Before we talk about equipment, let's talk about you. BASE is not for everyone. If you are considering making a BASE jump, make sure you're ready to accept its inherent risks. If your motivation to jump comes from a strong attraction to it, fine. If you're trying to impress someone or prove something, don't do it.


You should have skydiving experience before your first BASE jump-- enough so you are very familiar with your gear and have good canopy skills and plenty of awareness in freefall. I'd recommend at least 100 skydives, but the number will vary for each person.


Getting scared is a normal part of BASE, just like skydiving, but the fear can be a lot more intense. If you tend to "freeze" in reaction to fear, this sport is probably not for you. You need to be able to function in the presence of extreme adrenaline.


You also need to be in pretty good physical condition. Getting to an exit point often involves some sort of climbing, e.g., hiking steep trails, going up stairs or ladders, etc.
Be prepared.


Your Deployment System


I mention the deployment system before any other equipment because you may need to change it from one jump to the next. BASE jumps are typically from *much* lower altitudes than even the lowest skydives at your local DZ. A simple pilot chute hesitation can have serious consequences. You need to select an appropriate deployment system for each site.


Here's the problem: each BASE site is different; you need to estimate the canopy opening altitude (AGL) that will give you enough time to safely reach the landing area under existing conditions. Substract that distance from the exit altitude and you will know the distance that you can spend freefalling and deploying your canopy. The
deployment system is based on the length of freefall and the distance in which you need to get your canopy open.


Future articles will discuss deployment systems and their components, i.e., pilot chutes, bridles, tailpockets, sliders, bags (freefall and direct bags), and type of container closure. I'll also discuss specific techniques.


Your Main Canopy


It sounds obvious but your main canopy, which may be your *only* canopy on a BASE jump, needs to have consistent, reasonably quick, on-heading openings and be good condition.


Some mains are better than others. In general, if you are using a ram-air parachute, it should have an aspect ratio of less than 2.5 to 1. The aspect ratio is the distance from one end of the leading edge to the other (the span) divided by the distance from the leading edge to the tail (the chord). Low aspect ratio canopies tend to have more on-heading openings.


Oversized canopies can be a good idea. BASE landing areas are often very tight and require tricky approaches. A large canopy will land softly under most conditions.


Reinforcement, e.g., number and location of load tapes on the canopy, is an important onsideration on any ramair canopy that will be frequently used for BASE.


Round skydiving reserve canopies make excellent canopies for water jumps. I don't care to land one on anything hard, but it has been done.


I'll go into more detail in a future article.


Your Reserve Canopy


If you need a reserve on a BASE jump, you'll need to get it deployed *very* quickly. In a future article, I'll discuss the approaches used to do this.


Your Harness/Container System


Skydiving harness/container systems are suitable for most BASE jumps, but there are systems on the market that were designed specifically for BASE jumping. I'll tell you how to set up a skydiving rig for BASE jumping and discuss BASE rigs in future articles.


Protective Gear


Wearing a helmet is always a good idea. If there are a lot of rocks at the site or other things you could get bruised or scraped on (like pavement or the face of a cliff), wear hard-shell knee pads for sure; wear hard-shell elbow pads if you've got them. Wear footwear suitable for the landing area.