stowing a canopy in d bag

[bodypilot90 0]

taking a canopy off w/ risers and hooking it up w/o taking canopy out of the bag, any safe way?

jumping my lightning and figured the only safe way is to unpack the main and run the lines when I hook up my spectre after......

[Elisha 1]

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taking a canopy off w/ risers and hooking it up w/o taking canopy out of the bag, any safe way?

jumping my lightning and figured the only safe way is to unpack the main and run the lines when I hook up my spectre after......

If you're changing canopies, then yup, the only safe way would be to completely repack and run the lines. If you are just changing risers on the same main, you can get away with leaving it in the bag if you are VERY careful about keeping your line groups and riser sides (front/back) straight. I accidentally switched front/back on my left riser once, so obviously not fool proof. Be careful, and if you're in doubt that you did it right, take the extra time to repack and run the lines.

[headoverheels 334]

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taking a canopy off w/ risers and hooking it up w/o taking canopy out of the bag, any safe way?

jumping my lightning and figured the only safe way is to unpack the main and run the lines when I hook up my spectre after......

If you're changing canopies, then yup, the only safe way would be to completely repack and run the lines. If you are just changing risers on the same main, you can get away with leaving it in the bag if you are VERY careful about keeping your line groups and riser sides (front/back) straight. I accidentally switched front/back on my left riser once, so obviously not fool proof. Be careful, and if you're in doubt that you did it right, take the extra time to repack and run the lines.

I think you've got it exactly backwards. There is no way I would change the riser connections to the lines without fully checking and repacking the canopy.

For swapping canopies in the same container, people come up with different contrivances. Some have made carrying bags with places to snap in the risers, so you can keep it straight as you put it into and out of that carrying bag. You can also just fasten the risers to the bag with something like gaffers tape, so that the risers can't twist or swap. You still have to remember what you did! It helps to have the right and left risers marked, or just to realize which side the RSL ring is on, etc.

I've seen CRW folks with other things, so you might ask in the CReW forum for more ideas.

[bch7773 0]

best way is to unpack it, attach it, then repack it.

i've done it the other way too, before i disconnected the risers and dbag, i taped the risers to the floor with a lot of masking tape. then the risers can't move, twist, or flip around.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[councilman24 37]

A lot of riggers choose to use somekind of pad with keepers, etc, etc, to take a main out and put it back before and after an inspection. I have never thought it was worth the risk. All my customers get the main back unpacked but hooked up and checked to be right.

Now ususally I get it on right the first time. I can think of one in the last 3 or 4 years where I hooked it up, unpacked it to check and it was wrong. But it's rare. If nothing else pull the cocooned canopy of the bag neatly. Then you can tell which side is which and if they're twisted.

Can and would I do it on my own rig? Probably if I had a place to set it and not move it. But to and from the DZ, I don't think it's worth it. Of course that for those of us who still pack our own mains and can do it in 10 minutes.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[Elisha 1]

Well, that's what the DZO told me, and it seemed to make sense. My fault I switched line groups with front/back. With my 1:1 loaded Sabre, it didn't really affect my flight characteristics - the front/back just crossed each other. Besides, I don't have an RSL on my rig.

[outlawphx 1]

I used to swap back and forth between two canopies, and I just made a riser holder out of some wood and rope to keep my risers in order.

[EvilLurker 2]

I did it once and BEFORE I disconnected I got a piece of masking tape and wrote Rt. Front and Lt. Front and stuck it to the risers, then cut a piecer of cardboard and taped the risers flat to it. That worked well, but if you want to be sure, you repack the rig after you make the swap. If you have it hooked up right, that's pretty painless, you only need to unpack to the point you can chase the line groups to the nose/tail for verification.

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and I just made a riser holder out of some wood and rope to keep my risers in order.

That would be better if you plan on doing it more than once.

[Martini 0]

Place the right riser on top of the left riser, secure them with two rubber bands. Wind the lines and risers around the d-bag without twisting, wrap it all up with the bridle, tuck the pc in carefully. Reverse process to reconnect. I do it all the time when one of my rigs is unavailable, never had a problem. If you aren't 100 % sure when you hook up then you must repack. It helps if you know which riser has the rsl ring, mark your risers R & L if they don't have rings.

Sometimes you eat the bear..............

[mjosparky 4]

How hard is it to run the lines, hook it up right and pack it. All this using boards, tape and rubber bands makes more work than if you did right the first time. When you start cutting corners in skydiving things can go to shit in a hurry.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[EvilLurker 2]

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All this using boards, tape and rubber bands makes more work than if you did right the first time.

Actually, it's an aid in doing it right the first time. People without much experience in rigging (me included) need all the help they can get, and if you use "aids" to get it right the first time you don't have that "I wonder?" feeling on the climb to altitude. Personally, I always do a complete repack after disconnecting a riser.
" How hard is it to run the lines, hook it up right and pack it."
I dunno, let's ask someone that's opened to find they were flying backwards.
"When you start cutting corners in skydiving things can go to shit in a hurry."
I agree, but I didn't "cut any corners", I "added corners". It worked well for me. What do you do, throw the risers in a heap and start over from scratch? I've seen newbies pack a twisted riser that way. Landed it, too.

[mjosparky 4]

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I did it once and BEFORE I disconnected I got a piece of masking tape and wrote Rt. Front and Lt. Front and stuck it to the risers, then cut a piecer of cardboard and taped the risers flat to it. That worked well, but if you want to be sure, you repack the rig after you make the swap. If you have it hooked up right, that's pretty painless, you only need to unpack to the point you can chase the line groups to the nose/tail for verification.

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Personally, I always do a complete repack after disconnecting a riser.

If you do a complete repack after disconnection, why all the tape and cardboard?

No, I don't throw anything in a heap. But if the risers have been off the rig I do start over from scratch, the same as if it was a cutaway. I run down the lines, get the risers straight, hook them up to the rig and do a line check. It takes about 10 minuets max and there is no "I wonder" feeling. Even "newbies" should take the time to learn their gear to the point that this is a simple task without using "aids" that can and have added to the confusion.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[ripcord4 0]

Riser disconnect = repack. Don't diddle around with gimmicks - be safe - who wants his canopy on backwards?

[EvilLurker 2]

"If you do a complete repack after disconnection, why all the tape and cardboard?"

It makes it easy to get it connected back up correctly and I won't get a step-thru or a twisted riser. I'd rather do it that way and it went quick. I have RSL rings on both my risers, too, so it's not apparent which is which. You've probably got a whole lot more experience connecting mains to risers than I do, I need all the "help" I can get. Maybe with more experience I won't bother, but I was doing it in my living room with a 210 and I was cramped for space, so I wanted the hook-up/verify thing to go as smooth as possible. It worked and I still don't see any downside to it.

[Martini 0]

Being conservative is a good thing. Knowing your left (riser) from your right is also good, it will keep you from hooking up backwards. What works for me might not be good for someone else. Do what works for you, let others have the same freedom.

Sometimes you eat the bear..............

[John4455 0]

I know of two different people on different occasions that have opened their parachute only to find they were flying their parachute backwards. One I witnessed personally.

How do ya like it Johnny?

[Martini 0]

Me too. If you don't know what you are doing rigging don't do it. Again, if you don't know your left riser from your right get someone else to hook up your canopy. Same goes for three rings, pilot chute, lineset etc. Hooking up backwards is inexcusable whether the canopy is bagged or not (and also brings on the unresolvable question of landing a backwards canopy).

Sometimes you eat the bear..............