Skydiving Knife

ZENGHOST

ZENGHOST

Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
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I've always wanted to try skydiving, and after my friend told me about her skydiving experience on Friday I want to try it even more. The thing is that they (obviously) told her to empty all of her pockets, so she had to leave her knife in the car. It makes sense to me and everything--you don't want your knife coming out of your pocket and landing on some innocent bystander's head--but I'm still reluctant to dive knife-less. I'm looking for a way to secure a folder that would allow me to access it in an emergency while still keeping it securely on my person. I don't want to look like some wannabe paratrooper with a fixed blade, but I can't think of how I would secure a folder in a way that will still allow access to it. Any ideas? Any of you guys have experience jumping out of a plane? I don't know if I'll actually get a chance to do it, but I'd like some ideas anyway.
 
I'd say about 2feet of 550 through the lanyard hole, and tied off on a belt should do it.

I'm most likely going up(and back down the fun way) this summer. Guy I know is getting a group together to get the discount and instruction.
 
Originally posted by VampyreWolf
I'd say about 2feet of 550 through the lanyard hole, and tied off on a belt should do it.
Click to expand...
That's kind of what I was thinking, but I'm not sure how I would be dressed (how do you dress for something like that), and I don't always wear a belt so I don't know if I'll have something to secure it to. That may be my only choice though...
 
Well this is the perfect excuse to "accessorize" with a new knife..specifically, a Spyderco Remote Release :)

Rescue.jpg


RL
 
I have done 5 jumps (but sadly the most recent one was in 1996). When I did those jumps, they had me wear a loaner jumpsuit over the shorts I was wearing at the time. They also hooked me up with loaner boots.

I think I recall wearing a Spyderco Delica in my back pocket under the jumpsuit. I suppose that might have risked it riding over its clip and sliding down the leg of the jumpsuit pants... But it didn't. I might be mis-remembering it. I might have put it into a front pocket. That would be much more secure against loss/fall, but not what I would call accessible.

Do not put a fixed blade into a boot. That seems like a bad idea from the standpoint of landing. Landing shock with a square parachute is NOT very hard -- about equal to jumping off a chair or maybe a table. If done right, you sort of asymptotically meet up with the ground, like when a skier comes down off an olympic ski-jump. Pretty gentle.

I think that some people use that Benchmade seatbelt cutter ring (forgot the name) for possible extrication from tangles... not sure. You might want to check out skydiving newsgroups on usenet. Good luck, and have a lot of fun. Skydiving's great!

---Jeffrey
 
Jumping with a fixed blade... use paracord to tie a secondady strap thought the belt loop... use a hangman's noose and then double loop the noose part wound the grip... tighten...

For a folder, the two foot dummycord thing previously mentioned is fine... you might want to keep one knife handy though (like a knife pouch on your harness with dummy cord) in case you get one or more cords in case your canopy does not deflate upoon landing, or if a cord gets around your neck after a landing.
 
I'd suggest you perform a number of jumps - ten or so - without worrying about carrying a knife of any kind.

Believe me that will be the least of your concerns during that period. After that stage, you will be much better placed to decide what will be the best set-up for you, given the rig etc.

In all honesty, to have a knife for a first jump would be ridiculous. Counter-productive even.
 
Switched is pretty much correct...
Commercial jump sites will have trainers and supervisors there to help with anything you might need. They will have the tools necessary to keep you out of trouble (usually hook knives. My favorite being Jack the Rippers or Frost of Sweden's gutting knife).

My personal preference is to have my own knife, well secured and accessable.
 
I'd think that a knife of almost any kind would be just about the last thing you'd take up, and bring down with you, on a -commercial- jump... -edited to add-

What the heck are you thinking about, cutting yourself free from the 'chute?

Christ, the ground comes 'up' quick enough as it is, and if your timing is off, it hurts like hell too...personally, I can't envision deliberately turning myself into a 'lawn dart'...YMMV ;)

(Any follow on posts directed towards my comments should come from personal experience, not from something you've read, or what your Uncle Joe-Bob told you that his best friends brother told him...)

Mel
 
Well there's a reason someone thought up "chute" knives...
Being prepared is a pretty decent reason for carrying a knife.

All my jumps were low altitude combat equipment jumps, mostly at night, and loaded down with gear. My pocket knife was just stuck in my pocket, along with all the other usual stuff. Never a problem, and landings (the only part I didn't look forward to) with a T-10C or -1B are a little more violent than with a freefall rig. I don't see skydiver's doing PLFs...gotta try that someday-seems like ten times the fun part, and none of the not-so-fun parts.
I'd just clip a folder in a pocket or IWB, with a lanyard to the belt or belt loop if you're really worried about it.

At least that's what Uncle Joe-Bob told me that his best friend's brother would say:p
 
The problem here is that I don't know what to expect from this at all--it's not something that I've experienced before and that makes the need to carry a knife even greater. I try to be prepared for any situation whether it's likely to happen or not.

Just some more info--this is a "tourist type" thing. It's not going to be my passion in life (at least I don't think so), and I'm not planning to go through a two thousand dollar course without first knowing if I'll like it or not (can't afford that even if I do like it). So it'll be a tandem jump, and quite frankly I don't know if I'll even get the opportunity to do it in the immediate future or not. I'm just jealous that my friend got to do it and have been obsessing over it a bit. I figured that if someone who hates to fly and is afraid of heights can do it, then so can I--that and the fact that she'll never let me forget that she did it and I didn't.

And for anyone who thinks that nothing's going to go wrong can read this. This happened a little over a year ago at the same air field that I would be jumping at. No, I don't think a knife would've helped, but it makes me want to be that much more prepared.

Thanks for your responses, guys--it always helps to hear from people who have experience.
 
You should try it. Even if it's just a one-time thing. Going out the door is a huge rush. It's been over 10 years since I jumped, and I still get fired up just hearing the jump commands in a movie or whereever.
I can only imagine how much fun a freefall from high altitude would be-our main concern was getting to the ground so we could pee after being geared up for hours:o
 
My Aunt Bessie was the Airborne Whittling Champion here for many years actually. Still holds the record for fewest number of jumps taken to complete a very nice Ball in the Box, as I understand.

Zeng I appreciate XYZ can go wrong. I've had an experience like that. But the idea of a knife doing you any good at all on a first jump is pretty funny, particularly a folder. Unless you plan on whittling of course...

Seriously though, I suppose there might be some use for it on the ground, although really - VERY unlikely. If you just have to, because you can't bear to be parted or something, make sure it is right out of harm's way, tight inside an inside pocket or something. Easy access might actually cause a problem.

The first jump is okay. It's the SECOND which is the hardest I'd say, when you know what you're in for. Freefall isn't a joke first time out, either.
 
All of my jumps were for Uncle Sam, over 20 years ago, so my experience is dated. I can't think of a single reason to have a knife for jumping purposes. You will have so much to keep track of, I can't see how you would have time to use it. Things happen pretty quickly, believe me.

If I were jumping into combat, I would certainly have a knife, but not for the jump.

Just my 0.02.
 
I've made 10 recreational skydives, 4 of which were the Static line progression, and the longest being a 45 second freefall. I to had to wear one of the loaner jumpsuits over my clothing, so a pocket knife was inaccessible anyway. Most jumpers that carry something to cut line, especially those that practice CReW, or Canopy Relative Works, carry one of the seatbelt cutters that have the "hidden" or protected blade. They tether it very securely to one of their shoulder harnesses in case they get tangled in another guys canopy. Most malfunctions I have ever read about or seen on TV didn't require any kind of knife. All that was needed was to use the cut-away cord, and your streamer main was released. From what I understand, you go cutting lines under a "relatively" good canopy, and you are going to be in a mell of a hess. Like Switched said, don't worry about carrying a knife until you have at least a good handful of dives under your belt.

JMHO.

Mike
 
Hey, if I have to wear a suit to jump, I'll wear my flightsuit thats hanging in the closet. Plenty of rigging points on there, and the best pocket is the inner thigh one on my left leg. fits a 4" folder, and is the right size that my millie can fit and not open at all.

Might buy a rescue hook for the shoulder pocket though.
 
Well I'd be backing Medic in the US Airborne Whittling Championships, that's for sure.

Interesting that they seem to start out with tandem jumps in the US. I think static line solo is still the usual beginning point here. If that is the US approach, it might well have a lot of sense in it.
 
zhenghost, first lemme say, itll be the best money you will ever spend and it will be like nothing else youve ever done before.

as far as carrying a pocket knife on a jump, i can honestly say without a doubt in my mind that it would be utterly useless in freefall or under canopy. the only time actual blades would be used in skydiving is if you were doing CRW (canopy relative work) and had a VERY serious entaglement or maybe (and thats a BIG maybe) if you had a lineover and could clear it. in those situations a hookknife would be used, somewhat similar to the benchmade rescue thingy (if youve ever seen the frontsight hideaway knives these have the same type handles)
in most other cases if your main had a malfunction you (or your instructor if your on a tandem) would pull the cutaway handle which is connected to the cutaway cables which go through the loop sewed onto the risers at the three ring release point, the three consecutively smaller rings that you see on a skydivers shoulders act as a lever to give you a 200:1 mechanical advantage when cutting away. then, obviously, you would pull the reserve handle.

about the tandem incident posted on dropzone.com. from the details available so far it is assumed that they had a main reserve entanglement, which in this case was caused by the accidental dislogeing of the closing pin which holds the main container open, which then turned into a horseshoe malfunction that prevented the tandem instructor from releaseing the drouge to get the main to linestretch. because of this at 1900ft the cypress probably fired (if the reserve handle hadnt been pulled yet) causeing the reserve canopy to entangle with the horseshoed main which resulted in the fataility, however, this is all speculation (on my part). what is certain though is that once the pair reached terminal they never slowed down till impact. a pocket knife wouldn't have made one bit of difference in that case.

all that being said, skydiving is obviously NOT a safe sport, it is amazingly fun and for me it was and still is (40 some odd jumps later) a life changing experience, but it does have its risks.

if your still interested, obviously keep reading on the dropzone.com forums. and go out to the DZ near you to ask questions (skydivers are VERY friendly people)
 
Zenghost,


I am a rank beginner, having made a mere three (3) static line jumps. Was highly terrified, which you may not be, not just afraid. I can't imagine a situation during the jumps, that might've occurred, in which I could've helped myself with a knife. Your mileage may vary, since you may be a steadier type.

That said, parachute jumping is great. D: If it makes you happy, or feel lucky, to wear your favorite knife on the jump, then do so. Just secure it well.

Have a wonderful time!!! Let us know how the jump goes!


Alan
 
With three static line jumps, you're no coward, as far as all this goes to that.

Your experience is highly typical and I was no different.

Nicely expressed advice.
 
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