skymiles 3 #1 July 20, 2006 Ever heard of it? My riggers have complained that my Smart 150 reserve packs very tight. After the third complaint, I contacted the manufacturer of my container (name withheld) and their rigger said to send it in and he would check it out. He repacked it (no charge) and agreed that the pack job is tighter than most but the container itself is within spec. He also said they have put hundreds of Smarts in their containers with no problems. I asked what is the problem then. He said some reserves seem to pack larger than others of the same make, model and size. He called this phenomenon “mystery bulk” and thought that differences in nylon material thickness from one lot to another could be responsible. Is anyone familiar with this? Phil Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #2 July 20, 2006 The 'mystery bulk' phenomenon, has been around a long time. It has been explained to me that, it could be the difference in packing methods of various riggers or variations in material thickness. It may be something you may have to live with. edit to add: there is reference to this phenomenon in Poynter's Parachute Manual. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #3 July 20, 2006 QuoteThe 'mystery bulk' phenomenon, has been around a long time. It has been explained to me that, it could be the difference in packing methods of various riggers or variations in material thickness. It may be something you may have to live with. edit to add: there is reference to this phenomenon in Poynter's Parachute Manual. Chuck I think the quote unquote mystery bulk refers to an actual moment in time (late 80s or early 90s?) when reserves of the same model and size started to pack bigger.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #4 July 20, 2006 QuoteQuoteThe 'mystery bulk' phenomenon, has been around a long time. It has been explained to me that, it could be the difference in packing methods of various riggers or variations in material thickness. It may be something you may have to live with. edit to add: there is reference to this phenomenon in Poynter's Parachute Manual. Chuck I think the quote unquote mystery bulk refers to an actual moment in time (late 80s or early 90s?) when reserves of the same model and size started to pack bigger. ____________________________________ Well, now you've really got my interest and curiosity up. I'm going to do some 'digging' into that. Wasn't that with Precision Aerodynamics reserves and I believe that was middle to late 80's. Seems like, I recall George Galloway, addressing the subject. The old memory just ain't what it used to be. Sparky! Riggerrob! Where are ya' when we need ya'? Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,112 #5 July 20, 2006 >Ever heard of it? I recall an issue with Aerodyne blue fabric around '94-'95; it was considerably more bulky than the other colors for some reason. Since their stock Triathalon color patterns had a lot of blue it was an issue for awhile. (Of course that's ZP rather than F111.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #6 July 20, 2006 Quote>Ever heard of it? I recall an issue with Aerodyne blue fabric around '94-'95; it was considerably more bulky than the other colors for some reason. Since their stock Triathalon color patterns had a lot of blue it was an issue for awhile. (Of course that's ZP rather than F111.) ____________________________________ That 'Blue' material, as I recall, was touted as quite the thing, back then. The earlier Triathalons, did have thicker material. The reserve 'mystery bulk' was a different matter. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #7 July 21, 2006 Two separate types of "blue." Gelvenor Fabric Mills of South Africa wove most of the fabric for early Aerodyne (i.e. Triathlon) and PISA canopies. There were wide variations (up to 30%) in fabric thickness, weight and bulk when Gelvenor started weaving zero porosity fabric in the early 1990s. Gelvenor's ZP fabric is easy to distinguish from others' because Gelvenor depends far on calendarizing, and far less upon silicone coatings. Consequently, Gelvenor's ZP is far less slippery and far easier to pack. The other "Blue" fabric was a high-grade low porosity (0 to 3 cfm) calendarized F-111 nylon canopy fabric woven by Perseverance Textiles in Great Britain. "Blue" fabric was such high quality, that you could not distinguish it from ZP at arm's length. Strong Enterprises used a lot of "Blue" fabric in their canopies. Unfortunately, Perseverance went bankrupt last year and all their assets were bought by a French company. It was not clear whether the new French owners planned to manufacture "Blue" fabric. Other mills have experienced mystery bulk problems with a variety of fabrics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #8 July 21, 2006 Thanks, Rob! I appreciate your clearing that up. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymiles 3 #9 July 22, 2006 Ok, but does anybody have any experience with Smart reserves packing bigger than they ought too. Phil Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
