JackR

As a guy and a rigger, you should see the looks I get when I go into the local fabric stores. I got the "I bet you're gay" attitude from a mover one time when he unloaded my sewing machine. I'm just glad that some of those people don't show up at my DZ. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

She's an angel. She'll try to tell you otherwise and lead you along with misdirection, but when you get to know her, she's an angel. Skydivers have been dealing with the death of their friends for a long time. Thanks for sharing. We're all here for you. We mourn, but then that plane has to fly again. You can be on it or you can stay on the ground. It isn't that we don't respect the memories of our friends, but that we know they lived to the end and we must follow their lead. Skydiving is a small world. Maybe soon you'll get to meet taln. She'll steal your heart. I'm looking forward to the day when I get to visit with her at the DZ again. Jack Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

I saw in a thread awhile back with some good advice about designing gear: If you don't completely understand it, copy it exactly. I guess a corollary to that could be, unless you designed it, follow the instructions. At PIA this year I learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to put reinforcement tape on the pilot chute mesh. I had never considered that there was a difference. The gear designers have considered this and decided on a right way. I'm going to suspect that there is some similar reasoning behind packing with the lines down. Why else would they take the time to print up big labels and the extra time to sew them onto the flaps that say Pack with the Lines to the Bottom. The other reason I figure that there is a good reason for this is because it hasn't always been this way. I had a client with a 1987 Sweethog. Luckily the folks at SSK were kind enough to send me the packing manual for this container. It, like some of the rigs from this time, was packed with the lines to the top. That means that sometime near 1987, gear manufacturers made a decision to switch to packing with the lines to bottom. I also remember a discussion in the mid-90's about switching to packing with the lines against the backpad as is described here, yet most of the manufacturers have not changed this in their design. If you prefer this packing method, I recommend the Wings container. It is the only container that I know of in the States that gives the user the option of packing with the lines to the top or against the backpad. I don't know all of the pros and cons to this packing method, but consider that the main D-bag was designed and built to fit exactly in the main pack tray using the packing instructions. I can't think fo many main D-bags that are square on the ends where it wouldn't matter on the orientation of the bag. I know the Javelin has a rectangular shape. If you pack this main D-bag in a different orientation, it will apply stresses to the container flaps that the container was not designed or tested with. This changes much of the structural loading of the container walls and may be causing damage to the gear in unexpected places. Also at PIA this past year, during the demonstration of the reserve packing method for the Javelin Odyssey, SunPath made a point to discuss filling the D-bag. This applies to both the reserve and the main. If you have canopy pushing out of the bag it will lay poorly in the container and be harder to close. It also looks bad.. Please consult with the manufacturer before changing their instructions. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Anyone interested in shirt stays to try and see how they work can e-mail me. I can get them and make them available to anyone who would like to try them to keep their shirts tucked in. Jack Rumple Discopants & Haircuts skyjack@airforce.net Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

We've seen wear on the Reserve flap window as well. That is just normal wear and tear on the rigs. RWS makes that evident with how easy it is to replace this window and how cheap they are to get replacements. The Cypress window is pretty close to this, but it is hareder to replace. I suspect that the Reserve windows have been replaced a couple times and are showing less wear. I'm not sure what is causing this bend. My only other idea is the packing of them. From the Sigma manual, the main is closed from a position on the reserve. Watch the packers. If they are sitting on the reserve to get enough leverage to pull all four main flaps closed, this may contribute. As the main closing loop wears, it shrinks. This combined with the fact that most packers are not used to closing all four flaps at the same time can make the main closing really hard. The easy solution is to replace the main closing loop before it looks like it is worn. I'm guessing that main closing loops are cheaper than replacement reserve pins. I'm not sure if this is the cause, but sitting on the reserve flap will apply pressure to the pin and the ripcors end terminal against the last grommet. If these are sitting in a strange position it may cause some of the bending that you're seeing. Good luck with this, and please let us know what comes of your research. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

There are a lot of good reasons to clear the brake lines. Avoiding tension knots is only one of them. I haven't thought about tension knots for quite some time. Reading through this thread reminded me of a lot of "legends" that I heard as I was learning to skydive. There was a rash of tension knot malfunctions on tandems in the mid-90s. Based on some of the input from this thread, a lot of thouse were probably caused by worn lines. That was a time when tandems were becoming more and more popular and DZs were seeing the money rolling in. It was also a time when those tandem canopies were getting more use (=wear) between maintenance. When I was being trained to pack parachutes as a student, my instructor, Scott Chew (sorry if I got the spelling wrong.) showed me how tension knots could develop. He took a brake line in hand and twisted it while it was slack. I think he may have put two full turns in it. He pushed the turns together and flicked one of the twists with a finger. Then he put tension on the line. A knot developed and only got tighter with the more tension that was added. On a brake line the slider would not have passed over this without some serious pumping of the lines. Given some of the other posts here, imagine yourself going through that around 1,500 feet. At the time is absolutely amazed me how quickly and easily he was able to get the knot into the line. I pulled and pulled on the line, like you would with your toggles, and couldn't get it to undo. Ever since I've paid attention to twists in the brake lines. I can't say I've been committed to this though. I only check it every few jumps on my own gear, but I always put my toggles back on the Velcro after I land and have the canopy collapsed behind me. If I notice that one has fallen off on the way back to the packing area, I clear that brake line for sure and usually clear the other one. I show my packing students how to clear the brake lines, but don't take the time that Scott did to explain why it is important. I usually just rely on the "'Cause I said so" reason and move on to flaking and bagging the canopy. I pack at our drop zone and don't clear the brake lines as often on that gear either. I've found myself a lot of times looking back down the lines after laying the canopy on the ground, thinking, "I should clear those brakes the next time this rig gets jumped." At that point I don't want to have to redo all of that work. Maybe I should be saying, "It is a lot easier to clear the brake lines now than have a student cutaway from tension knots." There is one time I always clear the brake lines. That is during the repack. As part of the reserve inspection I always walk the brake lines to verify no twists. I also inspect and pack the main as a free service and I clear the brake lines at that time as well. I just spent 4-5 hours on the reserve. The 2 minutes it takes to clear some brake lines is worth it to give my customers cleared brake lines again since the last time they did it. I have written a lot so far and I thank you for staying with me. Let me leave you with this thought. Many of the comments about tension knots were from "back in the day." I'm sure you've enjoyed many of these stories around the campfire after a good day of jumping. These "back in the day" canopies had Velcro toggles and most everyone was taught to put their toggles back on the Velcro anytime you took your hands off of the toggles. Now more and more jumpers have Velcro-less toggles. How many times have you seen that toggle flipping and twisting as they walk back to the packing area? How many of those times did the packer take the time to clear the lines? The best thing I've seen with the Velcro-less toggles is to tuck them into the toggle keepers on the riser, again, as soon as you land. Even if you do this, check them ever so often and prove to yourself that you're doing a good job of this. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

My Inspection Record does not include an inspection checklist or a tool checklist. I use it more like a work order. It is only one page (one sided). I have plans to put the Inspection Checklist and Tool Checklist on the back side and tri fold it for mailing to my customers. I found that the easiest way to get paid by the DZ was to mail them the work order. The checkbook was out when the mail was received and not when the rig was dropped off. This has worked well for me. I almost forgot. Only recently did I find out that the cells of a canopy are numbered. The diagram on this Inspection form help me describe damage to canopies in the same way that the manufacturers do. It is a little hard to read because it is backwards from the way we are used to seeing a canopy. If anyone has a better diagram, please post it. - Jack Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Also try (530)753-2650 (fax (530) 753-8572) They were able to get me an RSL for a customer's Reflex. Keep your eyes out for the Viper H/C. It uses the Reflex TSO, but has updated the design making is more versitile for the owner. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

I inspect the main free of charge. The repack may be the only time that the main canopy is examined completely and by a trained and certified rigger. I would rather prevent a reserve ride than repack after one. I have grounded a customer because his ribs had separated from the top skin. If I hadn't found that he would have blown up the canopy. Instead I kept him on the ground an extra day as the problem was repaired and the reserve wasn't subjected to a deployment and possible damage from the landing area to my loft. Since flat packing has mostly given way to PRO packing, I find very few owners inspecting the top skin of their canopies. I had one customer who was unaware of many pinholes in his canopy near the warning label of his center cell and completely mised the 2 by 2 inch hole on the bottom skin immediately below the warning label. Before the repair, I accomplished a fabric pull test that the canopy failed. The repair was expensive, but again I prevented a reserve ride for a repair that was inevidable. On a selfish note, I find very few problems with reserve canopies. They just aren't used that often. By inspecting main canopies I am training my eye to identify wear on canopies, lines, bridles, etc. I am constantly making judgements about airworthiness and refining my tolerance for acceptance. It has also taught me to ask questions and I have learned about crossport fraying and what causes it. If you're worried about the expense in time that a main inspection will cost you, think about when you find a problem. Why do you think JiffyLube does a 14-point check on your car? They don't make anything on the oil change. They make money by selling you air filters, belts, etc. You get the opportunity to do repair work that will likely pay better per hour than the repack. As for the inspection checklist, I also include the due dates for important upcoming events: Next Repack, Cypress Batteries, Cypress Maintenance. As soon as the reserve is sealed, you know when it comes due. Share this information with your customers. Also it is a lot easier to save for a 4-year maintenance over 120 days than it is to come up with the money in 2 when your rigger tells you they either have to send it to SSK or remove it from the rig. It also helps the customers plan for their Cypress to be at SSK for the three weeks it takes to do the inspection and certification. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

I believe that one of the other concerns that PD is addressing in this instruction is a possiblity of lines getting entangled. If one of the stows close to the locking stows dumps as the bag is being lifted off your back you have all that line flopping around while the other stows are coming undone. It opens the possibility for them to entangle with other stows. This usually isn't a problem because there is more line bulk near the locking stows due to the cascaded lines. I wonder if the Ground Zero canopies have had any issue with this since they are not cascaded? The BergerBag, CReW Tailpockets, BASE containers, and reserve freebags address this by allowing the lines to deploy through one center openning. This allows the lines to stretch in order from the links to the canopy. - Jack Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

PD has a paper in the Education section of their website to address the reputation that Sabre has at some DZs. I highly recommend downloading it, printing it, and leaving it at the DZ for other jumpers. I've had mixed reviews on Sabre opennings. I have a Sabre and really can't complain about it. I'm pretty particular about my opennings and am always updating it. First the canopy openning is a very dynamic process. The first thing I learned from the PD paper on Hard Opennings is that there is more going on than meets the eye. Did you know that the mesh of your pilot chute will affect your openning? Most gear manufacturers will recommend F-111 pilot chutes while you're finding more and more ZP pilot chutes available from third party vendors. As a packer, I've had many Sabre owners ask for slow opennings because they have been slammed on an openning here and there. I've found that the Sabre requires attention, but not drastic measures. You can't pitch and toss around the canopy or the nose of the Sabre in a hurry and expect a smooth openning. I've heard myths about stuffing the nose into the center cell. Don't do this. It rips the seams of the center cell and you'll be more than bruised when your canopy blows up from the center out. I've heard myths about dragging a new ZP canopy through sand and dirt to take away the slipperyness. Well, that happens and you're also severely reducing the life of the canopy as well. One of the first recommendations from PD that I heard and like was, "Don't roll the nose. Make small folds." That the four (4) outside cells and make folds between 1 and 2 inches. You can usually get three or four of these in the nose without wrapping up the A-lines. This ensures that the same amount of canopy is in each fold on each side of the center cell. It also helps prevent the rolls from unraveling when you wrap the tail and set the canopy down. You want the canopy to open from the center and then pressurize the cells towards the end cells. This is the best openning. If you need to slow the openning down more, I do a fold on the center cell itself. I've never seen this recommended, so user beware. I'm not reall good at describing this, but here goes. You have the four outside cells on either side folded as described above. They set on either side of the center cell. Open the center cell nose slightly so you can see each side of it. I fold one side towards the other, then take the remaining side and wrap it over the first. It is a little like those original sandwich bags before we all got spoiled on Ziplock bags. I don't actually turn anything inside out, but it tends to block off the nose and delay inflation just that extra split second. Realize that while the nose is closed, your brake lines have time to travel to the front of the canopy on openning, so be sure to control these. You'll hear a lot of different canopies recommend placing the nose a little bit into the pack job as well. This can help a Sabre as well. I am careful about this. On this type of forum I'm afraid that someone will push it all the way past the C-lines and wonder why they got the line over. It is only slightly. There was mention of a pocket slider. Many people haven't seen these before. Strong uses them on their tandem canopies. Many people have had great success with pocket sliders on Sabres, but PD didn't design the canopy with this type of slider. There is so much interaction between the different parts of the skydiving system, that I don't recommend this either. In lieu of that, I've got another technique that may help you. If you have packed a Strong tandem or a rig with a pocket slider, you've seen that there is a lot of fabric at the front of the slider. It is cupping the air which is holding the slider towards the canopy until the canopy has enough pressurization to force the slider down. I like to set the original slider in the pack job with a similar cupping design. Most packing instructions have you quarter the slider between all of the line groups. This involves pulling the tape along each edge out like you're clearing the stabilizer or flaking the tail. You can pull the slider a little more towards the nose to slow down the openning or a little more towards the tail to speed up the openning. On my Sabre pack job, I just quarter the slider, but on the front I flatten the edge back along the front of the canopy. I do the same thing along the back. I've heard this shape described as a Dutch Hat. I don't mean to offend anyone, but it looks like that traditional hat the Dutch wore. This way I know there is a cupping of the air on openning and I know that the slider won't move when I set the canopy on the ground. These are the small things that I do to help my Sabre owners. This assumes that the rest of the pack job is good. I keep saying "set the canopy on the ground." It may look like the packers or other jumpers at your DZ are just flopping the canopy around, but if you do that, all the time you spent flaking the canopy, straightening the lines, and taking care of the nose is wasted. You just destroyed that neatness as the canopy plopped on the ground. You're also more likely to have that dreaded line over because your brake lines have also travelled to the front of the pack job. Getting the air out of the canopy, stacking it, and placing the bag around the canopy must be a coordinated effort. I've mentioned it before and I always teach it as follows. Many people lose the pack job in this process. They had trouble with it in the past and "know" they'll have trouble again. This is a self fullfilling prophecy. This part of the pack job is 90% mental. It is a game you play with yourself to see if you're controling the parachute or the parachute is controlling you. If you know you'll get the canopy bagged, then you'll have an easy time and the canopy will look as neat as those drawings that PD printed up in their manual. If you're scared of the canopy and think it has a mind of its own, you've already lost. This is coordinated, controlling, and there are no second chances. I've seen jumpers and packers not get it just right and take the stack back out of the bag. Well, you can recover the pack job, but it won't be neat. Just like taking SATs, Always go with your first answer. If you can get that bag closed on the first try, you'll probably have a better openning than if you pull it out, get it neat, and put it in cleanly. There is something about a do-over that just doesn't work for packing. I know I've written a novel here. If you're this far you're really trying to get that Sabre under control. Let me end with an antedote about Sabre packing. I packed for one of the jumpers at my old drop zone. He had a newer Sabre in an older container. He used to tell me to do nothing to the nose because he had never had a hard openning. The pace at this DZ was easy and everytime he asked me to pack for him, he would remind me and I would do as he asked. Then we had a boogie and I had a few pack jobs to do. He left his Sabre with me and I got to it in line. When I picked it up, I saw it was a Sabre, but forgot that he liked it with nothing to the nose. I just did my regular Sabre pack job as I described above and went on for the day. About a month later when he started talking to me again, he told me that his canopy snivelled so long that he almost chopped it. He didn't have me pack for him for at least a month afterwards. When I did, he was sure that I would pack it for a fast openning. About two months after he was talking to me again, he replaced his pilot chute. He other one was from the container from when it was new and was a really worn out F-111 PC with larger mesh holes in it. His new one was a sweet ZP one with a kill line and a hackey like all the cool guys have. Right about that time his Sabre snapped on him. Then he was asking for tips on how to slow the openning down some. Morale: You're wearing a parachute system. All of the parts from the main, the container, and even the reserve must work in concert with each other. It isn't a lego built system where as long as it fits you'll be okay. What works with one combination may not work with another. I hope you learned a little about canopies from me. I may not be right about any of it, so check with the manufacturer, check with your rigger, and practice your pack job. I'll be at Skydive Santa Barbara all summer and Lost Prairie for the Boogie if anyone wants to see a demonstration. -Jack Rumple D-20992 Discopants & Haircuts Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Mr Booth, I just want to thank you for being an active part of this forum and information source. For everyone that reads, replies, and posts, it is great to be in contact with you and the other manufacturers. Reviewing all of the threads and providing clear explainations about your equipment and design ideas is time consuming. I just wanted to say thank you. I look forward to learning even more from this forum. Jack Rumple D-20992 Discopants & Haircuts Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

I'm not excited about the DualLock from 3M on rigs either. It looks like it has too much holding force. I did go to the 3M website to learn more about it. They have some great information and a lot of specs on it. While I was there I noticed that they have another product called Scotchmate. This looks more like the lighter, more traditional Velcro that KellyF may have seen. There were some pictures of appilcations of Scotchmate. It looks like the material I'm using in my fabric cubicle at work. I'm planning on getting some samples from 3M to play around with. If the tesile strengths are enough while allowing easy separation and less damage to other parts of the rig, I suspect we'll be seeing this start replacing Velcro in some places on rigs. I doubt we'll se the end of Velcro. After all, look around for the snaps. A few rigs still have those. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Been there. Done that. I was at Quincy about 4 years ago with my new Sabre 150. It was a tight fit in my container, but was packing okay. I was getting on some organized loads and having a lot of fun. After one load everyone dropped there gear for the video. I came back and packed. When it was time for our next jump, I got my gear on, but couldn't find my wrist-mount Alti-5. I thought it might be back at my campsite and I had a chest-mount Alit-2 that was more accurate anyway. I figured there was no way I was going to fit my 150 and an altimeter in that small D-bag. We had a great jump. As I deployed, I watched my opening, just in case. Sure enough I got to watch my Alti-5 plummet towards the far end of the runway. I landed and told the organizer. He said that, if I found it, they might replace it. When I told him is was an Alti-5 that I had had for 5 years, his only comment was, "It lasted 5 years?" Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

The PD Slinks now come with a riser cover. This is great for preventing the slider from hitting your fingers as you're grabbing your rear risers on opening. They make it a bit more difficult to push the tab into the riser, but the good news is that it is also harder for them to slide out. It was recommended in one of the classes at PIA this year to tack the tabs in the risers. Be careful to only go through the small tab that has the writing on it. I can't remember where I saw it, but I've heard that you can apply around 50lbs of tension to the Slinks after installation. This will help create a set in the Slink. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

This is a great litte drop zone without all of the trappings of a stereotypical California Drop Zone. The staff is friendly and the local area draws beautiful women. It is a friendly local DZ that is perfect to call home. Yeah, and don't forget the Fantastic Ocean Views.

This is my favorite drop zone ever. The jumpers are friendly and always helping new jumpers find a place. The location is perfect. There is no airport, just the drop zone. It is away from the city and the hassles that creates. The equipment is maintained by one of the best Master Riggers in the Northwest. It gives you time to think and reflect on just why we all keep skydiving. Every summer, Skydive Lost Prairie is home to a boogie with Twin Otters, a Skyvan, and more. This is one of the funnest and safest boogies I've ever attended. It will be an annual pilgrimage for me. Hope to see you out there.

Thanks for brining this up. I think many skydivers have learned a lot from the question being asked. I watched my first repack as I began studying to become a rigger. Now as a Senior Rigger, I offer to my customers that they may watch any repack. I've had a few accept and I think they really enjoyed being able to see the process. Owners of Ravens are usually surprised to find out that their reserve is not all white or light blue. Another great thing is that Velocity Sports recommends to owners of their Infinity container that they find a rigger, who will let them watch, do the 120 day maintenance on the gear. - Jack Rumple D-20992 Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Trident is part of Action Air Parachutes as well. I just got a replacement RSL from them. They wer fast and friendly. Work: (530) 753-2650 Fax: (530) 753-8572 24390 Aviation Ave Davis, CA 95616-9734 Jack Rumple Senior Rigger Discopants & Haircuts mailto:skyjack@airforce.net Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

You are correct about their purpose, and that students in the beginning of AFF have a lot more on their mind than crossports. USPA has expanded the student training program beyond the original AFF course. With each progression of skydiving skill, the students are exposed to more of the knowledge about skydiving and the gear they are using. Upon reviewing the current SIM, you'll find a discussion about crossports later in the training program with the open canopy orientation. This and other topics were added to these later sections of the course to help prevent heart attacks and panic that the original poster had upon their winter packing refresher. It was also designed to lessen the number of "bad" lessons that new skydivers were learning around the campfire over beers. Bringing up these type of topics by a qualified instructor as part of the formal training reduces the mis-information that exists in our sport and keeps everyone safer. To the original poster, I encourage you to sit down an talk about your equipment with your rigger. I also encourage you to take some of your winter layoff to review the SIM. If you have questions talk with your instructors, riggers, pilots, and this forum. - Jack D-20992 Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Glad to see that you got the advice you were looking for. I also hope that there are about 50 other jumpers with nearly the same experience that you have who are thinking twice about packing and hooking up a canopy without checking with their rigger. I've said it before and I'll say many more times: All riggers are not made alike. Everyone is seeing parts of that as this thread develops. I just had a customer ask me if he could watch me assemble and pack his reserve. I didn't think anything of it. Well, I was thinking, "Dear God, don't let me f**k up." A couple weeks later I was brushing up on my rigging by re-reading some of my packing manuals. In that I found advice that Velocity Sports (others may as well. This was just the one I was reading) recommends that you find a rigger who will let you watch the repack. If a rigger won't, take it to a rigger who will. Rigging and repacking a reserve is not magic. It isn't even a mystery. If your rigger truly loves parachutes, packing, repairing and even designing parachutes, they will welcome the opportunity to talk about the process to you while you watch. A case of "Rigging Fluid" (That's beer to most skydivers.) will help soften the request. (Maybe you should make sure the reserve is packed before opening the first bottle.) PDS, tell the story, have a rigger or packer show you a 4-line check, keep your ears open and you mouth shut, and enjoy the sport. (Don't fret the 3 mals in 36 jumps. My third was jump number 27. My odds have greatly increased since I started packing for myself.) -Jack D-20992, Senior Rigger mailto:skyjack@airforce.net Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Not all riggers are made the same. This is another reason to take special care in selecting your rigger. This also reminds me of the old saying, "Be careful what you ask for. You may just get it." For those who have asked for "rush job" or "overnight" reserve repacks. Is this really what you want? Is this the rigger you want doing that pack job? Another story along these lines: About six or seven years ago a Molar Strap was found in a reserve upon a repack by another rigger. For those who don't know what a Molar Strap is, it is used by some riggers to control the reserve canopy as it is placed in the freebag. It can be a great help to the rigger, but if left on the canopy, will prevent the canopy from opening. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

I've heard of tacking the tab in from somewhere else (maybe this forum). I've watched rigs without them tacked and I've watched rigs with them tacked. Tacking the tabs in helps the links set from the outset. It works really well, but keep and eye on the tacking. There is a lof of flexing that goes on on this end of the riser. If the tacking comes loose, just re-tack it. When I tack the tab in I try to make as small of a loop around the tab to be sure that it stays in one place, but be careful not to damage the link as you're passing the needle through. I'm not 100% confident with soft links, so I don't want anything to reduce the strength of the link. Another complication that I've noticed is that many of the jumpers with soft links also have Velcro-less toggles. I'm all for Velcro-less toggles because it prevents the fraying of the brake lines. I've seen a trend with Velcro-less toggle jumpers to stow the excess brake line by passing it through the riser where the link is and tucking the upper toggle tab through the loop created as the excess brake line comes back down from the riser. Every time you release the brakes with this configuration, that excess brake line zips through this loop right past your link. I've seen many times that after a jump the soft link tab is moved outside the riser as if it was pulled by this excess brake line. If you've followed this so far, also consider that the brakes release very quickly. What is the brake line doing to your soft link as they speed past each other? In a few years are we going to see soft links failing from this abrasion? Again I like the Velcro-less toggles. I also like the extra loops that Relative Workshop is putting on the backs of these risers to stow the excess brake lines in. Please use them. Please use them if you also install soft links. Packin' Jack 42nd Lost Prairie: The Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Skydiving 25 Jul - 3 Aug 2009 2007 photos: http://www.skydive.com/prairie/pages/prairie.htm

Looks like you have it pretty well nailed to the wall. Good advice. There was an very interesting post in another thread from an e-mail from John LeBlanc about some of the risks involved with freeflying and the canopies. It isn't a factor of the canopy, but the risk that the canopy comes out while you're in a high speed position during the freefall. All the protection from premature opening is what you should be looking for in a container suitable for freeflying. When it is time to deploy, make sure you slow down. Break off the skydive early enough to track and recover to a more typical BTE fallrate. Then deploy. From this point your landing skill becomes the biggest factor in choosing the right canopy. To add to the information from the original post here, if you're putting together the money for your skydiving training, look for quality used gear. Befriend a qualified local rigger. (FYI, not all riggers are made equally.) Be clear about your intentions for the next 100 jumps: Formation Skydiving, Free Flying, or another discipline; Always at this drop zone or travel to other drop zones; Groups no larger than 3 or 4 or will jump on a 15-way for your 100th jump? There are many factors that will go into choosing the best first rig for you. A quality used rig will let you jump from your student training through your 100th jump. Then you can look for some new gear or another used rig. You won't have as much invested and won't feel stuck with your custom everything rig. You'll also have the experience to know what the next 1000 jumps will hold for you. Then you can buy that custom everything rig with confidence.