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Discuss the reasons for or against using a "primary/main stow".

I have been told that for Slider off it stages the opening, theoreticaly giving better heading performance, as it is true that stabiliser inflation is pretty much random. if the canopy is at line stretch, assymetrical stab inflation matters less as the canopy is pretty much instantaniously opening by then.

slider up is kinda the same thing.

Slider up and a few unpacked... no reasons why, just wanted to post on the new forum. ROCK ON!!!

There are two main reasons that I use the locking stow. The first is, in my opinion, far more important than the second.

1) Deployment Staging

The locking stow keeps the pack job constrained (in a bundle) until it reaches line stretch. This staging of the deployment reduces the incidence of malfunctions. Allowing the canopy to begin expanding prior to line stretch (i.e. not using the locking stow) throws slack lines back and forth (as they are moved by the inflating canopy). Moving slack lines past each other is undesirable because it increases the likelihood of a tension knot (it could also potentially degrade opening heading if lines catch on each other momentarily, or if a line is thrown far enough outside to begin putting tension on the canopy earlier than the other lines).


2) Indirect Slider Control

The locking stow helps to keep the slider up in the pack job until line stretch is reached. Keeping the slider up until line stretch also reduces the potential incidence of tension knots (which are encouraged by moving a slider down slack lines). This problem can also be addressed by a direct slider control stow band (usually attached to an inner C line)--personally I like to use both direct and indirect slider control.

hmm
Single or double stow on the indirect control ( primary stow)
I use a single wrap of a large ( tandem) bungee....the lines are held enough to need force to remove them from the stow but not so tight that it 'really' needs some force to relase the stow...
I just feel this balances the equation of providing a means to which the lines in the packjob are constrained ( until the tail pocket lines reach line stretch) without providing too much resistance /snatch for when the stow needs to release....thus aiding On Heading performance.

I'm sure its small part , where other factors are far more consequential.....but it all adds up :)

How do YOU do your primary stow?

When I review video of openings, I can clearly see the difference between having the stow and not having it. I can't really see much difference between a loose and a tight stow, though.

My theory is that the rubber band is going to prevent significant expansion no matter how loose or tight it is. Following from this, I tend to use only one wrap, not because I think that a tight stow will create problems, but because I don't think there's much difference, and the rubber band is likely to last longer (and more importantly, have less chance of breaking while still in the pack tray, before the jump, because it's under less tension) that way.

Note that this is just my theory. There are many jumpers whose technical expertise I have great respect for, who are on all sides of this issue. I know of gear manufacturers with more than 1000 BASE jumps who land all the way on one side (stow as tight as posible) and all the way on the other (no need for a stow at all).

Single wrap on go and throws, double wrap on any kind of delay or static line.

If I don't know what I'm packing for next, I double wrap it. I should just double wrap everything because there is no way that rubber band is hanging up after you've just spilled out 15' of line.

Slider off-

I only use a primary stow (single wrap) on my Flik because the tail pocket is huge and the lines want to slide out.

I don't use one on my rock dragon, because it has a smaller tail pocket, and the lines want to stay in.

Slider on-

I use all the time.

_justin

So do you like the super small tailpocket on the RockDragon or the extra large tailpocket on the Flik?

I like the smaller tailpocket. I think it holds the lines a little better, but I am happy either way.

A tarp is a tarp I guess....

 

I use it on the flick more for putting the canopy in my container.....

I don't like the lines shifting around, so I use the stow and they stay in place a lot better when I first put the canopy in the container prior to folding it....


Otherwise a little excess seems to slip out... No big deal, but I like my shit kind of neat.... gives me a warm fuzzy feeling at the exit.

I also use it if I am doing a 'smart' tard type of jump. I find it helps me control the lines better when I am moving around the bundle of fabric.

_justin

I have a RockDragon 266 with the small tailpocket and a 266 Flik with a ginormous tail pocket (the 266 is the smallest canopy to get the largest TP). Had I known in advance, I would have requested the Flik with either the Rockdragon TP or the smaller of the 2 Flik TP's.

I've heard new RockDragons are coming with Flik TP's now as well. I might be ordering another and will be requesting the older smaller one. And the first time my Flik needs something done at Apex it will be getting the smaller TP installed.