melk

Thanks. This is great advice

No problem! I totally understand your concern. If I thought a jumper was just packing carelessly I would say something too. It's far too important to just make up your own rules. I'm a new jumper in the grand scheme of things, but not brand new. I have about 170 jumps, but I ask the same amount of questions as a noob bc I feel like the knowledge out there is endless and I want to fully understand all decisions that are made while packing. Personally I think it's silly that "asking questions" is a sign of a newbie, but I know that people sometimes get to a certain point and think they have arrived and stop asking the why's :( You're right about reading manuals. If I'm going to be a packer, I need to read manuals for other containers

I'm actually a she

No, I put the dbag in with the lines facing the back (not bottom) bc a rigger worth his salt HAS said it's acceptable. If you roll the bag to go in, then, obviously it seems it would roll on its way back out...I assure you I would never just carelessly decide to pack however I "want" bc what I want to do is survive for as long as possible. I'm not sure what you mean as upside down though, this isn't upside than at all. Also, I do ask lots of questions when packing new-to-me containers. The importance of it is not lost on me.

I have! (Specifically the packing part, not every part). I might not have been clear, even though the examples I gave were regarding my own gear, my focus was more about when I'm packing other people's gear. In terms of my own gear I guess I'm guilty of primarily taking stock in what my riggers have suggested I do. I have not read the manual for every container. I'm also one of those "full picture" type of people, so knowing the why behind things helps me understand the process better. Example, knowing why people roll the nose, not just that some do and some don't. I have not ever rolled the nose, largely due to the fact that I was never taught to specifically.

Being around enough jumpers/packers/riggers eventually you start to notice that there are tons of different packing nuances. I'm curious about a few things i have seen other ppl do, but without much explanation behind it. To be clear, I'm not criticizing any of these things or lack thereof, just trying to gather opinions (and preferably information). 1) Roll the nose - why do people do this? I have heard ppl claim it makes their opening "better", but why/how/does it actually make an opening better? 2) Roll the dbag down toward the bottom of the container (so the lines are down by the BOC and the bridle grommet is up by the reserve tray) - is there any benefit to doing this on a sport rig? I have a wings and i leave the dbag in with the lines toward the back of the container which seems the most logical to me, but I often see people roll it down toward the bottom and have yet to get a reason why 3) Line excess - how much line should you leave unstowed? I tend to leave roughly 12-24 inches, but just today I had a rigger tell me to make one more stow because too much excess can cause line twists, but another rigger has told me the exact opposite - that not enough excess can cause line twists. Since i was packing one of the DZs rigs and not my own, I did it his way, but i would really love to know if one way is more right. Like I said, this is actually a point I have been told differently by different riggers- kindve like double vs single stows ;) 4) Flaking - often times (we all have seen and probably done this) ppl will flake their canopy and then throw it onto the ground not-so-gently so that it fluffs up. My question is does that really "ruin" the flaking and should one make an effort to lay it down as gentle as possible? i notice ppl with their own packing quirks and I'm trying to determine where all the variation comes from so I can keep the good, ditch the bad and become a more effective packer. Cheers!