Skydiving Jumpsuits: How to Choose Between Materials, Sizing, and Used Gear

You've passed 50 jumps, you've got your license, and you're finally thinking about ditching that anonymous orange rental suit the school hands you every Saturday morning. Great idea. The jumpsuit is the first piece of personal gear most skydivers buy — and it's also the one where the most mistakes get made. Not because it's complicated, but because it seems simple: it's just a suit, right? Wrong. It's an aerodynamic tool. Get the fabric, cut, or measurements wrong and you'll fall too fast or too slow for the group, blow exits, and embarrass yourself in formation. Here's how to avoid that.

Why a Jumpsuit Is Not 'Just a Suit'

In freefall you're descending at speeds that typically range from 180 to 220 km/h in a belly-to-earth position, with higher peaks in vertical freefly. At those speeds, the fabric surface, its air resistance, and the presence or absence of grippers have a real, measurable effect on your fall rate and maneuverability. A slick fabric like lightweight cordura or supplex reduces drag and increases speed; a draggy fabric like heavy cordura, treated ripstop, or velvet does the opposite. This isn't marketing — it's physics. Your fabric choice needs to be calibrated to your body weight, your build, and — above all — the fall rate of the group you're flying with.

A practical example: you're a light person (under 65 kg) flying RW with heavier people. Without a suit that slows you down a bit, you'll tend to float above the formation and drive your coach crazy. Conversely, if you're heavy and flying with lighter people, a slick suit will make you sink like a stone. The suit doesn't fix everything, but it's the first variable you can adjust before even working on your body position.

Fabric Comparison: A Practical Guide

The most common fabrics on the market fall into a few main categories. Cordura is probably the most widespread: it comes in different weights (typically 500D and 1000D) and offers a good balance of abrasion resistance and durability. It's the fabric you'll find on most mid-range RW suits. Supplex is lighter, softer, and very slick — ideal for reducing aerodynamic drag, often used in freefly suits or summer versions. Ripstop is lightweight and tear-resistant thanks to its reinforced grid weave; it's common in tunnel suits and hybrid designs. Velvet (and similar fabrics with a slightly textured surface) adds drag and is used in RW suits for lighter flyers or in mixed configurations.

A quick comparison: Cordura 500D — high durability, medium resistance, medium weight, versatile for RW and basic freefly. Cordura 1000D — very high durability, heavier, greater aerodynamic resistance, preferred by lighter-bodied RW flyers or in high-wear conditions. Supplex — medium durability, very lightweight, slick, excellent for freefly and fast fallers. Velvet/draggy fabrics — variable durability, increases surface friction, recommended for lighter flyers in RW. The choice is never absolute: many manufacturers combine different fabrics on different parts of the suit (e.g., supplex on the back, cordura on elbows and knees).

Grippers: What They Are and When You Need Them

Grippers are the grab handles sewn onto the suit, typically at the wrists, ankles, legs, and back. They're essential for RW (Relative Work) formation skydiving: they allow other members of the formation to dock on you safely and stably. In vertical freefly (head-up, head-down), traditional grippers are less common or absent, replaced by specific fabric grips or different configurations.

Gripper materials vary: mesh is the most common, lightweight with good grip; cordura is more wear-resistant; silicone offers high grip but wears out faster. If you're getting into 4-way or 8-way RW, make sure your suit has at least wrist and ankle grippers. For pure freefly, you might consider a suit with no grippers or minimal grippers, which reduces turbulence in vertical positions.

Sizing: Custom vs. Standard, and Why Fit Really Matters

This is where many newcomers save money in the wrong place. A poorly fitting jumpsuit isn't just uncomfortable — it can create air pockets that unpredictably affect your body position, restrict arm movement during deployment, and in extreme cases interfere with your equipment handles. I'm not exaggerating: suit fit is a safety consideration, not just a comfort one.

The major manufacturers (Tonfly, Parasport Italia, Atair, Cookie, Square1, and others) offer custom suits at prices that often aren't far off standard sizing. The measurement process typically requires around twenty measurements: height, weight, arm length, leg length, chest circumference, waist, hips, and specific segment measurements. Most manufacturers provide detailed measurement guides online. If you can, have a rigger or experienced skydiver take your measurements — a mistake on a custom suit is an expensive problem.

Standard sizes exist and work fine for average builds, but if you have unusual proportions (long arms, short torso, very long legs), a standard suit will fit poorly and cause problems in freefall. Saving 50–80 euros on a standard suit versus a custom one is rarely worth the hassle.

RW Suit or Freefly Suit? The Question You Need to Answer First

With 50–200 jumps you're probably still exploring disciplines. The temptation is to buy an 'all-around' suit. Hybrid suits designed to work in both belly and freefly do exist, and for someone at this stage they can make sense. But there's a trade-off: a suit optimized for RW has a different cut from one optimized for freefly. An RW suit typically has wider legs, fuller sleeves, and distributed grippers; a freefly suit is more fitted, cut to avoid air pockets in vertical positions, and often reinforced in different areas.

The practical advice: decide which discipline you want to develop over the next 200–300 jumps and buy the suit that fits that goal. If you're undecided, talk to your coach or the experienced flyers at your drop zone. They see how you fall and can tell you what you need. Buying a freefly suit to do RW because it 'looks cooler' is a classic 50–200-jump mistake.

The Used Market: Real Opportunity or Trap?

A used jumpsuit can be an excellent purchase, as long as you know what to check. Unlike a container or a canopy, a jumpsuit has no regulatory service life limits imposed by ENAC or manufacturers (it's not life-saving equipment): the limit is the physical condition of the fabric and stitching. This means you can buy used with more confidence than with other gear components, but you still need to do a thorough assessment.

What to check on a used suit: the main seams (especially at the shoulders, sides, and gripper attachment points) should show no fraying, skipped stitches, or areas where the fabric is separating. The fabric should not be thinned by abrasion, especially at the elbows, knees, and seat. Zippers should run smoothly without snagging. Grippers must be intact and securely attached. Reinforcements around pockets (if present) should be solid.

The main issue with buying used isn't fabric durability — it's sizing. A used suit is rarely custom-fitted to your body. If you find a used suit in your standard size and in good condition, the savings can be significant (as much as 50–60% off new). If the suit is someone else's custom, think carefully: small measurement differences are very noticeable in freefall. A rigger or experienced instructor can help you assess the fit before you buy.

Where to find used suits: bulletin boards at Italian drop zones, Facebook groups dedicated to Italian skydiving, specialist forums, and industry events such as the Mondial or national boogies. Be wary of anyone selling a suit without providing detailed photos of the seams and grippers.

Approximate Budget and Brands on the Italian Market

The jumpsuit market is fairly competitive. Italian manufacturers like Parasport Italia offer quality suits with good local support, which is no small advantage when you need a repair or alteration. The international brands most present in Italy include Tonfly (Slovenia), Square1 (USA), Atair (Germany), and others. Quality differences between the major brands are often less dramatic than their respective fan clubs would have you believe: given the same fabric and construction, the suit that fits you best is the right one.

As a rough guide, a new custom suit from a mid-range manufacturer typically falls between €200 and €400, with significant variation depending on fabric, number of grippers, aesthetic customization, and brand. High-end suits with premium technical fabrics or special construction can exceed €500. Used suits in good condition are often found between €80 and €200. It's not a huge investment compared to the rest of your gear, but it's what you wear on every jump — it's worth doing right.

In Summary: Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Buy

Before you open your wallet, answer these questions: What discipline do I want to develop over the next 6–12 months? Am I lighter or heavier than average for my group? Do I need a draggy or slick suit? Can I afford custom, or should I go with standard sizing? If I'm buying used, do I have someone who can help me assess fit and condition? If you've answered all five, you're already halfway there. The other half is talking to people who know how you fly: your coach, the experienced flyers at your drop zone, a rigger. They see what you do in the air. Listen to them.