Anyone have a spare tailpocket?

[ruthers 0]

Hi All,

I have a lightning 126 which is currently set up for D-bag (but usual retracting bridle). I keep getting little nicks in the top surface from the fabric getting caught in between the retracting bridle rings and the d bag grommet, even though i am pretty careful to make sure it's not in between them when packing.

So I want to put a tail pocket on. I have a tail pocket on my other lightning 143, so I could just get the local rigger to copy the design, but just in case, does anyone have a spare tail pocket, perhaps on an old unairworthy canopy that they are not using?

[faulknerwn 38]

What we've done for aftermarket tail pockets - and which is WAY easier than the ones done at the factory - is just sew a piece of cloth onto the trailing edge of the canopy. Then just throw some binding tape onto it to hold rubber bands, and voila tail pocket. Its a lot easier than having to unstitch seams and all of that to sew it onto the actual cell - just sew the fabric onto the current seam on the tail and have it hang off the back.

[ruthers 0]

thanks for the reply Wendy.

So the "pocket" is just a free-hanging, single surface flap off the back of the trailing edge seam and not a folded pocket, and the lines are not covered?

Or is it pretty much the same as the normal tailpocket (with the bottom and top surfaces, and rubber band attachement points on the lower surface of the pocket), but only sewn to the canopy at the trailing edge?

I guess my main question is : are the lines on your tailpocket design covered by anything, or is the purpose just to provide somewhere for the lines to be rubber-banded, and not be a big stack of freestowed line asking for trouble on deployment?

[faulknerwn 38]

Correct. The lines are not covered - its just a piece of fabric which you rubber band lines on to. I have one canopy which I personally did 500+ jumps on like that and is still in use in the CRW community with the same tailpocket..

The covered tailpocket is really nice, and I highly recommend getting it when buying new, but this is WAY WAY WAY easier to add on in the field, and seems to work great, and I've never seen any issues with it. The canopy I jumped in all the world records had this kind of tail pocket on it.