Mar 21, 2001, 1:48 PM
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Main and Reserve
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I am buying all new gear so I can get exactly what I want and the color I want it. The question I have is, I bought a Javelin Odyssey, and want to put a 170 Saber for the main and a Tempo for the reserve. Should I go with a 170 or a 150 reserve? I weigh 180 and I will be getting a J-3 for the Javelin container.... Any advice???
I would consult your rigger, or one of the riggers that view this thread first. Is 180 your exit weight, or your weight with normal clothers on? That will definitely factor in with your answer.
I would get the largest reserve that would fit safely and comfortably in the container. Ask your rigger, and check with SunPath for their recommendations.
Your reserve is your back up. The priority should be a safe landing.
This came up a couple of times before... It basically distilled into 2 schools of thought:
1. Get a reserve "one size" smaller than your main. This seemed to have been the historical convention (althrough PERSONALLY I don't subscribe to it)... So...
2. Get a reserve that loads your exit weight at about 1.0-1.1lbs/ft2. So in your case you're looking at a 170 or 190 reserve. The argument for this is that reserves are F-111 7-cell canopies. They are of the Pegasus / Fury generation of design. In those days even experienced folk DID NOT load their canopies over 1.1lbs/ft2, and the Fury (220ft2 F-111 7-cell) was considered a "high performance" canopy.
Lets face it, if you need your reserve, you're already in a high strees situation, and perhaps this is the time to be under a (relatively) docile canopy.
In a "Dual deployment" situation, which canopy do you want to be dominant? In a main & reserve entanglement, how much nylon do you want over your head?
My advice is: The time that something goes wrong and you are burning altitude cut away and probably will have a not so good spot, is that the time to try a canopy size smaller that the one you are use to under a canopy you have never seen over you. I am conservative. I have a 150 Sabre main and a 175 Swift reserve.
