Review: The Mirage

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A Mirage container

Mirage rigs have a reputation for being well-fitting and comfortable, especially for skydivers whose body shape is non-standard. What does Julia Foxwell, World Champion 4-way jumper think?…

Julia Foxwell

Summary

The Mirage G4 is the most comfortable and well-fitted container I have ever owned. I’m 5’ 1” in height, and my teammates are 6 foot tall. When you look at their Mirage container compared to mine, they have a totally different shape. This is the way it should be when you are buying custom-made containers. My teammates’ backs are completely differently shaped to mine, and the container is built accordingly. It truly is a well-thought out container that is quality made.

How long have you had your G4?

I purchased my first Mirage container at the start of Satori, in 2008. It was recommended to me as I had had problems getting containers to fit me because of my small size (I’m 5’ 1”) and have never looked back!

Overall opinion (out of 10)?

Amazing, 10 out of 10

Value for money?

Absolutely 10 out of 10

Would you buy it again or recommend to someone else?

I would recommend the Mirage container to people of all shapes and sizes. I would be hard-pushed to go to any other manufacturer now.

Who is it suitable for?

The Mirage caters for every height and body type. Our team is a good example of that.

The Mirage rig I have is an S series container (’S’ for Short). If someone is tall but has a short torso, they will also have an S (short) container. When you are short, a lot of rigs tend to be quite long and will hang below your butt. This then creates the gap between the container and your bag. The Mirage doesn’t do this.

What sizes and colors are available?

I believe all sizes and colors are available.

Does it look good?

It looks great. I’ve had a lot of people complimenting us on the look of our team rigs.

Does it feel good?

It’s really comfortable! The elastic lumbar support is an adjustable stabilizer. So in 4-way or swooping when you have to wear weight you can adjust it all the way out and the rig is still super-comfortable. For me, I wear up to 25lb of weight so this option makes a huge difference! Then when I’m not wearing the weight I can tighten it down and it still fits perfectly

Satori and their G4s
Block 20 being taken out of the door by Team Satori

Does it work?

Yes, perfectly! For several thousand jumps so far!

Is it hardwearing?

The G4s are extremely well built and very versatile. The Mirage is modular constructed so, if one piece gets ruined somehow, maybe by a bad landing, Mirage can easily take one piece off and replace it. This can help to keep your repair costs down.

The container is made of 1,000 denier cordura. A lot of other containers are made of only 500 denier so the Mirage will last a lot longer and is more durable than those.

The Mirage has the best main pin protection on the market, the main pin flap actually stays closed on deployment

Are there any safety issues?

The BOC is made of a special elastic spandex blend so is super-strong. You never have to worry about your pilot chute coming out prematurely. The Mirage has the best main pin protection on the market, the main pin flap actually stays closed on deployment.

There is a grommet guard so there is no way for lines to catch on the grommet on opening. The main tray is lined with parapak for smooth deployments and packing.

Best point?

It fits me!

Worst point?

It comes across as more expensive than others in the market. You really do get what you pay for though and it is definitely good value for money.

Mirage is one of the few manufacturers with rigs on the shelf, ready to ship immediately. They also have rigs complete apart from the harness, which can then be custom made for the buyer. FFI see the Mirage Systems website

Meet: Lesley Gale

Lesley has been in love with skydiving for 35 years. She is a multiple world and national record holder and a coach on 20 successful record events worldwide. She has over 100 competition medals spanning more than 25 years and has been on the British 8-way National team at World events. She started Skydive Mag to spread knowledge, information and passion about our amazing sport.
Lesley is delighted to be sponsored by Performance Designs, Sun Path, Cypres, Cookie, Symbiosis suits and Larsen & Brusgaard

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