Basejumper.com - archive

I packed my velcro rig a few weeks ago and haven't jumped it. (winded out /nerved out).
When I packed it it was firm,hard to close. Now it feels kinda soggy I was able to remove the shrivel flap and replace it without pushing in the material. any feelings on this?

Word.
~J

Yes, find a bridge or a tower and jump it. I'll do it if you don't want to.

Nerved out was probably a good thing

I packed my canopy last September, jumped it in March.... No sweat.

Taken from the BASE fatality list.

So i would err to the side of caution, but what do i know ?

um....no snow here.
by soggy (if that's what you were refering to) I didn't mean wet.
~J

I'd be willing to bet you could do this just about every time after about 5 or 10 minutes of the container being closed. I usually can.

I don't normally repack after long periods of my packed rig laying dormant. It usually stays in my gear bag, untouched until the next time.
I have, however, repacked several times after climbing back down after a no-go, just because I was sloppy while climbing down, bumping my rig against shit on the way down, throwing it over the fence, etc...

Rod

Sounds good I should be off work and in the city by 10 on friday

Nerved out was probably a good thingMaby...maby not no regrets either way.
Word!
~J

Hey Jamie ... you and I have similar BASE experience so obviously neither one of us is Mr Experienced. But are you willing to jump your skydiving rig after being away from the sport a few weeks? How about that reserve in your rig? When was it last packed? If I'm ever in doubt concerning a given pack job, then I repack it. But our BASE pack jobs and the pack job for a skydiving reserve are remarkably similar. It's only been 8 days since my BASE rig was last packed, but I'd still jump it even if it was several months old. But if you're in doubt, repack it.

No, i wasn't referring to soggy as wet,
i just thought it was an example of something that was a 'stale' packjob.

Even though it was an unusual & extreme one.

On two separate occasions in Idaho I jumped
a Round and a Square BASE canopy that where
packed for a year. * Opened Great.*
I am sure that there have been others that have
jumped Canopies that have been packed much longer.

I have no problem in jumping pack jobs that have been sitting for a month or two..... unless its a particularly hard jump, in which I will repack just so my actions are fresh in my mind when I go to jump - I dont want thoughts about the pack when there are more pressing things to think about.

In the end - just do what ever it takes to make you confident................. if that means repacking, do it, if it means doing a dance around your house whilst smeared in the blood of a chicken, then do it...............

I have jumped a slider-up BASE rig that sat packed for a year and half. Opened perfectly, as it should, and it would work just fine after 10 years. There is nothing in BASE pack job that would deteriorate over a few years.

Packing is so overrated...

bsbd!

Yuri.

I agree with that one.
It is Packed the same way you left it.
No matter how long it sits.

The only thing that can significantly age is the rubber band holding the locking stow. If the rig is chronically exposed to heat, the rubber band will of course be much more fragile and may in fact not be able to function properly. It does take quite a while for a rubber band to get to this point though.

 

And I think that has figured into some fatalities - the jump indicated being packed one way, but the rig was packed another.

I think Not....FrogNog
It is packed the same way you left it packed.
Slider-Up or No Slider.

* If you have mice in your Stash Bar.
* If you think it is Froze.
* Not a Daisy-Chained, Field Pack that you borrowed
From your buddy and did not take a peek inside
before you exited a cliff.
Or just say ....
* You did not hook your Bridal and Pilot chute
to the attachment point of you canopy.

It is Still, packed the same way you left it packed.

It's more the in the car out of the car in the car on the roof out of the bag back in the bag in the car...that I wonder about.
~J

Exactly what I'm saying. If it's packed slider up and you forget that, then make a jump where you really want it to be slider down, and think you packed it slider down, then that could be bad.

If you packed it recently, then you have a better chance to remember how it's packed.

Although, I think in the fat list I saw someone who jumped something packed the wrong way less than a day after packing it, so it's no guarantee.

I'm just saying if it's important how it's configured, and it's been packed a long time, can you trust that it's configured right?

If it doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter.

Not to keep kicking a dead horse, But...
That is kind of what I was trying to say.
If it Matters and you can not remember
What you packed
Just take a look inside before you Jump.
I will guarantee
It will be packed the same way you left it.

he he you laxy cracy f....

I think of it like parking your car,if its in the ideal conditions you shouldnt worry,but in doubt...it might wont start...atleast not at first time...

Oh well its just me

by the way.. why wouldt you jump for that long time(unless you were injuryed)

2,5 week since last jump,2 comercial filghts whith the rig and considder if i should repack it....oh yes i know.. im a pussy

Hmm, How high's your roof?

so far i have always been packing slider down. I only pack slider up if I am going to jump the next day/next few hours. If I questioned it, yea I would repack it; a little sweat, beats alot of blood anyday.

Sweat is definitely better than blood. You should however be able to tell if it is slider up or down by your PC size, right? I also have different colored PC's for different sizes so as not to be mistaken if I just glance at it. That little plastic piece on smaller PC's would give it away for me as well .

The exit point is not the place for gear fear. Do whatever you need to feel comfortable. If that includes repacking, do it. Just think, would you want to be in a hospital regreting for the rest of your life "if I'd only spent 15 minutes doing what I thought was right."

I've used 42" PC's for both slider down and slider up delays. In fact, I usually use a 42" for all my jumps off this little bridge here, slider up or slider down.

I'm with Tom on that one. I use a 42 for slider up and down on certain objects, and a 38 slider up or down on others. The only size that would give it away would be a 32.

Fireflyr is positive he packed his rig slider down, That's not in question. It's all about wondering whether or not the travels and handling the rig has gone through makes a difference.

Right now? Nah I'd jump it. However I'm also a firm believer in removing the gear fear as 460 mentioned. Pack Jobs are easy, especially if it's just redoing an already packed rig.

I've re-packed for no good reason except the rig sat in the corner for a month and curiosity got the best of me. I suppose it's the same as gear fear. Sure enough, it looked the same as it did when it was packed up the first time.

Whatever gets you off the edge is what makes a difference. Standing there with pilot chute in hand is a bad time to be wondering about the contents of your backpack so just open it and pack it up again.

Touche. I would be interested in seeing what situations you use different setups (if you don't mind). I have used a 42" for 90% of my jumps, so haven't had a lot of play time with variances. I am also guilty of repacking my rig for nothing other than it sitting for about a month.

Just to reiterate what Tom and co have already mentioned, but absolutely not. A 42" pc could quite happily configure with a slider up and and slider down jump. A power tower we jump has two platforms, one at 350 another at 650. I have jumped stowed 42" from both heights, the latter being slider up. I'd rather not gamble on the outcome of mistakenly taking the slider up pack off the lower platform with a 2 sec delay, based on the assumption that a 42 meant it was slider down.

That could be a very costly assumption to make.

so your using 46 and 48 on slider ups aswell

you cracy bastards...he he

as i say,why leave a pack job that long..

If you're not sure, the easiest way to find out would be to open the pack job and take a quick peek at the brake settings & risers. That *should* clear up any slider up/down questions.

Read that in english Faber

But to answer you, 32 slider up. 42 Slider up or down, 46? well ... I have used it slider up plenty because that's the pc that was available however, the delay is pretty short when it gets used.


The 48 has a total of 2 jumps on it. I don't use it any more.

Not if you own BR gear. Remember, BR uses one brake setting on all their canopies, and their manual says not to customize the brake settings. I assume that's also what they teach their students.

That reminds me that unpacking and repacking something is an excellent time to dissect your pack job and see just how much things didn't shift.

This is just my scared/paranoid side coming out, but if I did not _JUST_ pack it within 1-2 days, I will repack it.
I was next in line to jump in Moab when a jumper used a daisy chained field packed rig. He streamered into the talus.
Then, I have heard of people jumping towers thinking they where sliderup- when they where not. 10 seconds slider down

Check your gear, then repack, then check again, then check again, then check again....etc....
Is 1/2 to 1 hour of checking and packing worth your life?

http://www.blincmagazine.com/...owthread.php?t=17687

http://www.blincmagazine.com/...owthread.php?t=17688

How low is more like it

OO OO.. I know this one! *raises hand* pick me!

Did you repack it yet

If you're going to go through the trouble of opening up the pack job, why not just look to see if the slider is up or not? If you're one to just pull the slider down, it should be pretty obvious. Either way, you should be able to feel for slider grommets about as easily as you would check brake settings.

...but if you jump slider up you must have the control line inside the guide ring on your riser, while if you're jumping slider-down/off you must have your control lines outside the guide rings on the risers...

I agree with you.

However, there are a number of jumpers who disagree with both you and I on this issue.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you don't know, unless you _really know_.

Yes Tom, you're right!
And I agree with all the guys are saying that when you have a minimal doubt about your setup, there's only a way: open and repack!
Technically, I asked the same question (about jumping a longtime packed rig) to Karen at BR. I was specifically concerned about the "memory" of the ripstop after a long time, but she said me that if you don't have any doubt about your setup and pack job, you can jump without problem your rig also after months.
She also said me that in past there were made some tests (I don't remember if done by BR or by other manufacturer) with skydiving reserves packed from a loooong time (4 years and more) and once jumped they opened perfectly in the same way of a recently packed canopies.
However, personally I prefer to open and repack my rig after a period of more than 15 days. It gives me more confidence on the exit point. And well... it's only about 1 hour of your life...
About routing the control lines on the guide rings on the risers when jumping slider up, I think that in the archive (or on the BLINC one) there's a thread about this, maybe interesting to read it again, but I tryed to make a search in the archive without results...
Anyone can help?

I were jokig at you bro... what i wrote is state of the art"new english" learn it or feel old

48.. hmm i dont have one.. i use a vented 46 and an unvented 46 aswell to the dirty jumps(SL or really low freefalls)

by the way i dont wonder if its a slider up or down jump for 2 reassons
1. i only used slider 1 time,the rest of the jumps its off,that mean if i find my slider somewere it can only be packed slider off

2.i just dont jump alot slider ups so why should i pack for one

You could(if you borther)place a strip on your rig(that your now leaving packed for a long time)telling what its packed like...

what i said you guys are wrong

stay safe guys

I have seen a similar study (perhaps the same one?) from the US military. The conclusions were not quite the same as you've stated. Still, the difference between a canopy packed 3 months and one packed three years was negligible.

I'm more interested in the difference between a canopy packed 3 hrs and one packed 3 wks...

I'd be more concerned about repacking the pilot chute after time passes than the canopy.

I've heard of people having scary hesitations when the jumped a rig that had been packed for a week and hadn't repacked their PC.

Maybe I remember wrong, but I need to find that email in the tons of archived msgs on my home PC...
However, I usually pack my PC just before the exit (of course if I don't need to climb with my rig on and when the object gives you that chance) because I've been told by an experienced jumper that the ripstop can have a sort of "memory" if packed for a long time... And I don't like it...

Me too. The study I read seemed to conclude that the biggest difference in opening (in terms of the distance they used) was at the beginning. In other words, the sooner after packing, the bigger the difference (so 1 hour-1 day was larger than 1 day-2 days, and so on). Let me see if I can dig up the real study, though, as I'm just working on memory here. Also, remember that the study wasn't on BASE gear--it was on military rounds.

I've both seen and experienced that, often enough that when I'm doing an edgy jump, I'll repack the PC right before exit.

F@#% that i've already repacked it 3 times without jumping!
~J

I think it's possible to have a PC hesitate due to a stale pack job - so I repack that if I'm going stowed.

The canopy should be fine, but who needs the worry if you have some time or an easier object.


This is probably true, but what if someone has had a chance to sabatoge your kit! I ALWAYS double check the stuff that I can see without opening it: my bridle's attachment to the canopy and bridle integrity on through to the PC, the 3-rings and cutaway cables, the harness integrity, the PC, and if I really think there's a chance someone might have a chance to get to it I open it and check everything.

You never know who might not think the world of you, I'd especially look out if you're a red bull jumper!

First, i would like to put on the record that the abovementioned rig was not mine. Second, they are legal, if barely.

I hope you made as many base jumps recently as i did y.g's... or vise versa - you loose either way! We will talk back home!

bsbd!

Yuri.