Todd began skydiving in 1984, started rigging 2 years later, then "jumped" into B.A.S.E. in 1987. By the end of that year he earned BASE #169, became an FAA rigger and was awarded his first instructional rating. Along with his brother Troy he founded T&T Rigging and began manufacturing the first BASE specific harness/container systems and accessories.
Marta moved to the US from Brazil at age 20. After only 30 skydives she discovered BASE while it was still in it's infancy. There was no BASE specific gear, and in 1988 she began building BASE gear, relying on her skydiving gear and BASE jumping knowledge and experience to make appropriate gear for the sport, and Vertigo was born.
CANOPIES AND OPTIONS
DAGGER
The Dagger has continuous 'A' and 'B' center lines and is tail gate ready. The lines that go into the tail gate are Red. All other lines come standard in Black. The suspension lines and trim are engineered for:
fast openings slower stall speed greater stability in deep brakes more predictability in turbulence
The Dagger comes with factory deep and shallow brake settings for both slider-up and slider-down jumps. It also has pre sewn loops at the end of the steering lines to allow easy toggle installation. The following reinforcements were added to better handle the canopy stresses and punishment inherent to BASE jumping:
Bomb-proof bridle attachment point Reinforced tail pocket section Reinforced trailing edge Spanwise tapes across the bottom skin line attachment points Heavier leading edge tapes on load-bearing ribs Add to all this 525 and 725 pound Dacron in sizes from 166 to 313 square feet, and you have a stronger, better BASE canopy available in exactly the size you need. Apex BASE recommends a different colored center cell for ease of packing.
0-3 Fabric Colors: Black, Navy, Marine, Gray, Red, Sky Blue, Magenta(Flo Purple), Gold, Yellow, Kelly Green, Jade(Teal), Blackberry(dark purple). Flo Orange, Flo Yellow and Flo Green limited availability, please call.
The FLiK made its debut in June 2002 and has set the bar for BASE parachute performance. It was the predecessor to the first base specific parachute the FOX. Both are built using the same proven airfoil shape but they do differ in a few areas. The aspect ratio for one is a little higher on the FLiK at 2.04/1. The FLiK utilizes I-beam construction with triple cross-ports for even and rapid pressurization. A solid frame work is supported by the use of bottom surface spanwise reinforcement connecting each line attachment point. The FLiK is available in 10 sizes, 182, 200, 220, 242, 266, 280, 293, 308, 322, and 354 square feet. 'We are offering 2 sizes that are larger than the biggest FOX, ' reports Anne Helliwell. 'BASE has gone the opposite direction to skydiving, that has been growing with smaller, faster parachutes. With BASE, bigger is better. We can now outfit jumpers that are 200lbs and heavier.'
The FLiK has several design differences when compared to the FOX. The FLiK boasts a slightly higher aspect ratio of 2.04 to 1 (1.97 to 1 on the FOX). The FLiK uses the same airfoil shape as the FOX. 'The FOX has been a great canopy for several years, we had no reason to simply ditch the information and performance of that airfoil', says Todd Shoebotham. The FLiK is it's own canopy, with new flight characteristics, including better glide and landings. It performs better than the FOX in every way except the slider off openings which feel the same, reports test jumper Dwain Weston, after numerous jumps on the FLiK 242.
The FLiK has optional Vtec (Vent Technology). The FLiK Vtec will come standard with a unique vent cover design. The cover allows maximum inflow during pressurization then shuts during flight to maximize flight performance. The Vtec cover pivots well forward of the vent thus giving a large opening for the inflowing air. 'Any air that moves forward while the cover is open can escape through 3 cross port style openings in the cover', says Shoebotham. The FLiK was designed for improved performance and a reduction of bulk. The FLiK has the Vtec and Multi as options, but comes standard with Tail Gate, Tail Gate Friendly Lines(color coded red), Tail Pocket, and mesh slider.
Canopy includes stainless steel connector links, link covers, black lines, red Tail Gate Friendly lines, dual brake settings, large hole mesh slider, tail pocket and tail gate.
FOX canopies are designed with certain performance specifications in mind. The canopy is a seven cell ram air parachute utilizing I-beam construction with spanwise reinforcement. A low aspect ratio provides consistent openings and stable flight from deep brakes to full flight. The construction of the FOX is reinforced throughout. Dacron lines absorb much of the opening shock associated with no slider deployments. Note: We no longer make the multiple brake settings a standard feature. We have went to a single brake setting we feel is optimal for the canopy in terms of openings, opening surge and rear riser controllability. FOX canopies are available in six sizes ranging from 185 to 315 square feet and are manufactured using ripstop that has a permeability of 0-3 cfm commonly referred to as F-111. There is also a zero porosity top surface option. The ZP option makes the top surface and end cell ribs zero porosity, the bottom surface remains 0-3 cfm. All canopies constructed using ZP fabric must have the Multi installed. However, the canopy doesn't have to be made with ZP to use the Multi. Another option is Vent Technology (Vtec). A FOX VTEC has mesh covered vents in its bottom surface. (You can see the Vtec vents in the photo at left above the BR logo on the bottom surface of the canopy). The recommended suspended weight is a mid-range figure of about a .7 wing loading. - Sizes 185 205 225 245 265 285 315- - Seven Cells - - 1.1 Oz 0-3 CFM or Zero Porosity Fabric - - Low Aspect Ratio - - Low Profile Stabilizers - - Triple Cross porting - - Reinforced Bridle Attachment -
The FOX is known worldwide for integrity and performance.
Canopy only: includes stainless steel connector links, link covers, black lines, red Tail Gate Friendly lines, dual brake settings, large hole mesh slider, tail pocket and tail gate.
FOX 185 - $1,270.00 FOX 205 - $1,295.00 FOX 225 - $1,335.00 FOX 245 - $1,335.00 FOX 265 - $1,405.00 FOX 285 - $1,537.00 FOX 315 - $1,570.00
What’s the new Lite canopy all about? To understand the Lite feature we need to explain the standard FLiK or FOX. We built the FOX and FLiK originally with little or no regard to the bulk of the parachute. We over built them both. This was evident in several areas including the bridle attachment and the spanwise reinforcement. Since the FOX was the first BASE specific parachute, if anything, we wanted it to be over built. We knew these parachutes would be used for hundreds of jumps in a single parachute system. Now fast forward 15 + years. The sport has changed and customers now request lighter and smaller parachutes. We’ve always known we overbuilt the canopy and we had room to re-engineer the type and the amount of reinforcement we used in these two parachutes.
In the Lite canopy we changed the following: * All spanwise reinforcement (B and C) was changed to a lighter nylon tape. This tape is more expensive and commonly used in skydiving reserves. * All internal Load Bearing rib tape was changed to the same lighter weight tape used in the span wise reinforcement. * We reduced the width of the tape, from 1/2” to 3/8” that is rolled into the tail seam. * We changed the suspension line from 525 lb. Dacron to a 400 lb Dacron line. * The tail pocket material was also changed to a lighter weight fabric. No change was made to any of the leading edge tapes. We continue to use Type III tape because of the durability and strength.
In the Lite canopy we removed the following: * Spanwise reinforcement on the bottom surface at the D-line. * The top line of reinforcement tape on the stabilizer. * The bridle attachment reinforcement on the top surface cells 3 and 5.
All these changes have yielded a parachute that packs about 10% smaller and weighs 5% less.
Those are the details. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. FLiK Lite FOX Lite they still Fly Great but are now Less Filling.
Neither of these parachutes use the reduced bulk fabric. Stay tuned for the new FLiK UltraLite and FOX UltraLite parachute from Apex BASE that uses the new low bulk fabric.
FLiK 182 Lite and FOX 185 Lite $1,359.00 FLiK 200 Lite and FOX 205 Lite $1,359.00 FLiK 220 Lite and FOX 225 Lite $1,399.00 FLiK 242 Lite and FOX 245 Lite $1,399.00 FLiK 266 Lite and FOX 265 Lite $1,479.00 FLiK 280 Lite and FOX 285 Lite $1.619.00 FLiK 293 Lite $1,619.00 FLiK 308 Lite and FOX 315 Lite $1,649.00 FLiK 322 Lite $1,649.00 FLiK 354 Lite $1,689.00
The Rock Dragon is designed with the Vtec mod in mind and deep brake approaches into tight landing areas. Not to say that this canopy won't perform great in full flight, by any means. We just designed it to fly in a docile, slow forward speed configuration. It pressurizes instantly with no slider, yet pressurizes without the painful BANG associated with vented canopy slider up terminal jumps.
Canopy only: includes stainless steel connector links, link covers, black lines, red Tail Gate Friendly lines, dual brake settings, large hole mesh slider, tail pocket and tail gate.
Rock Dragon 177 - $1,260.00 Rock Dragon 199 - $1,295.00 Rock Dragon 222 - $1,335.00 Rock Dragon 244 - $1,335.00 Rock Dragon 266 - $1,405.00 Rock Dragon 277 - $1,470.00 Rock Dragon 288 - $1,537.00 Rock Dragon 303 - $1,570.00 Rock Dragon 313 - $1,570.00
HTS places ZP fabric on the top surface leading edge (about 30% of the chord).
Vtec (Vent/Valve Technology)
The Vtec option is the only way to go for rapid pressurization of the canopy.
Fifth Brake Line Attachment
This option adds an additional brake line to the standard 4 upper brake line attachments. It is attached on the next half cell inboard from the standard 4th brake line placement.
Multiple Bridle Attachment (MULTI)
The Multi is a 4 point attachment system for the bridle to lift the canopy out of the container by the center 3 cells instead of just the single center cell attachment point. Click on the picture for more details.
The Dagger has continuous 'A' and 'B' center lines and is tail gate ready. The lines that go into the tail gate are Red. All other lines come standard in Black. The suspension lines and trim are engineered for:
The FLiK made its debut in June 2002 and has set the bar for BASE parachute performance. It was the predecessor to the first base specific parachute the FOX. Both are built using the same proven airfoil shape but they do differ in a few areas. The aspect ratio for one is a little higher on the FLiK at 2.04/1. The FLiK utilizes I-beam construction with triple cross-ports for even and rapid pressurization. A solid frame work is supported by the use of bottom surface spanwise reinforcement connecting each line attachment point. The FLiK is available in 10 sizes, 182, 200, 220, 242, 266, 280, 293, 308, 322, and 354 square feet. 'We are offering 2 sizes that are larger than the biggest FOX, ' reports Anne Helliwell. 'BASE has gone the opposite direction to skydiving, that has been growing with smaller, faster parachutes. With BASE, bigger is better. We can now outfit jumpers that are 200lbs and heavier.'
FOX canopies are designed with certain performance specifications in mind. The canopy is a seven cell ram air parachute utilizing I-beam construction with spanwise reinforcement. A low aspect ratio provides consistent openings and stable flight from deep brakes to full flight. The construction of the FOX is reinforced throughout. Dacron lines absorb much of the opening shock associated with no slider deployments. Note: We no longer make the multiple brake settings a standard feature. We have went to a single brake setting we feel is optimal for the canopy in terms of openings, opening surge and rear riser controllability. FOX canopies are available in six sizes ranging from 185 to 315 square feet and are manufactured using ripstop that has a permeability of 0-3 cfm commonly referred to as F-111. There is also a zero porosity top surface option. The ZP option makes the top surface and end cell ribs zero porosity, the bottom surface remains 0-3 cfm. All canopies constructed using ZP fabric must have the Multi installed. However, the canopy doesn't have to be made with ZP to use the Multi. Another option is Vent Technology (Vtec). A FOX VTEC has mesh covered vents in its bottom surface. (You can see the Vtec vents in the photo at left above the BR logo on the bottom surface of the canopy).
Rock Dragon
