Brake line release toggles

I recommend the use of release toggles for slider up jumps, Adrenalin and Apex are selling mature release toggle systems, both work fine and risk of a premature is low to nil, with the Adrenalin version being my personal favorite. I’ve got 2 pairs of Apex WLO’s and 1 pair of Adrenalin Brake release toggles and have done around 300 jumps with them and never had any problems.

Apex – WLO toggles

A straight pin is used to keep the brake line attached to the toggle, the pin is partially visible so its correct location can be easily checked.
They are easy to rig up, and one must be pretty creative to mis-rig them.
The major downside I see with those toggles is that velcro for the release has to be opened to get the toggle off the brake line, therefore every time when packing slider up to down or the other way round. Since this is a pretty narrow piece of velcro it wears out quite fast and jumping with worn out velcros will heighten your risk of a premature release.
The ring that is used as a handle for the release has a little more snag potential than the rectangular tab on the Adrenalin toggles.
Manual for Apex WLOs

Adrenalin – Brake release toggles

The brake line is kept in place by a small TyII sleeving loop (closing loop stuff) and a yellow cable. They have to be assembled correctly, -> with the brake line entering the toggle on the side that the loop is sewn on as described in the manual, or else the brake line would pull the loop into the opening off the toggle and would need more force to be released.
The release handle has to be pulled down a longer way compared to the other 2 manufacturers toggles because of the over lenght of the yellow cable compared to that of a straight pin, lowering the risk of a premature.
For assembly it is not necessary to pull the release and open the velcro, just pull the yellow cable out and put it back in.
They can also be checked easily, and a stiffened rectangular piece of tape is used as a handle for the release.
They are a bit bulkier than the other release toggles. (that is also the main issue I heard other jumpers complaining about)
Manual for Adrenaline brake release toggles

Morpheus – HPBG toggles

Those toggles have been on the market for years, and the manufacturer writes that they “don’t really advocate the use of HPBG’s in most situations.”. They are not really popular, but I had the possibility to have a closer look on them.
There is a heightened risk of a premature release of a brake line with those toggles, there is no velcro or similar to hold the release handle in place and the pin that holds the line is hidden, therefore movement of it can go unrecognized, so they have to be checked before every jump.

 

All three of the above described toggles can be also used one handed (eg. toggle still attached to riser), although I would at least try to pump my brakes in case of a lineover and then release the brake line two handed. As I found out it is easier to drop the other toggle when using the release system to have the other hand free. As you can see on the video below, the brake line stayed on the Adrenalin toggle after the release is pulled because there was too little force on the brake line, so I had to separate it from the toggle by hand. (I think in case of a lineover the tension on the brake line would be high enough to pull the line from the toggle)

Both Apex and Adrenalin state that the velcros (the ones keeping them on the risers) can be replaced with ease, but compared to standard base toggles its actually quite a pain in the ass to do so.

http://vimeo.com/44349404

wtb

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