What To Wear Skydiving For The First Time

Congratulations, you’ve booked your first skydive! In all of the rush to make the decision about actually jumping out of an airplane, you suddenly realize you have a whole new list of questions. This life-changing adventure is like planning a trip to a totally new destination. What should you wear when skydiving for the first time?

Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?

You get to be the star of your skydiving video, so you want to look your best. Stepping out of your comfort zone means going with the flow and being flexible when tandem skydiving. Fashion is not nearly as important as function when you are flying at 120 miles per hour in freefall. The only fashionable accessory to wear when skydiving for the first time is your big beautiful smile!

1. Appropriate Apparel For Skydiving

Skydiving is a sport, so it makes sense to choose your most comfortable activewear. Your clothing should be close-fitting while allowing you to move freely. Plan to wear layers because the temperature at altitude is generally thirty degrees cooler than the air at ground level. Build your first time skydiving outfit with several thin layers to trap your body heat efficiently.

2. Simple Is Best

Check your outfit in the mirror. Now imagine how your clothing will perform at 14,000 feet in hurricane force winds. Loose collars or hoodies will become dangerous and painful, likely whipping around smacking you and your tandem instructor in the face. Any sort of drawstrings or fashion zippers will cause the same hazardous scenarios. Choose your most simple everyday activewear for your first tandem skydive.

3. Keep It Covered

Another pro tip is to keep yourself covered. Short sleeves and shorts may seem like the right summer skydiving choice on a hot day.  Just a reminder that long layers are the best way to protect your skin from the sun, the cold air at altitude, and the grass if you have to slide in for a landing. If you need something even sturdier to wear for your first skydive, we can provide you with a skydiving jumpsuit. Just slip it on over your clothes and voila! No worries, and super simple! Skydiving jumpsuits are all the fashion rage right now, and you’ll actually fit right in. Most solo skydivers choose jumpsuits to produce uniform drag and to keep their clothing safe from dirt or damage.

4. No Accessories Required

It’s true, the right accessories make the outfit, but not at 120 miles per hour! When you are tandem skydiving your jewelry and hair accessories are a liability. Jewelry can get snagged in clothing or ripped off your body never to be seen again.  Leave your jewelry at home or risk losing it to the wide blue yonder.

5. How To Wear Your Hair When Skydiving

If you have long hair, you definitely want to bind it tight to keep it out of the way of harness straps and other equipment. If your hair is long enough to braid then go for it!  Pinning those braids as close to your head as possible will protect you from hours of detangling when you get back to the ground. A loose ponytail will be a slap in the face for your tandem instructor, so be kind and use extra elastics, bobby pins or clips to get a grip on your mane! If you have a big beard, it would be wise to gather it into a hair elastic or three to keep it free of your harness straps and out of your way. The speed of free fall is going to blast your beard so you will be glad you made an effort to tame that beast.

6. Not So Fancy Footwear

The dropzone is not the place for strappy, flashy, Instagram worthy footwear. Again, skydiving is a sport, so guess what you should wear on your feet? For tandem skydiving, choose a sturdy sneaker that fits securely and provides enough support that you could jog around the block. Make sure you can lace those shoes extra tight and maybe tie a double knot.  Freefall loves to snag shoes from the unprepared feet of first-time skydivers.

Remember to keep it simple! That’s all you need to know about what to wear for your first time skydiving.  Skydiving is a sport, and wearing light layers of activewear is a perfect choice. Leave your jewelry and other accessories at home and be sure to choose sturdy sneakers. Don’t forget to restrain your hair and beards and you are ready to celebrate your first tandem skydive! We can’t wait to see your smiling face at Oklahoma Skydiving Center!