Paragliding Clothing
Starting out, you don't need to be too particular about paragliding clothing. For your first trip to the learners' field or slope, most of what you need is probably right at home in your wardrobe. However, companies have realized that they can make a little extra income from smaller items. So paragliding clothes and accessories are often seen, advertised beside the major items such as harnesses and canopies. From The Paragliding Companies
Any approximate prices quoted here are in US dollars.
Just to look trendy, or to support your favorite paraglider manufacturer, branded shirts and jackets are available. For example, FlyTech has come out with a small range of paragliding clothing. A T-shirt, sweat-shirt and fleecy jacket are offered to spread their name through the wild blue yonder! Airplay have come out with a good-quality polo shirt for under $30. And so on. Flying gloves are available for under $50. A couple of available brands are No Fear and Center of Gravity. No doubt there are a few more if you look for them.
While almost any lace-up boot that supports your ankles is an ideal addition to your paragliding clothing, here's something special. Achtung! For just under $300, you can be the proud owner of a pair of paragliding boots from Hanwag.
Billed as 'The Ultimate Paragliding Boot', they're made in Germany. Vibram soles, ball bearing lace guides, all-round rubber scuff guard and ankle protection like no other. Simply ze best Ja? It's handy to have goggles or at least a well-secured pair of wrap-around sunglasses when flying. Great for keeping the wind out of your eyes and of course to protect them from the sun's harmful UV rays. UV stands for Ultra Violet, which is past the violet end of the rainbow so you can't see it. But the atmosphere can't screen it all out all the time, so some gets through and wrecks the elastic in your undies on the clothesline for example! Any rubber, plastic or similar material is affected. Goggles are used in many sports, and manufacturers have recently begun adding 'paragliding' to the activities listed on the packaging. To give you an idea of the features of a good-quality pair these days, here is the feature list of Zoo Goggles by Blueye:
Expect to pay at least $200 for a name-brand flight suit. Such paragliding apparel offers plenty of useful pockets, comfort over a wide temperature range and loads of image. Well, that last point will only appeal to the image-conscious! Here is a typical list of flight suits, with 2005 prices:
Last updated: 15 Mar 2007 Return to Paragliding Gear from Paragliding Clothing
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More serious pilots will eventually end up adding a flight suit to their paragliding clothing wardrobe. These are particularly handy for high-altitude or long-distance flying. They aren't so cheap, but you won't need one until you progress a long way in the sport.
