Earlier this season I was talking to a fellow jumper who was looking to buy her own gear. She, like me, was on the smaller side, looking for a rig that not only fits her, but held a moderate size canopy. Most of the used small rigs out there hold 120s and below – not ideal for the recent A-licensed skydiver.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to sell off my gear so quickly, but when I saw a jumper in need, I took the opportunity to not only help her out, but to go down the path of ordering brand new custom gear myself. When it came to a container, naturally, I went with Infinity again.

(Brand new out of the box!)

The container has since been packed with a brand new PDR 126 and I’m currently sporting a green and white Triathlon 135 until my custom Sabre 2 -120 arrives.

(Packing up! *Photo by Steve Mead)

Here’s what I LOVE about this container:

1) Integrated secondary riser cover. Not only does this keep everything in place, whether you’re freeflying or belly flying, but it looks slick. It’s all one seamless piece.

(*Photo by VSE)

2) Bridle cover within the bottom flap. My old Infinity didn’t have this feature, and I have to say, for freeflying it’s the only way to go. I have no doubt that my bridle is secure when I’m out there on my feet and (attempting to make it) on my head.

(*Photo by VSE)

3) The people! I’m a big believer in customer service can make or break a company. Between Kelly, Tony and Gail, I was given the most incredible customer service ever – even when I was a total pain and asking Tony to send me pictures of fabric colors. Gail even went so far as to send me a picture of my rig before she shipped it off because she knew how excited I was. It’s little things like that that go a long, LONG way in my book. Love these guys!

4) Speaking of colors – the color options they have available are some of the best I’ve seen. I love that they have a charcoal option aside from the lighter silver. And I can’t say enough about the neon blue. Oh come on, you know color matters in this sport – don’t fool yourself, it’d matter to you too!

(All dressed in my Freak N Suit and Infinity…two of my favorite skydiving brands! *Photo by Steve Mead)

5) Sizing. It fits perfectly! Beyond perfectly. Since it was made for my measurements, it’s one of the most comfortable things I’ve ever put on my back. And as I’m flailing in the sky, I don’t even realize it’s there. This new one is so little and compact too!

6) All the little features like stainless hardware, articulated harness, completely freefly friendly…even the angled tuck tab for easy pin checks.

Needless to say, I’m a huge Infinity fan. Those crazy kids over at Velocity Sports Equipment really know what they’re doing! They got me hooked – I’ll forever be an Infinity users. Thanks guys, for an incredible product with impeccable service!

Blue skies!

Ashley

“You can trust a skydiver with your life, but not your money or your wife.”

This is one of many sayings that I’ve heard in the recent past – and not all of them are specific to the skydiving community. I’ve had ski and snowboard friends quote similar lines like, “you never lose your girlfriend, you only lose your turn.”

But that’s not the point. Believe it or not, this isn’t about relationship theft among athletes, it’s about trust.

Skydiving is a sport where you’re regularly trusting others with your safety. Whether it’s the pre-flight pin check, jumping with newbies on big-ways, or having someone pack your parachute, there’s some element of trust that needs to be involved.

You need to trust that these people are going to be thorough in their gear check, that they’re going to be safe on a dive, that they’ll double-check their work. And just like all other relationships, you have to trust that people care enough to take the proper precautions in the air and on the ground.

This is something I’ve come to learn with my regular jump buddies. I don’t think twice about asking any of my skydiving friends to give me a pin check or set my Cypress after donning my rig (what can I say, occasionally my mind slips and I’m too lazy or in too much of a rush to take off my rig before the next load). I’m always willing to try something new and exciting in the sky with my freefly partner. In fact, he’s the first person I turn to when I have any sort of doubt.

*Photo by Sandy Weltman

(Freefly partners in crime!)

Every skydiver needs a voice of reason. I’m extremely lucky to have someone so close to me who’s so supportive.

When I was going through student training, my instructor Tom was always there to provide insight. Having gone through ground school with him, I learned quickly that I could turn to him with any question, concern or issue that arose. In fact, I still can.

There aren’t many skydivers that I jump with regularly, or have jumped with in the past for that matter, that I don’t trust with just about any element of the sport. Of course, I do like to do my own packing – but that’s just one of those things.

The more time I spend in the sport, around other jumpers at different events and dropzones, the more I realize just how important trust is.

Doubts that creep up in your gut, the ones that make you stop and question, are there for a reason. If there’s someone you don’t trust in a certain situation, maybe you should avoid it if possible. Safety needs to come first, and sometimes listening to your gut – even if it means sitting out a load or not participating in a particular jump – is the safest option.

*Photo by Paul Iglin

(Recent balloon jump: this weekend I encountered a number of great jumpers that are extremely trustworthy. Great jumping with you, Neil!)

Finding other jumpers you can trust is critical to a happy, healthy skydiving career. As in life, positive relationships are built on trust, and what’s more fun than having lots of positive skydiving relationships to count on?

Blue Skies!

Ashley

You may recall a couple months back when I was lucky enough to attend a local Aerodyne demo tour and test out a brand new Pilot canopy and Icon rig. I fell in love with the Pilot and knew that one day that would be the canopy for me.

In fact, shortly after earning my A license I was prepared to start piecing together the perfect rig. Lucky for me, the perfect complete system was practically dropped into my lap during a random search on Dropzone.com.

The main canopy was a Triathlon. In student training I’d jumped one 7-cell and liked it well enough, and given that it’s an Aerodyne product, I figured it was a good enough option.

What I like most about this system is the Infinity container, manufactured by Velocity Sports Equipment. As soon as I put it on I knew it was the rig for me. It fit like nothing I’d ever tested before. Sure, most of those were student rigs, but even those that were sport rigs didn’t fit quite like this. For a girl with a small frame, it can be hard to find used gear that fits quite this well. I’d recommend Infinity to anyone with a small build – they certainly know what they’re doing.

Other points to note: it’s completely freefly friendly and packs like a dream! Two things that were critical in choosing a rig.

(Climbing out for our three-man rolling train last week)

As you’ll notice, it’s very sharp, too. Purple with blue, black and gray accents. Now, if only I had a matching pair of freefly pants…

If you’re in the market for a new rig, or know someone who is, I highly recommend checking out Infinity.

Blue skies!

Ashley