Safety Stow

[crapflinger2000 1]

I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the following:

a) Are safety stows somehow less forgiving of some looseness in the stows as compared to rubber bands?

b) Why did Jumpshack make the safety stow an option recently? Opinions on same?

c) Anyone habitually tweak out the length of safety stows if they seem "too loose" from the factory (related to a))?

I am a rigger and understand the benefits of the concept (i.e. less likely for bag lock on reserve) but have always wondered about downsides (there have to be some).

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What would Vic Mackey do?

[JayhawkJumper 0]

I'm not a rigger yet, but I could see a downside to having a safety stow too loose. Your line bites shouldn't be very large and if the safety stow is loose the lines could come out of the stows. Now if you deploy the reserve, there is really nothing keeping the lines taught as the bag comes off your back toward line stretch and the bag might even come off the canopy too soon. This might lead to tension knots, line dump, asymetrical inflation etc...

[crapflinger2000 1]

yeah I know... however, I could swear that I read SOMEWHERE that safety stows were more forgiving in this scenario somehow... I always made mine plenty snug (even allowing for compression over the cycle) but have always wondered if I really needed to be doing it, given the amount of loose stows I would see come in the door...

__________________________________________________
What would Vic Mackey do?

[rigging65 0]

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safety stows were more forgiving in this scenario somehow

Your safety stow does stretch, but since it routes all the way through to the other side, it's being "tightened" as the other side stretches (and vice versa). This would be as opposed to a rubberband that is anchored on one side, so as it stretches, nothing is trying to keep it "tight" other than it's own elasticity.

There are pros and cons to everything, but I'm sure if you contacted Jump Shack, they could give you their side of why they're recommending rubberbands while everyone other Mfg. is not.

As for loose safety stows; They're bad juju. As with all line stows, your locking stows on your freebag should be nicely snug (see Poynter's for a definition of "snug" ).

"...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.
For there you have been, and there you long to return..."

[riggerrob 643]

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I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the following:

b) Why did Jumpshack make the safety stow an option recently? Opinions on same?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Because John Sherman is John Sherman.
Hee! Hee!
Remember that the first few square reserves were closed with rubber bands back in the 1970s.
Seriously, it looked like Mr. Sherman took a step backwards last year when he re-introduced rubber bands on reserve d-bags. Two rubber bands did not look like enough.
Fortunately the free bags he displayed at PIA 2003 were a major re-design with 6 or 8 locking stows. Now that makes sense in a high speed deployment!

The only disadvantage I can see to the current Racer freebag is that it depends upon MIL-spec rubber bands. Not all riggers use MIL-spec rubber bands. Cheaper rubber bands tend to chemically interact with brass grommets. Some cheap rubber bands become useless in as little as two years.
My retort to those lazy slobs who rarely repack their reserves is "all bets are off 121 days from now!"

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