Re: [idemallie] Black rubber bands
idemallie wrote:
I believe the specific application was intended for the Multi-bridle, but jumpers ended up using them as a tailgate rubber bands (although the coming press release said that was not endorsed by Apex). After multiple incidents of them not releasing when desired, Apex sent out a press release telling the BASE community to stop using them.
They actually told people to use them for tailgates, because that way they "never" wore out. They were good for probably 150-200 jumps, and if you tied them onto the tailgate you could just keep re-using them.
There were several problems, mostly related to them being too strong and hanging up, and one well-shared incident report (a Canadian jumper--I believe he later went on to invent the Flysite--who hit the ground with a stuck tailgate in heavy snow and was un-injured, but did a very thorough analysis).
They were also (a bit later) de-recommended for the multi stows (in the pack tray) because of an incident that involved an open container and an inflated PC towing at bridle extension (because the multi was stuck in the rubber bands) in Moab. Video of that incident also made the rounds of jumpers.
They actually make really good ultralight packing clamps (you can gather the line tabs in them for flat packing and they hold really well) if you want to pack in the field (for example, waiting for the boat to pick you up at Kjerag) and are used to using clamps. I had a friend who used to use them that way all the time, and actually collected them for that purpose from a bunch of people after BR/Apex sent out their safety bulletin.