Gear Essentials: A Guide to My Paragliding Arsenal
Paragliding being my primary passion and the way I make a living , I believe its important to be comfortable and happy with my gear choices. Having tried over 250 wings in my lifetime and written several reviews for XCMag , I’ve developed my own criteria when it comes to choosing my gear so here it goes:
Tandem
- Ozone Magnum 3 : Excellent all-rounder easy takeoff and landing characteristics in most conditions. It really excels in thermal conditions , being one of the nicest to climb with and one of the best performers in moving air , not to mention that due to its gentle nature , the passengers are less likely to get motion sick.
- Advance Bi Pro Passenger harness: This harness features amazing ergonomics and comfort , descent stability , generous removable foam protection, large storage space and robust but light construction. Certainly the favourite of many professional tandem pilots .
- Flugsau Pigi Pa: Swiss made , robust , light , thick foam protection and very comfortable for most passenger sizes.
Hike and Fly
- Ozone Zeolite 2 GT: One of the most balanced wings out there . Light weight , robust construction, incredible performance , easy handling , very collapse resistant and excellent take-off capabilities . If I had to marry a wing , it would probably be this one.
- Skywalk Range Xalps 2 : To me, an iconic harness from its release in 2018 , excellent aerodynamics , stability , user-friendliness, construction and weight, certainly a trend-setter . This harness will soon be replaced when the Ozone F*Race 2 hits the market.
it was appropriate to chose what’s probably the easiest acro wing out there
Acro
- U-turn Blackout+ 21: As acro is definitely the discipline I dedicate the least time to, it was appropriate to chose what’s probably the easiest acro wing out there that in the right hands can perform most manoeuvres and with my wingload is enough to have some fun.
- Sup Air Acro 3: a few years ago it was the choice of the worlds best acro pilots , I particularly like the stability , robustness and protection . I´m quite happy with this model , however there are better options out there such as the Fly The Earth 3RS.
Competitions
- Ozone Enzo 3 : Without a doubt the most successful glider ever created! After almost 7 years on the market, it´s still winning at the highest level. Top performance and ease of use make it the best partner for any comp pilot.
- Ozone Submarine: Released only last year, also without a doubt the most aerodynamically efficient harness on the market. I only advice the use of this harness for serious XC and Comp flying . The zipper system and the lack of contact with the instruments add another degree of difficulty to take into account. Having said that, the more I fly it , the more I feel at home.
Reserves
Just a few years ago , I only possessed classic round reserves but now I have transitioned to having two Square reserves on the Comp gear, one light square on the Hike and fly gear , a beamer and a round on the Acro gear and will soon transition to a Square on the tandem .
Instruments
-Air 3: Robust, big and long lasting battery. It has all the premium features of XC Tracks , super easy to operate and customize.
– Naviter Oudie N : Super durable battery but price tag a little high for what you get from the hardware. The best thing about the Oudie N is the software See you Navigator, which you can buy, and use on most modern mobile devices so I recommend that option instead. I believe the paid version of see you navigator is one of the best apps out there and they are constantly improving it.
– XC Tracer Maxx: This is the instrument I use the most. Light, long lasting battery and simple to use. Very minimalist but you get all the information you need except for navigating to turnpoints. . It has one of the most sensitive varios out there which you can fully customize to your taste, such a gem of a device.