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billvon

Open question - main vs reserve size

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Can somebody give me a reason WHY they would jump a smaller reserve than their main?[:/]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Back in the good old days - circa 1981 - the Pegasus 220 was the most popular main. Very few companies built square reserves and Para-Flite's Swift 180 reserve was the most popular.
The Strato-Star 180 had been the most popular main the year before. Para-Flite had tried building a reserve version of the Strato-Star, but only sold a few.
The logic was that people wanted the smallest possible reserve container and did not worry too much about the landings as they only planned to do straight in approaches under their reserves.

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My thoughts:

Reasons to make your reserve as large as possible:

= You might be injured or unconsious. It would be nice to know that you might actually survive a landing without a flare or PLF.

= Due to a bad spot, tricky winds, or some other emergency you might be forced to land somewhere that's not remotely swoopable. The closer you can come to one of those giant accuracy canopies the happier you'll be when you have to sink it in.

Reasons not to super-size your reserve:

= Wind penetration. If your reserve is too big you might have to sit on the ground if the windspeed is too high, even though your main would be fine with that wind.

= Pack volume. Nobody likes carrying around a giant rig, and it can be difficult to find (or make) a container whose reserve tray is a lot larger than its main compartment.

Reasons to make your reserve about the same size as your main:

= Compatibility in a two-out situation. It seems like most people would prefer a nice, stable biplane rather than a side-by-side that might turn into a downplane on final. Of course, you can't cut away a biplane, so opinions might vary on this point.

= Familiarity. If your reserve is drastically different than your main, you might be pretty rusty flying it when the time comes. This probably isn't a big issue if your reserve is large enough to be easy to fly, but it's probably a pretty serious issue if your reserve is smaller than your main.


My main is a Spectre 210 and my reserve is a PD218R. I am currently demoing a copy of my reserve rigged as a main (something I heartily recommend). If I were ordering a new rig right now, I would probably bump my reserve up one size.

Spencer

"Be braver -- you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."

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Wow when was that paradigm in place? I've never been in that situation (maybe when I was a student? I don't know).. my current rig has a hornet 135 main and a tempo 150 reserve, my next one will probably have a reserve of 135 and a main of 117ish.

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I have just ordered a new Next, to fit a Crossfire2 169 and a Smart 175, with a view to downsizing the Xfire2 to 149 next year...I don't need to worry so much about two-out compatability, cos I don't jump a two-out device (AAD). (My other two rigs are a Fury 220/Laser-7 (227) and a Sabre 190/Tempo 210).
---
Swoopert, CS-Aiiiiiii!
Piccies

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69 main.
106-113 reserve.

i'm wee.


69 Geez that's small, I have pillow cases bigger than that:ph34r:

My current set up is a 150/150

When I eventually downsize, I'll porbaly get 132-135 and stay in the 143-150 reserve range, you cant beat real estate;)
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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Yeah, that is an easy one, before the time of zero-p fabric, 1:1 wing loading was very high. Nowadays, with the advent of zero-p, that is very docile. So....., most people loaded their reserves slightly higher for the smaller pack volume and rig size. Now the same holds true as there are very few zero-p reserves on the market, so most people still load the reserve slightly better than 1:1 (same reserve size as the old days), but they now load their mains at 1.5:1 or better.

Answer your question?

Oh by the way, 135 main, PDR-143
blue skies,

art

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Wow when was that paradigm in place? (reserve smaller than main)



The first square reserves were available in only one size (small). Round reserves also were effectively smaller than a square main. If you've been doing this a long time, it is likely you started with a 35 foot dia T-10, but the reserve was a 24 foot.
People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

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>Can somebody give me a reason WHY they would jump a smaller
> reserve than their main?

It used to be common; it resulted in a smaller rig and the thinking was that you didn't have to land your reserve very often so you could deal with the additional risk. In addition, many manufacturers only offer container sizes with larger reserve than main compartments.

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My new rig is built for

Reserve: 126
Main: 120

I still have a 135 main in there for now as I’m taking my time over deciding what main canopy I want and I’m happy enough to stay with the 135 until I can decide! Knowing me, this may take some time! ;)

Vicki

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