SPEED TO FLY
At Squirrel, we think that unless the friend flying next to you is under a parachute, you should be going fast. The FREAK is designed for speedy carving and formation flying; we are convinced that it's going to make you want to point your toes and go steep. The FREAK's natural and comfortable body position allows you to execute powerful moves with gentle and easy inputs while flying at steeper angles.
Whaa? It just looks like a COLUGO 2, dude!
It's not. The FREAK is a very different animal. In general, the C2 is a faster and higher performance suit. The FREAK is slower, has less surface area, is more maneuverable, and has less glide performance. The FREAK's enhanced agility and ease (particularly in backflying) comes at a cost; back inlets make the suit a lot of fun but have a significant impact on speed and glide performance. Thanks to the FREAK's reduced top speed and lower stall speed, it's a lot more fun for XRW and even backfly XRW. Less surface area and a lower arm sweep means that head-down flying and the steepest angles of flight are more manageable. A tuned leading edge and a new leading edge skin give it damper and more flexible hinge behavior. Many of the FREAK's design features are not visible – factors such as profile thickness are not detectable at a glance and create large differences in suit performance and character. When you fly it, you'll know what we're talking about.
HANDLING
Dynamic agility: the FREAK is a fun blend of power and ease of use. A high performance leading edge allows you to flare or dive into transitions, and a thinner profile makes the surface area more manageable. At steep angles, the physical effort needed is minimal, allowing you to give subtle inputs. It is never necessary to strain at extending the arm wings or maintain the span – the FREAK's internal pressure allows you to relax your shoulders and give gentle arm inputs.
SPEED
She moves out pretty well, as they say, but it's not a C2. If speed and glide are your main priorities, then get yourself a C2. The FREAK is a freestyle suit with an emphasis on maneuverability and steep fun.
THE PILOT
Intermediate to expert pilots will feel instantly at home on this suit. It fits in our range between the FUNK and COLUGO 2, and is suitable for wingsuit pilots with previous experience in beginner-intermediate wingsuits such as the SWIFT or FUNK series. While the FREAK is generally not difficult to fly, the pilot must respect the fact that it is a powerful suit in both back-to-earth and belly-to-earth configurations.
SKYDIVING
Don't take our word for it, but the FREAK is the ultimate dropzone toy. Max it out to fly with the biggest suits, and flip over on your back to cruise with smaller suits. Go for a little XRW, dive it for some steep angle-flying, and flare it out to watch tandem canopies sink way below you. If you don't absolutely love rolling and carving and diving and flaring this suit, then we'll eat our furry tails.
THE START, and WS BASE PERFORMANCE
In the BASE environment, the FREAK opens up new possibilities. You've seen people on many different suits fly freestyle maneuvers from cliffs. What makes the FREAK special is the increased power and range, meaning that you have more time and more glide on every jump. Being able to execute a few freestyle moves without totally sinking out, is critical. And you have to be able to jump the fun objects in the first place: an efficient leading edge, moderate surface area, and a balanced CG all combine to yield start performance that is above average for an intermediate class wingsuit. Note that the FREAK's start arc is not as short as the C2 or AURA, both of which are higher performance suits.
GLIDE
The FREAK's back inlets are crucial for acro/freestyle flying, but it's just a fact of aerodynamics that they create drag. The back inlets are small and low profile so as to minimize their impact and the FREAK's glide performance is without question higher than any other "acro" specific wingsuit currently on the market, but it doesn't match up to the C2 in pure performance terms. It is possible to fly the Freak together with the C2 and AURA 2 in formations, but not at max-glide.
Main Surfaces: Our main concern was finding an ideal ratio between weight and durability, along with high mechanical stability and good results in stretch and tear tests. Our main surface fabric is a 210D Ripstop, with very low stretch, and a good rigidity to comfort ratio.
Leading Edge Skin: The new grainy-glideskin is more supple than the Dacron used for the C2 LE, but completely non-stretch. A section of flexible glideskin at the wrist helps to improve the pull and brake access.
Internal Ribs: All ribs are constructed from the renowned Porcher Skytex 40, which has an unparalleled stability-to-weight ratio.
Leading Edge Mylar: We offer two choices for wing surface Mylar reinforcement on your Squirrel Suit:
- Porcher Sport (white / translucent). This is our standard option.
- Dimension Polyant Carbon-Graphite (black / clear). The highest quality laminate on the market, with a carbon and graphite weave. It's black, and it's more rigid, but there is not a measurable performance difference over the Porcher mylar.
SLICK AND SUPPLE LEADING EDGE
By moving the arm zipper location on the wing chord we have increased the amount of "effective edge" and greatly improved the shape and smoothness of the leading edge. The majority of the leading edge is covered in a durable and wrinkle-resistant grained vinyl layer.
FORCE FEED
Our 3D reinforced inlet, with maximum intake to drag ratio. We believe that this inlet is one of the most important safety innovations featured on our suits.
INNIE-OUTIE (BASE MODE)
Easily transition between BASE Mode (harness inside), or Skydive Mode (harness outside). While in BASE mode, harness is entirely inside the chest compartment for less drag, and more glide (increased surface). There are no exposed holes when in BASE mode as the zippers close off the chest completely.
INNIE-OUTIE (SKYDIVE MODE)
Even if your focus is BASE jumping, it's important to be able to skydive your suit safely. While in skydive mode, handles are completely exposed at the chest and easy to access. For more info regarding this system's use in the skydive environment, click here.
RAD
Rapid Arm Deployment. An incredibly simple and subtle arced cut at the wrist makes it even easier to both reach your PC at pull time, and your toggles during opening. This basic innovation is an improvement to any wingsuit and makes the BOC pull safer and more intuitive than traditional designs.
GET STIFFIE
The bottom surface of the leading edge is Mylar-reinforced to maintain profile structure and proper feeding of the inlets.
GET STRETCHY
When flying in BASE mode, these flexible panels at the shoulders relieve stress on your suit during openings. Also, bar-tacks at key areas help to prevent seam failure.
LIGHT RIBS
Lightweight, durable, and more stable than mesh, Porcher Sport Skytex is renowned for its mechanical stability. Helps to reduce overall weight and pack volume.
NUTSACK
A mesh leg wing pocket, for your nuts and stuff. Store your gear close to your center of gravity without having it affect the fit of your suit.
GLIDESKIN WRIST
The FREAK's hybrid leading edge construction features glideskin at the wrist, only. This highly flexible, durable, and wrinkle-free material adds some flexibility to the wrist portion of the leading edge. The profile is solid, and the flexible wrist makes pull-time more comfortable.
AIRTIGHT CONSTRUCTION
All of our suits are built to the most exacting specifications, and tested for airtight symmetry in our production facility at multiple points along the construction process. The end result is the highest build quality that we have ever seen.
CARBON FIBER GRIPPERS
Ultralight and ultrastiff, these gripper sticks feel and perform better than any material we have tried. We're offering this expensive upgrade as a standard option on all of our suits.
SUPER SEXY ZIPPERS
We want your suit to look good. And not like other suits. We've ordered custom color YKK #10 Coil zips that will be standard on all suits, at no extra charge. Choose between five different colors when you order.
HOOK KNIFE
Every suit comes standard with a Carbon Aero Jack hook knife installed on the front of the suit, in a location that is ideal for jumping your wingsuit with your BASE harness inside the suit, in BASE mode.
