How to Choose the Perfect Wingsuit for Advanced Skydiving Adventures: No More Messy Flares or Lost Altitude

I still cringe thinking about my first advanced wingsuit jump back in 2022 at the Eloy drop zone. Eager to try cross-country flying, I grabbed a cheap used suit I found on a skydiving Facebook group, no questions asked---turns out it was sized for a 5'8" 150lb jumper, and I'm 6'3" and 190lb. By the time I started my final approach, I was fighting so much extra drag from the tight shoulder seams I couldn't slow down enough to flare, drifted 120 feet from the landing zone, and landed hard enough to bruise my tailbone for a week. That mistake taught me the hard way that your wingsuit isn't just a piece of cool gear for advanced skydiving: it's the single biggest factor that determines whether a jump is a smooth, exhilarating flight or a dangerous, messy disaster. Whether you're chasing proximity flocking records, logging 10+ mile cross-country flights, or nailing acro tricks at 12,000ft, the right suit fits your body, your skill level, and your specific goals---not just the one your favorite pro competitor uses. Below are the exact steps I used to pick my current custom suit (which has gotten me 3 podium finishes in regional proximity comps and a 14-mile personal best cross-country flight) so you can skip the trial and error.

First, Align the Suit With Your Exact Use Case (Don't Copy the Pros Blindly)

The biggest mistake new advanced jumpers make is buying the exact suit their favorite pro uses, assuming it'll work for them too. That suit is tuned for their 170lb frame, their 700+ jump experience, and their specific niche (usually high-speed cross-country or competition proximity). Before you start shopping, get crystal clear on what you'll use the suit for 90% of the time:

• For proximity/flocking/formation flying : Prioritize predictable low-speed handling, a gradual stall, and a moderate glide ratio of 2.8--3.2:1. You need a suit that stays slow and stable when you're flying inches from other jumpers, not one that zooms away or drops suddenly when you adjust your toggles. Avoid high-glide cross-country suits here---they have too much forward speed and too high a stall speed to fly tight in formation.
• For cross-country/long-range flights : Prioritize a high glide ratio of 3.2--3.8:1, slightly higher wing loading for forward speed, and extra internal storage for gear, snacks, and a portable GPS. These suits are less responsive at low speeds, so they're terrible for proximity flying, but they'll let you log double the distance of a standard suit on a single jump.
• For acro/trick flying : Prioritize responsive roll and pitch control, moderate stability, and enough lift to hold tricks without being so sluggish you can't adjust mid-maneuver. Avoid super stable cross-country suits here---they're too rigid to pull off fast rolls and spins.
• For mixed use : If you do a little bit of everything, look for a hybrid suit with a flat glide polar (consistent performance across a wide range of speeds) and a moderate stall speed under 50mph. I use a hybrid suit for both local proximity jumps and weekend cross-country trips, and it performs well enough for both without needing a second suit.

Nail the Fit and Sizing (This Is Non-Negotiable)

A poorly fitting wingsuit will ruin even the best-designed suit, and for advanced flying, fit is about way more than just length. Start with your wing loading calculation, which is the single most important sizing metric for wingsuits:

Wing loading = (Total exit weight: your body weight + all gear, including suit, rig, reserve, helmet, etc.) ÷ Suit surface area (in square feet)

For safe, controllable advanced flying, stick to these general guidelines:

• <150lb exit weight: 0.5--0.7 lbs/sq ft (anything lower will give you too much lift, making it impossible to control your descent rate)
• 150--200lb exit weight: 0.6--0.8 lbs/sq ft (ideal for most mixed-use and proximity suits)

• 200lb exit weight: 0.7--1.0 lbs/sq ft (never go above 1.1 lbs/sq ft, you'll have too much forward speed to flare safely)

Once you've narrowed down size based on wing loading, test the fit in flight position , not standing up. Bend your knees to 90 degrees, extend your arms out like you're in a glide, and grip the toggles to check for:

• No tightness in the shoulders or armpits that restricts your range of motion for small drift corrections
• Leg cuffs that don't cut off circulation when your knees are bent, but are tight enough to prevent air from leaking out of the suit
• Arm wings with enough slack to move without pulling on your shoulders, but tight enough to stay inflated in high-speed flight
• Zippers, deployment handles, and pocket openings that are easy to reach and operate with thick gloves on

Pro tip: Most major wingsuit brands (Phoenix-Fly, TonySuits, Apex) offer free or low-cost wind tunnel test days for potential buyers. This is the only way to truly test how a suit flies with your body before you buy it. When I tested my current custom suit, I found the off-the-rack size was too tight in the shoulders for long cross-country flights, so I had it adjusted before purchasing---saved me from months of shoulder pain mid-jump. If you're between sizes, always go up: you can tighten the straps on a too-big suit, but you can't stretch one that's too small.

Prioritize Performance Specs That Actually Matter (Skip the Marketing Fluff)

Don't fall for flashy ad copy like "3.8:1 glide ratio!" without digging into the actual specs that matter for advanced flying:

1. Predictable stall characteristics : This is the most important safety spec for advanced jumps. You want a suit with a gradual, warning stall (you'll feel the suit slow down and get slightly shaky before it drops) instead of a sudden, hard stall that drops you 500 feet in a second. For proximity flying, look for a stall speed under 45mph; for cross-country, 50--55mph is fine as long as it's consistent.
2. Flat glide polar : Ask the manufacturer for the full glide polar curve, which shows how the suit performs at different speeds. A flat polar means your glide ratio stays consistent whether you're flying slow for proximity or fast for cross-country. Suits with a steep polar (glide ratio drops off sharply when you slow down) are useless for mixed use, because you'll lose 100+ feet of altitude every time you adjust your speed.
3. Internal volume and organization : Advanced suits range from 15L to 35L of internal storage. If you're doing cross-country or high-altitude flights, go for 25L+ with multiple pockets: a chest pocket for your GPS/altimeter, leg pockets for snacks and tools, and a back pocket for extra insulation. Make sure all pockets have waterproof zippers, and you can open them with thick gloves on---fumbling with a stuck zipper mid-flight is a recipe for a bad jump.
4. Durable, high-wear materials : Advanced suits take a beating, especially if you're flying near terrain or landing in rough fields. Look for suits with reinforced 70D ripstop nylon leading edges (the front edge of the arm and leg wings), double-stitched seams on cuffs and zippers, and water-resistant coatings if you fly in wet or snowy conditions. I had a cheap suit tear at the leading edge mid-flight once, and had to cut away early---spending an extra $300 on reinforced edges would have saved me that jump.

Safety Features You Can't Skip

Advanced wingsuit jumps carry higher risk, so don't cut corners on these non-negotiable safety features:

• EPC (Emergency Pilot Chute) compatibility : Make sure the suit is designed to work with your existing EPC setup, the deployment handle is easy to reach even when you're in a tight flight position, and there's no loose fabric that could catch the EPC pilot chute during deployment.
• Reserve parachute compatibility : The suit should have a clear, unobstructed path for your reserve to deploy, no loose flaps or extra fabric that could tangle with the reserve pilot chute. Ask the manufacturer for reserve deployment test data before buying.
• High visibility : Dark, stealthy suits look cool, but they're a hazard for proximity flying. Look for suits with bright, high-visibility panels on the arms, legs, and back---you want other jumpers to see you from at least 500 feet away, even in low light.
• Breakaway stitching : All critical seams (shoulder straps, leg attachments) should be reinforced with breakaway stitching, so if a strap gets caught on something, it will break before it pulls you into a dangerous position.

Get your suit inspected by a certified rigger once a year, just like your parachute rig, to check for worn seams, torn fabric, or broken zippers. A $50 inspection is way cheaper than a mid-flight suit failure.

Budget and Brand Red Flags to Avoid

You don't need to drop $4,000 on a custom pro suit to get a great advanced wingsuit, but don't cheap out on no-name brands either:

• Reputable mid-range brands (Phoenix-Fly, TonySuits, Apex Wingsuits, Fly Your Life) offer off-the-rack advanced suits for $1,500--$2,500 that are fully safety-tested, certified, and perform as well as custom suits for most jumpers.
• Custom suits start at $2,800 and go up to $4,000+, and are worth the investment if you're outside the standard size range, have specific performance needs, or jump multiple times a week. The fit difference between a custom suit and an off-the-rack one is night and day for advanced flying.
• Red flags to avoid at all costs: No-name suits sold on random Amazon or Facebook Marketplace listings with no safety certifications, no brand contact info, or no public glide polar data. These suits often use cheap, untested materials that can tear mid-flight, or have poorly designed harnesses that cause back pain or strap failures. Also avoid suits advertised as "beginner wingsuits" for advanced use---those have too much built-in stability and low glide ratios for the kind of flying you want to do.

Test Before You Commit

Don't buy a suit and do your first advanced jump with it the next day. Break it in properly first:

• Do 3--5 regular formation or solo jumps in low-risk conditions to get used to its stall speed, glide, and handling.
• Practice all emergency procedures (cutaway, reserve deployment, flying with one arm if a strap breaks) in the suit before you attempt any advanced jumps with it.
• If you're doing proximity flying, do your first 5--10 proximity jumps with a more experienced jumper in open air with no terrain nearby, to get a feel for the suit's handling in close quarters.
• Most new wingsuits are stiff for the first 10 jumps, so do a few easy flights to stretch the fabric and straps so they fit perfectly in the flight position.

At the end of the day, the perfect wingsuit isn't the one with the fanciest logo or the highest advertised glide ratio. It's the one that fits your body, matches your specific goals, and keeps you safe. I still think about that 2022 jump where I almost crashed, and I'm grateful I learned that lesson early instead of after a serious injury. Do your research, test before you buy, and you'll find the suit that turns your advanced skydiving adventures from stressful to seamless. Now go log those cross-country miles or nail that proximity flock.