What to Wear First Time Skydiving

We totally get it! You want to be fully prepared for your first time skydiving experience – and we want you to be too. Being prepared for your first skydive helps you stay comfortable so you can get the most out of this amazing opportunity to “jump from a perfectly good airplane”. 

You may (or may not) already know a few important skydiving tips; like eat moderately, stay hydrated, and dress appropriately. Most of these tips are pretty cut and dried and easy to understand, but when it comes to dressing appropriately, you might be wondering what is best to wear for skydiving? Well, we’ve got you covered on what to wear (and what you should NOT wear) while skydiving, AND how to look good while doing it!

What To Wear: First Time Skydiving

Dressing appropriately for a skydive doesn’t have to be complicated. The most important things to remember when choosing what to swear skydiving are comfort and safety, head to toe. From there, you can bring your own unique style.

What should I wear for my first skydive?

First, determine the temperature on the day of your skydive. Keep in mind that the temperatures will drop about 30 degrees as you make the climb to your skydiving altitude. A good tip is to bring extra layers just in case (even when it’s warm outside). 

Next, choose the best clothes for skydiving from your wardrobe – you likely have everything you need for your skydiving outfit and won’t need to buy anything special. Skydiving is technically a sport, so opt for athletic-type clothing and shoes:

Close-fitting, stretchy clothing.

Gives you full range of motion for squatting, shimmying, stretching, and arching. 

Extra layer(s).

Make sure your added layer(s) aren’t bulky and won’t flap around in the wind.

Long sleeves, long pants.

Protects your skin from 120+ mph winds and sun during your jump, and grass on landing.

Tight-lacing tennis shoes.

Keeps your shoes on your feet, not lost to the sky during freefall!

What Should You Not Wear While Skydiving?

Equally as important as what to wear is what NOT to wear while skydiving. Avoid things that have strings, hoods, metal grommets, rhinestones, pompoms, etc. as these can flap around in the wind – which is painful and may obstruct your instructor’s line of sight – or snag the skydiving equipment. 

Here’s an idea of what not to wear skydiving:

• Heels
• Cleated soles
• Shoelace hooks
• Boots
• Sandals, slip-ons, flip-flops
• Hooded sweatshirts, jackets
• Dresses, skirts
• Jewelry

What about jeans?

This is a frequently asked question: can I wear jeans skydiving? Jeans are okay, as long as you are able to move comfortably. So, better to wear jeans with stretch than traditional denim if you really want to wear jeans.

What to Wear: First Time Skydiving Checklist

Ask yourself these questions when preparing your skydiving outfit:

1. Am I able to move freely in this?
2. Can I add extra layers on top of this if I need to?
3. Could anything come off in freefall? (If it can, it WILL.)
4. Are my shoes secure to my feet?
5. Do my clothes / shoes have any snag-hazards?
6. Will I be comfortable in this on the day of my skydive?

*At Skydive Perris, jumpsuits are provided to wear over top of your clothing for your jump

How Should I Wear My Hair For Skydiving?

As we’ve mentioned, you’ll be zoomin at speeds of up to 120 mph – definitely keep this in mind when preparing your precious tresses. 

If you have long hair, you have probably experienced a windy day’s effect on your hair: a tangled mess. Let’s just say you’ll need to multiply that mess a few times over to get a sense of what skydiving will do to your hair! However, if you’re after the “Elegant Disheveled” look (that you might have a hard time untangling afterwards) for your pictures and videos, go for it!

Tying your hair back not only prevents a messy-do, it also helps protect your tandem skydiving instructor from getting a face full of hair and a blocked view. Here are the best hairstyles for skydiving to keep your locks locked down:

• Braids: Traditional, fishtail, french, cornrows … all braids are great, especially if they’re nice and snug to your scalp.
• Buns: Tight buns do a good job of keeping all of your hair wrapped up and close to your head. Consider securing buns with an extra elastic, just in case.

Ponytails: Ponytails and pigtails are okay, but those loose ends are likely to get tangled and in your instructor’s face.

Can I Wear a Helmet On A Tandem Skydive?

Tandem passengers can’t wear a hard shell helmet, mainly because the deceleration that occurs when the parachute opens could harm your instructor. However, if you choose to solo skydive as your first time experience, we will provide you with all the necessary equipment, including a helmet with a fitted radio to help guide your landing!

How To Look Good Skydiving

Skydiving is a intensely joyful, exhilarating, and freeing experience that keeps you smiling from ear to ear! The best way to look good skydiving is to share your big cheesy grin and to keep your chin up so the camera sees your happy face and not just the top of your head! 

Play it up for the camera, make eye-contact, and give a big thumbs up or peace sign to show how you’re feeling. You can even write something on your hands (Sorry / Mom is a hilarious favorite) or forearms (like Live Your / Best Life). Most importantly, live in the moment and let your authentic self shine – because when you feel good, you look good!

Go Skydiving at Skydive Perris

Ready to strut your stuff? Book your skydive with one of the largest skydiving centers in the world – Skydive Perris! 

Interested in indoor skydiving? Check out what to wear for indoor skydiving and come and fly with us!!

Related Article: Skydiving When It’s Hot: 4 Things You Need to Know