Damp Canopy

[rickfri59 0]

What's the best way to dry out a canopy that has gotten wet? As soon as there is a reasonably warm winter weekend I want to get back in the air. There will mostly likely be snow on the ground, so getting the canopy wet will be inevitable. I'm concerned with uneven shrinking of the lines or the seam stiching. Am I worrying over nothing?

[ernokaikkonen 0]

>Am I worrying over nothing?

In short, yes. The canopy really wont get that wet, but it will probably get damp. If(when) that happens, just hang your canopy somewhere to dry. If that's not possible, leave your canopy unpacked, out of the gearbag, for a few days. My canopies have dried out just fine in a bunch on my living room floor, but they haven't been really wet, just damp.

If you're still jumping the Sabre190 that your profile states, any shrinkage from getting your canopy damp shouldn't be noticeable.

disclaimer: I'm not a rigger, but I have jumped in the winter, so all this purely from personal experience.

[hookitt 1]

It's ok if it gets wet. THe ZP nylon the Lines and the stitches will all be fine. It's nylon so it's not going to shrink. It's also very clean if it snow. If it gets wet, just air it out. Water won't hurt it. Even if it gets muddy a little it will be fine.

My stiletto 97 was completely submerged in our pond one day when I became Pond Scum #1 (for that drop zone)

there were no noticeable affects at all. I flew it wet 3 more times that day then aired it out at home. The same parachute has about 1500 more jumps on it for a total of about 3000. It has since never been submerged but has been very wet many times.

Your parachute will be ok.

have fun.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[fergs 0]

I've made many water jumps over the years and also had canopies get wet or damp in rain, dew, snow, etc.,

Quite seriously, if anything less than completely sodden, go jump it. Dries out fastest and easiest that way. If really wet, couple jumps may be needed.

Never noticed any different opening charactaristics with wet canopies ...

Blue Skies, fergs

[petur 0]

Just don't leave it in the sun to dry...

---
P.
"It Hurts to Admit When You Make Mistakes -
But When They're Big Enough, the Pain Only Lasts a Second."

[ernokaikkonen 0]

Quote

Quite seriously, if anything less than completely sodden, go jump it. Dries out fastest and easiest that way. If really wet, couple jumps may be needed.

Yes, this would of course be the nicest possible solution. Unfortunately, most of us have to stop jumping sooner or later in the day, and if your canopy gets wet/damp after landing, you may have to get it dry at home.

[zaidush 0]

or just keep on jumping over and over and over....

[slotperfect 7]

When my canopy gets wet )happens occasionally) I just spread it out over my queen sized bed and leave it there for several hours. Of course I close the bedroom door to keep the dogs out.

Otherwise, damp or wet from morning dew, etc? I just pack it up and go jump it again and it's good to go!

Arrive Safely

John

[riggerrob 643]

Hang your canopy in a well ventilated area, out of direct sunlight. It should dry overnight. Hangars work best, but living room furniture will suffice.

[markbaur 0]

Quote

If anything less than completely sodden, go jump it. Dries out fastest and easiest that way. If really wet, couple jumps may be needed.

Never noticed any different opening charactaristics with wet canopies ...

Wet nylon has lower porosity and reduced strength. Most of the time this won't matter, but unlike fergs, I have caused major damage to a parachute by jumping it wet.

Mark

[fergs 0]

Mark,

sorry to hear you saw damage from a wet canopy. What happened?

fergs

[markbaur 0]

I blew out the front gore on a 28' round on a water jump hop-n-pop. On a square, that might be similar to tearing a rib.

We were jumping into the Ohio River, so I decided to land it (if that's the correct term for a water jump). The blown gore on the front was about as big as the drive slots on the back, so I didn't have much forward speed, but there was enough wind to push me from the spot (over Paducah, Kentucky) to the river.

Mark

[fergs 0]

Mark,

Did you blow the gore before the water landing? Or was it following a previous water jump when it hadn't been dried out?

A blown gore on a 7-TU is nothing like a torn rib on a ram-air canopy. The old rounds had gores removed to give the limited drive that they had. Rate of decent wasn't really increased noticably by removing more material. I chopped parts of panels out of my Double-T to turbo-charge it into a 7-TU. I fooled myself into thinking the 7-TU gave more drive .... But decent rate was the same - fast!!

On the other hand, the last time I tore a rib on a sabre, the result was NOTICIBLE!

Anyhow, I digress ....

Your comment that dampness affects canopies may indeed have merit. As I posted previously, I've jumped damp canopies 10 or 20 times - never with any noticible difference, apart from starting with a damp canopy and landing with a dry one.

So I think we'd all be interested in hearing from anyone who can shed scientific light on the subject.

Blue Skies, fergs

[markbaur 0]

Quote

Did you blow the gore before the water landing? Or was it following a previous water jump when it hadn't been dried out?

Packed wet from a previous jump.

Quote

A blown gore on a 7-TU is nothing like a torn rib on a ram-air canopy.

I was trying to describe the damage in a way that most readers would understand: affecting the performance of the canopy in a way that leaves a safe landing in doubt -- and since I was wearing shorts and tennis shoes, wondering where in Paducah I was going to do my PLF, I had some doubt.

Mark

[fergs 0]

Mark,

no worries, point taken about describing in a way others will understand. I guess most jumpers today don't even know what we're talking about when describing rounds .... showing our age?

fergs