Ayisha
Contributor
Does anyone have any experience working with the Halcyon system for a GUE setup?
Yes, probably many of us.
One of the founders of GUE (a not-for-profit agency) is the President of Halcyon. Halcyon was essentially created to fulfill the early equipment compliance needs of DIR/GUE.
You won't go wrong with the Eclipse, although a specific brand is not required to take any GUE course. As long as the equipment requirements are met, the brand doesn't matter.
One thing that's not necessary is the Halcyon Infinity, which is the Eclipse plus bells and whistles. It was made to appeal to those wanting the padding of a jacket with a compliant bp/wing. I had the Infinity for 3 years before I ever took Fundies, and by the time I did, it was basically stripped down to just an Eclipse. All the parts are modular anyway - they can be added or removed as your needs grow. If you get them cheaper as an Infinity package deal, of course go for it, but all you need are the bp, wing, harness, STA, and the weighted STA insert (if you want). Infinity has removable integrated weight pockets if they work for you, but most instructors would probably like to see your weight elsewhere. My GUE instructor didn't like the pockets for me and preferred trim weights for me, but some instructors are ok with them. YMMV.