Smartrigs are pleased to announce that they are now stocking the latest skydiving accessories from Larsen & Brusgaard (L&B).
Featuring products such as the new Solo II
The New Optima II
The Viso II
And the
We are looking forward to stocking these products and know that they are going to be backed by L&B’s unrivalled levels of customer service !!!
The latest press release – featuring smartrigs ;0)
BENCHMADE
At Benchmade they employ a simple philosophy – Make it cool, make it solid and make it happen. Edgar Brothers distribute a number of premium knife brands including Benchmade and stock a full range of lines across all brands.
The 7 Hook is the latest in Benchmade‘s line of professional grade hooks and will slice through flak jackets, tubular webbing, leather boots, Kevlar™, seatbelts and para-cords, like butter wouldn’t melt, you have your own personal quick release tool anytime, any place, anywhere.
• 440C Stainless Steel (58-60HRC)
• 0.50" (1.27cm) Blade opening
• 4.30" (10.92cm) Overall length
• 1.50oz (43g) Weight
• Handle is made with a black oxide finish, with grit dipped vinyl handle coating
• Nylon webbing pouch with Velcro® closure; Retention band; MOLLE compatible
From all Edgar Brother retailers including www.smartrigs.com / 0845 680 2470
END
Well we’re proud to announce that Smartrigs has added the Fuzion helmet from 2k Composites which is the latest camera helmet from this long established manufacturer of skydiving helmets.
The Fuzion uses the excellent ZKulls TM system of camera mounts from RCB LAB that is found on the TonFly range which we also stock.
You can further customise your helmet with the help of other accessories such as the Cam Eye II from Skytools in Sweden and the Hypeye D Pro from GetHypoxic.
Other options include installing an Audible altimeter such as the Pro Track from Larsen & Brusgaard.
So once again – Smartrigs is at the forefront and catering to all your gravity powered sport needs!
Smartrigs are pleased to offer their customers the latest hook knifes from Benchmade the model 5 (pictured above) is the smallest of their safety knives / rescue hooks and the model 7 (below) is a slightly larger version.
All of the Benchmade safety knives are made using the highest quality materials and utilising the latest designs and features for optimum safety.
Currently used by the Military, Fire Departments and Police around the world these tried and tested safety cutters have an unparalleled safety record.
When things go wrong you may only have one chance to make the cut and in our opinion these are simply the best hook knives available which is why Smartrigs is proud to stock Benchmade!
Well with a glowing report on the Advance Seven container from Basik already under our belts and the 2010 BPA AGM rapidly approaching we are already finding the year starting to fly by!
Already we have placed received several orders for gear with the X-Fast low volume reserve proving particularly popular along with our excellent package deals including our Aerodyne Special which features the ever popular Icon container along with a Pilot main and a Smart Reserve offering unbelievable value for money.
With our new stock of Demo Rigs from Basik and Aerodyne we are looking forward to a busy 2o1o and hope to see plenty of new customers at the Skydive Expo in Deland in March …
So here’s to a fantastic and safe 2010 …
Blue Skies Everyone …
Well this month’s blue skies magazine made interesting reading!
The rigging feature was all about the Advance Seven container from Basik.
Mike Gruwell rigger and owner of Chuting Star Rigging in Atlanta raved about the container.
“If you like the small things in life then you’ll be taken by the Seven” he says he was “Impressed by the attention to detail and several of the design features”.
Gruwell goes on to praise the minimalist nature of the reserve container and when he went on to test the reserve he remarked that it was ‘Impressive’.
Mike goes on through a list of key design features which he heaps praise on before finishing the article with just on word …
‘Kudos’
Which pretty much sums up our thoughts as well …
Once again Kudos is given to the design team at Basik …
I think before i write too many blogs i should answer a couple of questions:-
Why did i choose to call my website smartrigs?
And what is a SMARTRIG anyway?
Why did i call the website smartrigs?
For me smartrigs was the name which defined the purpose behind me setting up my gear store smartrigs.com.
The aim of smartrigs is simple – i want to provide my customers with the sort of high quality and technically excellent products that i myself would like to buy, backed by the best customer service in the world!
We do not aim to be the cheapest – although we try to accomodate first time jumpers and those with smaller budgets, but what we aim to be primarily is the very best there is …
So what is a smartrig?
A smartrig – is one which is the intelligent choice.
It does not have to be the most popular container and canopy on the market, nor does it need to be the market leader in terms of advertisements or sales, what it should be is well designed and made, suitable for the purpose to which it is put.
In the very beginning …
When i started skydiving i followed the usual path – i bought a Mirage G3 for my first container complete with a Spectre main and a PD Reserve that i have seen for the first (and only) time so far on jump 33 or thereabouts …
After this i progressed onto a Sabre2 main canopy and kept with the PD reserves, but changed containers to a Javelin by Sunpath Products Inc as they were the ‘best’ that there was available. Derek (one of the owners) even explained the correct way to wear it (higher on my back than my old rig) and Doris, the Sunpath marketing manageress processed my order as i’d been helping them out at the WFFC in 2002 and they made me a special red container with Hawaian Print flowers on the pop-top – it sounds ghastly – but i loved it!
After that Javelin came another Odyssey and another PD canopy before i made my first purchase of a Wings Vision container from Sunrise Manufacturing and my first Pilot canopy and Smart reserve from Aerodyne.
Other paths…
Also during this period as well as jumping ‘normally’ i was doing my very best to try everything to do with parachutes that i could think of …
I tried BASE jumping – which is simply the most amazing experience that i’ve ever had … And despite having completed well over 50 jumps – i still treat it with the respect that it deserves … During this time i met some of the most amazing people that i’ve ever had the privilege to know and who made a huge impact on my life.
People such Rob and Kathy Jones from Morpheus Technology - Rob took me on my very first BASE jump in Twin Falls Idaho during May 2004 and his dry humour and intelligent conversation and patience will never be forgotten. Tom Aiello from Snake River Base Academy who subsequently took me on my ‘second’ FJC and persuaded me to take the low slot on a five way from a 400′ bridge!!
Since these times – i have had the pleasure of meeting Michi, Jevto (BASE 66), Jean Boenish (Carl’s Wife), Moe Viletto, Tom Manship, Sean, Teresa, Mac , Roger,Faber, Ron, DTM and many many more people that i have not named here …
It was also during this time that i began to look ever more closely at the gear that i was jumping and began to hear a different set of names – Atair, Apex, Asylum, Flik, Fox, Troll, Gargoyle, DP, Wizard, Sorceror – a whole new vocabulary opened and i realised that big meant best when it comes to BASE canopies!
Back to smartrigs …
Having learnt a new vocabulary and having bought and read some books about rigging i realised that bigger does not always equal better – the skill and care shown in gear choice in the BASE world is very different to the brand and price led skydiving world.
Having made this realisation – i decided to form smartrigs and seek out the best that there is in skydiving gear and equipment !!!
And so i spoke to Stane from Atair in Slovenia – who had made the two Troll MDV canopies that i had flown during my 50+ BASE jumps and discovered his range of little known but excellent canopies and smartrigs became proud to sell the RADICAL, the STEALTH and the DRAGON canopies from Atair …
I spoke to Jerome Bunker from Basik – who was part of the world leading french 4way team TAG and who despite his 14000+ jumps never tires of talking skydiving with a simpleton such as me … And who is the Wizard behind the highly advanced SEVEN container and also the excellent X-Fast low volume reserve and slowly smartrigs began to take shape …
Three months in i am full of trepidation, but excited at the prospect of all those as-yet un-made jumps and all those friends (rather than customers) that i have yet to meet ;0)
SMARTRIGS ON TOUR – Deland Florida Nov 09
Well after a two year abscence from jumping in general i decided to visit Deland in Florida last month – so i decided to organise a SMARTRIGS visit to our suppliers in Deland …
I picked Deland mainly because it is home to several of the main manufacturers in skydiving and one of the few remaining Florida DZ’s that i haven’t visited yet!
So i arranged to put some jumps on a demo DRAGON canopy from Atair and arranged to meet Jerome from Basik out there and jumped on a plane !!
I decided to fly with Virgin Atlantic as they fly direct from Gatwick and i really like their service and from a Skydiving point of view they also allow you to carry your rig in addition to your normal baggage allowance – the allowance for your rig is a generous ‘up to’ 32kgs !!! Which can save paying excess baggage fees which other airlines will charge you !!!
However i made a major mistake with the car hire – i decided to go with Carhire 3000 as i found them to be one of the cheapest on travelsupermarket but the old chestnut that you get what you pay for came true …
After a pleasant but long 9 hour flight i arrived with all my bags to an almost empty carhire section, however, as i walked along the desks looking for the ‘Dollar’ desk which were Carhire 3000′s partners i found a huge queue which led to the DOLLAR counter – it turns out that Virgin Atlantic also use them as well as several other companies and whilst Alamo and Avis and many others were virtually queue-free DOLLAR were packed !!!
I had a ‘pleasant’ hour or so wait in the queue before it was my turn to be served….
After a short discussion i decided to take an up-grade to a small jeep for an additional $12 per day all inclusive…
(For anyone who has never been to Florida before it is worth noting that i was originally quoted approx $35 per day as the upgrade fee and gently haggled them down – you should never pay the first price quoted !!!)
I grabbed my trusty* JEEP PATRIOT and headed for Deland !!!
* trusty is a major misnomer – this think had more shakes than McDonalds and more rattles than Mothercare !!!
During my journey i discovered a few things – it is always worth asking for change at the toll booth as not all are manned which can be a right pain if you don’t already have some change (luckily i had remembered from previous trips) …
It is worth trying to find the reading light in your car BEFORE setting off as driving on the wrong side of the road whilst trying to read maps/instructions by other peoples headlights is comic and probably dangerous !!!
After a fun journey i arrived at my home for the next 10 days – the Holiday Inn which is 5 mins (by car) from the DZ 
For anyone planning on visiting the area the Holiday Inn is a great place to stay – $59 plus taxes for a room per night if you tell them that you are a skydiver (About £40 with the current exchange rate and taxes).
You can also get a twin-bedded room for the same price (best booked in advance) which reduces the cost to £20 each. Also if you join their ‘Priority Club’ which is FREE you are also entitled to a FREE BREAKFAST every day as well !!!
The following day i headed over to the DZ and watched the Kaleidescope 100 ways – if you haven’t seen or heard of them then they are two seperate invitational RW 100 way’s which are jumping back to back !!!
It was simply amazing to watch over a hundred canopies opening every thirty minutes !!! The organisers certainly had managed to arrange things so that everyone seemed to land safely time and time again.
There are few DZ’s that have the lift capacity to maintain this all day but with 4 Super Otters and a Skyvan for the bigways plus a PAC 750 for the fun jumpers the DZ managed to keep everyone happy – although the manifest girl almost had a melt down when the kaleidescope guys decided to move things around which meant that she had to re-manifest 239 jumpers at one point !!!!
The following day i managed to crack out my checkout dive (as it had been 2 years) plus a couple of jumps to ‘refresh’ my canopy skills.
Once i was happy i grabbed the DRAGON found a rigger (which was surprisingly hard for such a big DZ) and got ‘hooked up’
My thanks to Gregg who helped rig the canopy and found a pair of spare risers for me and to Stane who provided me with a BRAND NEW unjumped DRAGON 190 demo canopy at very short notice – in fact they had made it specifically so i could jump it – how’s that for customer service?
For anyone who’s not familiar with the canopy – the DRAGON is a 7 Cell canopy with soft openings – much like a Spectre but it seems to fly a little better – more like the new generation of 7 cell canopies from PD …
Over the next few days i gave it a real pasting – i jumped it in high winds (100 jump minimum conditions), gusty winds, took some downwind and x-wind landings and also took it wingsuiting and am happy to report that it handled all that i threw at it 
The wingsuit exits from the back of the skyvan were simply AWESOME and made the trip worthwhile on their own …
Bearing in mind that my exit weight is ‘ahem’ 240 / 245 ish I loaded the canopy at around 1.25 – 1.30 and found it to be forgiving in the main, but responsive when i wanted to play with it !!!
During the rest of my visit i took time to visit most of the suppliers in Deland to see what was new in terms of the latest skydiving gadgets and gear…
I visited Aerodyne and picked up our latest rig – an Icon I4 which is one of the first (if not the first) to feature a skyhook here in the UK. It was specced with a Pilot 150 and a Smart 150 reserve and was sized for someone approximately 5’6 (+/- a couple of inches)
I particularly like the logo on the tuck-tab which i presume de-notes that it has a skyhook fitted …
After much bribery (involving curly-wurlies no less) they graciously allowed me to take the rig back with me …
Following my visit to Aerodyne I also visited Jenn at Altimaster where i placed an order for several of their nice Altimaster Galaxy’s with glow-faces (for anyone that might be tempted by a night jump) and for some of those fantastic new N3′s which allow you to play your ipod as well – although i am waiting to see what the BPA thinks of this !!!
Jenn also showed me their special range of “Pink” alti’s as well …
I also visited the guys at Skysystems and have made arrangements to stock their helmets which include the Benny – which is like a modern looking pro-tec but with an Alti pocket built in and comes in several nice colours and is excellent value for money!!!
There is also going to be a brand new version of their popular factory diver which is going to feature a unique flip-up visor and should give the Z1 a run for it’s money – expect to see it in the new year!!
I also visited the Pittz clothing guys and arranged to stock their range of cool freefly trousers and jumpsuits – we currently have the four most popular colours in each and sizes ranging from M – XXL including camo !!!
On Monday I met with Jerome from Basik and we visited UPT, PD, Mirage and Jump Shack who are all based in the same area, we toured several of the plants and watched various companies manufacture and assemble the gear that we all jump.
It was fascinating to watch – In many companies rigs are still cut by hand and assembled by skilled workers – rather than using a cutting machine for accuracy and then assembling the rig which is the method used by BASIK with their containers such as the SEVEN.
One thing that is apparent is Jerome’s reluctance to compromise on quality – in fact since the SEVEN was first produced two years ago their have been several minor modifications and ‘tweaks’ to ensure that it remains a truly cutting edge container …
I hadn’t realised that Jerome had spent a long period of time in Deland when he was training with the french 4-Way team which was sponsored by TAG HEUER and was at the time one of the most dominant RW teams in skydiving during the 80′s. I was amazed that after 14 000 jumps and thirty plus years in the sport that Jerome was still so passionate about the sport and the equipment that he produces …
Obviously these conversations were all the better for often being held over several beers the best of which could be found either at the Drop-in bar on the DZ where the 5 bottles for $10 (£6) buckets were welcome or at the ABBEY (117 North Woodland Boulevard, Deland) – which has got to be the most expensive place to drink in Deland ($10 – $12 for some of their rarer small bottles of beer) but with a line up featuring several beers that i hadn’t seen outside of Belgium plus an extensive list of draught beers and micro-brews – if you are into your beer or can handle the cost – it’s an absolute must !!!
Also if you like good food there are loads of good places in town – the Thai restaurant was highly reccomended by everyone i spoke to, the Outback Steakhouse made me a steak that just melted in my mouth!, There is apparently a good seafood restaurant in Daytona as well (I didn’t get a chance to try it) and the little burger and chicken place by the hotel (hamilton’s) which if you get a night when the two girls are running the bar – it turned into a crazy night – they drank more than i did and had a very frank discussion about the pro’s and con’s of becoming semi-pro mud wrestler’s!!! I was absolutely hammered by the time i left – however when i returned a few nights later there were other people running the restaurant and it was pretty boring so i think you need to time it right … 
So – all too soon the adventure was over – after a couple of hours delay at the airport and a eight hour flight home I find that things are still the same – it’s almost 25 degrees C colder and much wetter but already i’m planning the return trip !!!
Things i would do again – visit the manufacturers, drink beer in the ABBEY, Go to the Outback Steakhouse, Stay at the Holiday Inn, Upgrade to Premium Economy, do more wingsuiting from the Skyvan …
Things i wouldn’t do again – use Dollar rent-a-car, have a rattly jeep patriot (after only 14k miles), try to read the map without a proper light…
So if anyone is planning a trip or wants to ask any questions then drop me a line – james@smartrigs.com
Well they’re here ;0)
Smartrigs has received it’s first demo containers and canopies for our customers to use.
We have taken delivery of two brand new Advance Seven containers complete with X-Fun main canopies and X-Fast reserves.
As soon as we have them assembled we will post pictures.
Meanwhile if anyone wants to demo an Advance Seven container with a 170 main or an Advance Seven container with a 190 main canopy – contact smartrigs and book your slot today!
The Radical is a state of the art high performance elliptical 9-cell canopy that has been designed for experienced canopy pilots.
The Radical is a delight to fly with soft openings, excellent speed range, low front riser pressure, gradual recovery arc and long powerful flare.
The Radical is excellent for swooping but can also be flown conservatively and lands easily even on straight in approaches with out using front risers.
The Radical was created using specialized computer software for designing and analyzing low speed airfoils and wings.
The 3D wing is transferred into 2D top and bottom panels and ribs.
Using Advanced Technology AIR foil shaping methods, it is possible to obtain a parachute wing which has desired airfoil shape over the whole wing span not only at the ribs.
The Radical also incorporates the Atair 2 Stage Opening Technology,which provides soft predictable on heading openings.
High grade zero porosity fabric and top class manufacturing guarantee a canopy that performs excellently.
Atair are perhaps better known for their state of the art BASE canopies such as the Troll MDV / Trango and OSP.
Renowned for their high quality and attention to detail Atair have been at the forefront of canopy design since 1992.
Designed by Stane Krajnc, the Radical is a state of the art high performance elliptical 9-cell skydiving canopy.
For further information see smartrigs.com or Atair