerations, then you don’t need to think further about any special considerations. Once you’ve decided that, yes, you are ready to handle the job of parenting, please move on to consider trickier decisions like a child with special needs or adoption. Having a child is a beautiful and special experience, but as any parent will tell you, it’s the hardest job in the world. So don’t file that application until you’ve decided you can handle it!

Written by Rebecca_Scarlett

Bully just got all new skydiving gear. Except for the main it has all been replaced. He also has gone Cypress Equipped… The new container is a Dolphin and the reserve is a PD.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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Skydiving Equipment – What Do You Need?

September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

So here’s the scenario…you’ve just done your first tandem skydive. You feel amazing. You can’t think of anything you’d rather do. What next? More skydiving of course. And lots of training. Then finally – you go solo! But wait, you keep seeing these guys walking around in colour coo-ordinated suits, Cool looking helmets and lots of cool gadgets, looking all flash, while you were stuck in a big generic set of overalls, an ugly looking leather hat and had no gizmos!! There’s only one solution. Buy your own skydiving equipment. Now, we’re not talking about your own skydive plane of course. That would be just a bit too radical. And you don’t need to buy your own parachute system just yet.

But if you’re going to be living, breathing and eating skydiving until you’re old and wrinkly, you might want your own jumpsuit as well as a few other bits and pieces. If you have your own stuff, you can have the colour you want, and all the accessories. Plus everything fits properly. So what equipment does a skydiver need?

Glad you asked. First and foremost, let’s talk about your jumpsuit. This will all be about personal preference. Colour, style, fit and cost.You also need to consider the modern skydiving environment that covers multiple disciplines, Belly Flying (Also known as Formation Skydiving (FS), or relative Work (RW) ) Freeflying, sometimes referred to as vertical formation skydiving (VFS) (where you fly on all axis, Back , head, feet and belly) or Canopy piloting (either swooping or canopy relative work). All these disciplines have their own specialized suits, but a good all rounder is a Freefly Suit, as long as it has some sort of grippers on it. But the most important thing to remember is this: you are going to be using this stuff for a long time, so it’s a good idea to choose the best you can afford. Your jumpsuit can play also play a big part in your fall rate. You need to choose the right suit for your size and your experience. Keep versatility in mind and you’ll save a wad of money. If you choose a suit that will do a few different jobs – or even a jacket and pants combo – then you’ll be keeping your options open and keeping some money in your wallet. If it’s hot out there, the combo means you can wear a tee shirt instead of a jacket on hot days. Up to you.�Quality skydiving equipment means quality design, materials and construction. You don’t want your gear ripping apart at the wrong moment.

Other than a suit You need a helmet (which in the early stages must be an open face helmet, but later can be a full face), an altimeter which can be wrist or chest mounted or an audible one that can be fitted inside your helmet, goggles/ eyewear (seriously consider ones with UV filters) to keep the wind out of your eyes…NOTE skydiving without goggles/glasses is not a good idea, as you can see very little in 120mph winds with your naked eyes! A log book, is essential for recording all of your skydiving expolits and providing a record of your accomplishments that you can take from place to place to proove your skill level and a Gear Bag to carry all of your bits and pieces in is essential (make sure you buy one that is large enough to hold a container for when you do end up getting your own. Finally, more so as we become entrnched in a digital/social media age, you probably want to consider a robust camera and laptop so you can share all of your skydiving experiences with your friends and family straight away, get one that is waterproof and small (like a Go Pro). Once again, it’s a good idea to get the best you can afford. Most skydivers end up on the ground at some stage, so you want to avoid as many bruises, scratches and broken equipment as possible.

Happy skydiving!

Check out Deepseeds range of NZ made RW Gear, Freefly Gear, Swoop Gear, Camera Gear, Casual Gear, commercial gear and skydiving equipment and accessories.

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