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I've been jumping awhile now and have never understood the need for color coded cells?

When I was being taught it was never brought up. I've always jumped solid colored canopies.

So again just wondering what the benefits are?

Thank you.

the only reason i like having different colors is for packing. it's kind of nice to be able to see where your cells are at. other than that, i couldn't care less.

Unpacked jumps. Its nice to know the center cell is in the middle, especially when its windy or your rollover is moving around. Not a necessity, but sure seems to make things easier.

hey, no finger pointing!

one and only reason is - fashion!
You will see that in a few years canopies will start getting tattoos, and piercing as well

In the early 1990s when Pro packing first came into fashion full force, for both skydiving and BASE, it was easier for everyone to have at least a unique colored center cell. Especially for the non-rigger types who were more used to flat or roll packing.

And in those earlier days we used video mostly to figure out why we were getting so many weird openings. Tail flutters, line overs, and general off heading deployments were easier to dissect and study on slow motion video when there were color keys to differentiate parts of the canopy and what they were actually doing.

And you're right - the color coding isn't needed as much today as most up and coming BASE jumpers will get shown and taught a decent pack job right from the start. But that wasn't always the case . . .

Color coding the lines, at least the tailgate lines, was a more recent addition and it might be argued they aren't needed any longer either. But they do look cooler . . .

NickD

Packing (in the dark)........... and CReW spill over.....

You've heard of the metrosexual thing? this is just the carry over of that into base jumping.

 
jumping for a while and no clue why fabric is sold in different colors.

are all your cloths the same color?

maybe you jump all black canopy/container/cloths?

even the dirk dirkastanies can chose the color of their towel.

thinking is overrated

Yeah,

Always heard the packing excuse. Never quite got it meself?

The roll over maybe?

The video makes sense!

The vanity? Dunno?

And yes , all black on me. Except me skin.

Peace


Earl

Why not have them? Colors look cool, and a canopy with 7 different or random colors looks like shit.

Cell colors: its a whole lot easier fo me to see a different color cell than a stitchline when I'm trying to keep things as symmetrical as possible... not much of a unpacked jumper myself, but the rollover argument sounds good too.

Line Colors: trust me, the first time you get nasty line-twists (head pinned down style) flying a rig with all one color lines you'll understand :)

in the end the only downside is maybe a slight increase in cost, but the benefits (in response time if nothing else) could save your life.

-Seth

I've always bought BASE canopies with a different-coloured center cell because there are a few points in the packjob when it's a nice visual indication that you do, in fact, have the center of the canopy in front of you.

Maybe you'd have to be drunk not to notice that you don't have the center cell even on a solid-coloured canopy, but I guess my return question (not rhetorical) would be "What's the cost?". Even a small benefit with no cost is worth following up on.