Main on Top, Reserve on bottom

[f1shlips 2]

Why is the main on the bottom and the reserve on the top? Is there any technical advantage to this?

--
drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend.

[billvon 2,435]

>Why is the main on the bottom and the reserve on the top?

Cause usually during a cutaway you are "standing up" - a PC launch from the top part of the container will tend to fire the PC up and away, which is what you want. Deploying from the main container in a standup can (on some rigs) damage the reserve container; the risers can 'catch' on the edge of the reserve.

[jazzjumper 0]

Cool, I never thought of the reason for it, and didn't quite expect that answer. Learn something new everyday.

No matter how good she looks, someone, somewhere is
sick of her shit!

[mjosparky 3]

The first "Pig" rigs or "piggback" rigs were nothing more than a chest mount reserve mounted on top of a main container. Thus the "piggyback" On at least one you could un-zip it and wear it on the front. From there it was just a matter of taking what was started and making it smaller.
Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[wmw999 2,149]

I think there was one where the moveable reserve container went on the bottom, too. I'm not real sure, but that's my memory.

Of course, only from pictures. I'm not nearly old enough to remember conventional gear
Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[fool 0]

but if the main was on top, when you deployed the reserve, most times the top would be empty no? Wouldn't this get rid of the edge to catch?

S.E.X. party #1

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "f*#k, what a ride".

[BlindBrick 0]

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but if the main was on top, when you deployed the reserve, most times the top would be empty no? Wouldn't this get rid of the edge to catch?

That's a best case scenario. When designing life-saving gear you plan for the worst(ie the main still being there in this case).

-Blind

"If you end up in an alligator's jaws, naked, you probably did something to deserve it."

[f1shlips 2]

That's why I was confused. I knew the first rigs were like that, but I assumed they stuck the reserve on the bottom since the main container was already on your back.

--
drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend.

[f1shlips 2]

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eploying from the main container in a standup can (on some rigs) damage the reserve container; the risers can 'catch' on the edge of the reserve.

Yes, I've seen pictures of that.

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a PC launch from the top part of the container will tend to fire the PC up and away, which is what you want.

It goes up and away due to the taper/packing of the reserve bag causing the pilot chute to push off at an angle?

Suprisingly, I guess there's never been a big top/bottom debate.

--
drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend.

[billvon 2,435]

>It goes up and away due to the taper/packing of the reserve bag
>causing the pilot chute to push off at an angle?

I think so. When we tested the main and reserve PC's on our old ripcord student rigs, the reserves always fired up and out, the main would fire either straight back or into the floor depending on how it was packed.

[mjosparky 3]

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>It goes up and away due to the taper/packing of the reserve bag
>causing the pilot chute to push off at an angle?

I think so. When we tested the main and reserve PC's on our old ripcord student rigs, the reserves always fired up and out, the main would fire either straight back or into the floor depending on how it was packed.

To properly test a PC or any part of a rig, you should do it under the same conditions it will be used, in freefall in various positions.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[billvon 2,435]

>To properly test a PC or any part of a rig, you should do it under the
> same conditions it will be used, in freefall in various positions.

?? The reserve often isn't used in freefall. Its most common usage is after a cutaway, in subterminal air. In belly-to-earth freefall a straight back deployment isn't ideal anyway; one that goes out at an angle will catch air more quickly.

[mjosparky 3]

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>To properly test a PC or any part of a rig, you should do it under the
> same conditions it will be used, in freefall in various positions.

?? The reserve often isn't used in freefall. Its most common usage is after a cutaway, in subterminal air. In belly-to-earth freefall a straight back deployment isn't ideal anyway; one that goes out at an angle will catch air more quickly.

And I say again.....

To properly test a PC or any part of a rig, you should do it under the
same conditions it will be used, in freefall in various positions.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[gazoo 0]

I think one has to remember that the reserve(worst case scenario's) can be deployed from ANY body position from ANY speed(terminal head-down to sub-terminal belly), main attached OR cut-away. Reserve deployments are rarely textbook.
Can anyone evaluate ALL the possible scenarios and dictate which configuration is best? No. It's beyond me as well. Reserve on top has worked well so far. Why mess with it?

[riggerrob 558]

There was a thread on this subject a year or so ago.
Some early sport jumpers wore back-mounted mains and seat-mounted reserves, but that was never comfortable or popular.
The main reason the first piggybacks had reserves on top was because early accuracy competitors were in the habit of unhooking their chest-mounted reserves and flopping them sideways or behind their heads, for a better view of the disc.
The first Security Crossbow piggyback containers had reserve containers that could be hooked to the front or zippered onto the top of the backpad.

Another reason that lower back reserves never became popular is the increased risk of spinal injuries when doing PLFs. Parachute Landing Falls were the normal way of landing until squares were perfected in the late 1970s.

Finally, Ted Strong built and jumped a main-over-reserve rig back in the late 1990s. I saw him jump it at an accuracy competition in Snohomish in 1998. Ted's goal was to test 4-poster main risers on his Para-Foil, as he hoped this would improve pitch stability during accuracy competition. So his 4-poster harness had a total of four 3-ring releases: on the front and back of each shoulder. Ted stuffed his main pilotchute in an elastic pouch sewn to the top/front of the right main riser cover.
Ted did a couple dozen jumps on his 4-poster rig then set it aside.

[linny 0]

Main on Top, Reserve on bottom - NEW ***



The WORDING of the title of this post (above) is quite misleading (and completely back assward)....


I thought I was going to learn something different entirely..

[f1shlips 2]

Why? I was talking about my two hot supermodel AFF instructors celebrating with me after my graduation on jump.

I'd tell ya all about it, but there's no "Dropzone.com Fantasy forum".

Too bad...

--
drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend.

[mjosparky 3]

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I think one has to remember that the reserve(worst case scenario's) can be deployed from ANY body position from ANY speed(terminal head-down to sub-terminal belly), main attached OR cut-away. Reserve deployments are rarely textbook.
Can anyone evaluate ALL the possible scenarios and dictate which configuration is best? No. It's beyond me as well. Reserve on top has worked well so far. Why mess with it?

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the main would fire either straight back or into the floor depending on how it was packed.

I was responding to the above statement, testing while standing in the loft as opposed to drop testing or live jumping.

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Reserve on top has worked well so far. Why mess with it?[/

No one said anything about "messing" with it, we discussing how it started. If it could have been improved upon someone far smarted than me would have already done it.

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[f1shlips 2]

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Reserve on top has worked well so far. Why mess with it?

Well, no one said to mess with it, but maby it has worked well, and maby it hasn't, I personally don't have a clue.

I know I've seen photos of reserve pack trays damaged by premature main deployments. Switching 'em around could possibly do something to alleviate that. I also think it could do something towards making main risers easier to stay inside the pack tray versus the various covers, flaps, tabs, velcro, and luck that manufacturors use know.

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Can anyone evaluate ALL the possible scenarios and dictate which configuration is best?

It looks like someone is already dictating what is best: "reserve on top, main on bottom" and no-one deviates from that (not even jumpshack).

--
drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend.

[f1shlips 2]

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There was a thread on this subject a year or so ago.

I did a search, I couldn't find the right magic to make it show up. Searching for "main reserve bottom top" doesn't give much.

--
drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend.