1. Header
  2. Header-80

Welcome: If this is your first visit, start by reading the following…
Contribute
Feel free to leave comments at the bottom of a page, or become an Editors and change the actual contents.


ENTER the NEW BASE Wiki

Recent changes
If this is a return visit, click here to see what Editors have recently changed.

About the New BASE Wiki.

Protective

This page is a chapter in 'BASE Wiki Gear'

Protective: Non jumpers often wonder why BASE jumpers wear helmets. After all, if the parachute doesn’t open is a helmet really going to save you? Once you realize that the biggest danger in BASE is [][/] and see some of the landing areas that BASE jumpers aim for, protective gear suddenly makes a lot more sense.



All BASE jumpers agree that protective gear is a good idea. However, different people have different comfort levels. There is no denying that protective gear can be restrictive and uncomfortable at times. Depending on the difficulty of the jump, the nature of the objects, surrounding obstacles and the available landing areas, more or less protective gear is needed.

On rare occasions the restrictions coming from having to sneak onto an object prevent the use of protective gear. Examples include getting into an office building during the day, wearing a business suit, dress shoes, and an attache-case that fits just a rig. Fortunately, these situations are rare, and it is up to the jumper to decide if the jump is worth the risk of not wearing protection.

Don’t ever be embarrassed because you are wearing more protective gear than the other people on the load. Don’t be the jumper that broke his ankle because he was wearing sneakers, or the guy that shattered his jaw because he wasn’t wearing a full face helmet.

Also, don’t mistake an easy primary landing area for a jump where no protection is necessary. You never know where your improvised backup plan tells you to land. Even the [][/] with its massive grass field has huge boulders on both sides just below the bridge. More than one person has broken bones here because they didn’t think beyond the primary landing area.

Helmets and Body Armor

These are topics big enough to warrant entire pages dedicated to Helmets and Protective gear

Shoes

After a helmet, shoes can be considered the most important protection you wear. Your ankles and feet are easily damaged when landing in a field of boulders, some bushes, or even on asphalt. Furthermore, hikes to certain cliffs can be very remote and through rough terrain.

Invest in a pair of sturdy boots with good ankle support and possibly reinforced toes. Most mountaineering stores carry suitable shoes. Prepare to spend some money, but know they’ll last you a life time. Also spend sufficient time in the store to make sure they fit well.

Most mountaineering boots have lace hooks. These are potential snag point in case you go completely unstable. It is not very likely, but you can consider to put tape over them. Even better, get a pair of boots that don’t have hooks. Hanwag makes a sturdy shoe for paragliders that doesn’t have any hooks. Many BASE jumpers wear them. Crispi Shoes also have some models that many BASE jumpers wear.

Opinion of [][/]: I wear a set of Hanwag paragliding boots. They fit great, have been in the water multiple times and I’ve taken them on multiday hikes and snowshoeing. They’re indestructible. I got mine through [][/]Vertigo BASE.

Ankle Protection

Recommended for compressive support for chronic ankle instabilities or strains, injured or weak ankles, and protects the ankle from over rotation.


Soft Lase-Up Ankle Wrap with supporting straps

Ankle wraps range from $20 to $50 USD, and can be found at most retail Sporting goods stores.


Semi-Rigid Ankle Wrap with supporting straps


Quote Originally Posted by Mick Knutson
I actually use a soft lace-up one for an ankle that I have had no issues with, then another semi-rigid wrap for an ankle I have sprained in the past. I sprained my ankle at a concert, and was not wearing a brace. I have been jumping with these braces for over 5 years now and have never had ankle problems because of it.

Knee Pads

Knee pads are simple, lightweight, cheap and hardly restrict your movement. As such, they are highly recommended, especially considering knee fractures are some of the trickiest injuries to heal. Once you break your kneecap, or bones nearby, it is likely you’ll be in pain the rest of your life. All it takes is a poorly executed PLF over some small boulders, and your knee can be in pieces.


Knee and Shin Protection
Knee pads don’t have to be expensive, but there are several things to consider.
  • Is there snag-potential? Some knee pads have room between the hard pads and the liner below it behind which a line or a bridle can easily snag.
  • If there is snag potential, can you wear them underneath your pants to cover them up? This can also be a benefit on jumps where you don’t want to be seen wearing protection.
  • How comfortable are they?
  • Can you take them off over your shoes or not?

Another advantage of having a pair of knee pads is that if you ever find yourself packing on hard ground, you can wear them to save your knees.
Some people wear shinguard's as well. The benefit is substantially less than knee pads, but it doesn’t hurt to have them. Some pieces are combined knee pads and shinguard's, especially the mountain biking type. One area where they might help is when you decided to land in the trees.

Hip and Ass

Another relatively cheap and comfortable piece of protection can be provided by hip and ass shorts. These are usually worn by freestyle snowboarders, mountain bikers or motocrossers. Look in those areas when you’re shopping around. They usually have some soft padding on the butt cheeks, and hard shells to cover the tailbone, as well as the hips.

Hip and Ass Protector

The protection offered by these shorts can save you from having to sit on an inflatable tube for three weeks because you bruised your tailbone. These shorts are not going to save your life, but the disadvantages are minimal. They are very comfortable, and the only noticeable difference is that you’ll have a bigger ass. That means that it’s not suitable for fashion aware BASE jumpers.

Some [][/] comes in a full suit style as opposed to just a top. These are an awesome replacement for the hip and ass shorts.








class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style " | <a class="addthis_button_preferred_1"></a> <a class="addthis_button_preferred_2"></a> <a class="addthis_button_preferred_3"></a> <a class="addthis_button_preferred_4"></a> <a class="addthis_button_compact"></a> <a class="addthis_counter addthis_bubble_style"></a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-4efde6741ab340ed"></script>

This page has been seen 19,982 times.

Current Discussion: Main discussion

  1. No comments have been posted for this discussion.

Users Browsing This Page (0 members, 1 guests)