What to Wear Skydiving?

You have decided to jump out of a perfectly good airplane! How exciting! Your big day is approaching quickly, and you suddenly realize that you don’t yet know what to wear skydiving. Before you arrive for your skydive, you want to pick out the perfect outfit. But what attire is appropriate for skydiving? We want you to be fully prepared for the most exciting day of your life at Skydive New England, and clothing options are an important part of achieving a fun and safe skydive. Here’s everything you need to know about what you should wear and bring with you on the day of your skydive:

What Shoes To Wear Skydiving

Let’s start from the bottom. You’ll need some sturdy gym shoes or sneakers with flat soles. Most parachute landings involve sliding across the ground kind of like a baseball player sliding into a base. Flat-soled sneakers are necessary for sliding easily into the landing area and keeping your feet protected.

Footwear such as sandals, heels, boots, and any shoes with hooked laces are not permitted when skydiving, as they can interfere with your safety gear and may end up lost during freefall. Sneakers are an absolute must for skydiving, so make sure you choose the correct style of shoe for your big day!

The Appropriate Kind of Clothes for Skydiving

Function definitely trumps fashion when it comes to skydiving. Keep in mind that skydiving is a sport, so comfortable activewear is the way to go. You should choose garments that are fitting, flexible, and not too restrictive. You’ll be more comfortable in your harness and will have a greater range of motion while skydiving. Dressing in thin layers is also strongly recommended. Although it may feel warm outside on the day of your skydive, the temperature at altitude is usually 20-30 degrees cooler than it is on the ground. Consider building your skydiving outfit with several thin layers of athletic apparel to keep yourself nice and toasty up in the sky.

Keep Your Outfit Simple

Simplicity is key when it comes to choosing the right outfit for skydiving. Try to avoid clothing with elaborate embellishments that can flap around while you’re skydiving. Imagine all those loose, dangly pieces painfully whipping about in those 120 mph winds. Ouch.

Make decisions about jewelry with a similar consideration in mind, and don’t bring anything meaningful or valuable with you on your skydive. Jewelry and other loose objects are often ripped away by the powerful winds of freefall and end up lost forever. If you don’t want to lose it, leave it on the ground.

But hey, don’t fret too much if your skydive-appropriate attire isn’t as Instagram-worthy as you’d like. You can wear one of our skydiving jumpsuits and look like a pro! Not only will our colorful jumpsuits make your photos pop, but they will also keep your clothing protected from grass stains when you land.

Can I Wear My Glasses or Contacts While Skydiving?

Yes! The view is one of the greatest things about skydiving, and we don’t want you to miss out on all the breathtaking sights if you don’t have perfect vision! Contacts are a much better choice than glasses, as they are rarely lost during freefall. If you don’t have contacts, though, we can provide you with a pair of goggles that are made to fit over your prescription glasses. Just to be safe, however, consider wearing an old pair that you can risk losing.

How To Wear Your Hair When You Skydive

If you have long hair, you’ll definitely want to have it pulled back and tightly secured when you skydive. Remember, freefall involves diving toward the ground at 120 mph. Imagine your luscious locks being whipped around and twisted up in hurricane-force winds. Braids are the way to go if you don’t want to spend hours ripping out nasty knots after your skydive. Buns and ponytails usually turn into tangled messes that slap you and your instructor in the face. Consider using extra clips, elastics, or bobble pins if you’re unable to sport braids on your big day. However you decide to wear your hair, just be sure to secure it nice and tight!

Wear Your Smile!

This is one of the most valuable pieces of advice we can give regarding your first tandem skydive. SMILE! You’ll want to show off your skydiving confidence to your friends and give the camera a big, toothy grin while you’re having the time of your life! Besides, freefall likes to turn faces into jiggly, flapping messes of skin. Smiling will help you regain control of your cheeks and keep your face nice and tight for the camera. So show off that big beautiful smile and look extra badass in your professionally edited video and photos!