PIA canopy volume chart

[billvon 3,080]

As promised, here is the PIA canopy volume chart courtesy of Sandy Reid at Rigging Innovations. Sangiro will be posting it somewhere on this site soon.
-bill von

[polarbear 1]

The pack volume chart is useful, but I think it should be pointed out that it is only a guideline. The different pack volumes can be measured by different people under different conditions, giving different results. PD has a great article on pack volume on their website...I suggest anyone using the PIA chart go and read the article.

[bbarnhouse 0]

Thanks!
It only takes a little pixie dust......

[billvon 3,080]

>The pack volume chart is useful, but I think it should be pointed out that it is only
> a guideline. The different pack volumes can be measured by different people
> under different conditions, giving different results.
Very true. However, this list has two big things going for it:
1) it was not made by a canopy manufacturer, and thus is a little less biased
2) all canopies were measured by the same method.
While a different pack method may result in a different pack volume, you can be pretty sure that if you can fit canopy X in there, and the PIA chart says canopy Y is the same volume or lower, then canopy Y will fit as well.
-bill von

[lazerq3 0]

Wheres the hornets and the heatwaves???
jason

[polarbear 1]

For the most part, this is true. The chart does have some discrepancies...the chart I have seen (which is in the back of the para-gear catalog) says that a sabre 170 packs smaller than a spectre 170, even though the spectre has two fewer cells and line groups with asociated seams. Move further down the chart, and it says that a spectre 190 packs smaller than a ssabre 190. How does the spectre pack smaller in the 190 size, and the sabre pack smaller in the 170 size?
Another example that PD cites in their article is that the chart shows a PD 235 7-cell has a larger pack volume than a PD 260 nine cell. Both canopies are F-111, with simillar construction and airfoil profiles, and the seven cell has 25 ft2 less area, two fewer cells, and two fewer line groups. How can it pack larger?
I could list other examples, but I am sure this is already getting boring. I don't mean to say that the PIA chart is useless, just that I think it is more appropriately used as a guideline, nothing more.
In my limited experience, the container manufacturers seem to be able to give good advide as to what fits and what doesn't in their containers.

[billvon 3,080]

>the chart I have seen (which is in the back of the para-gear catalog) says that a
> sabre 170 packs smaller than a spectre 170, even though the spectre has two
> fewer cells and line groups with asociated seams.
I have a Tri-135 that packs much larger than a Sabre 135. It's not impossible.
-bill von

[polarbear 1]

I don't doubt that. But, you have to consider that Triathlons and Sabres come from different manufacturers and are made of different materials. The area of the canopies may even be measured differently, meaning that maybe one of the 135's isn't really 135 square ft. In the examples I mentioned earlier, we are comparing canopies made by the same manufacturer, using the same materials, using the same construction methods, and measured using the same techniques. I personally have packed both a spectre 170 and a sabre 170 into my container; I know from experienece that the sabre packs larger.
It still remains to be explained how (according to the PIA chart) the sabre packs smaller in the 170 size, but the spectre packs smaller in the 190 size.
I still say, read the article on PD's website and use the PIA chart with a grain of salt.

[ernokaikkonen 0]

Bump.

Does anyone know if there's an updated version of the list somewhere available?

[mjosparky 4]

I suggest since Bill went to the trouble to gather and post this chart, anyone not agreeing with it get their own.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals