Integrity of older gear

[LearningTOfly 0]

How does age affect the integrity of a container? I know that material decay is inevitable; so when does a rig become unsafe to use- after 10 years of use...20 years (provided it was looked after reasonably well)? I'm looking at a few older rigs (for my first) and am specifically concerned about the condition and strength of the stitching on the webs.

[wee 0]

I came here wondering the same thing! I've been searching for used and everytime the price gets too high - I think, why not buy new so atleast I know what I'm getting (never wet, # of jumps, etc)... and those reselling their gear seem to get a fair amount back whenit comes time to sell. I was also worried about canopy wear... how many jumps until you should replace it? A few of them I was looking at have 1500 or more on it (at most). Also, if buying a rig from someone who base jumps, does their canopy have less left because it's a diff jump?

If the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off!

[bigway 4]

first of all this question should and will ultimatley be answered by a rigger, but my input is.....
As a student, buy used gear for your first 100-200 jumps. reason is because you will more than likely downsize your canopy around these jumps, from a novice canopy to an intermediate canopy. i think unless you are a certain size that has trouble finding used gear that fits, it is a waste of money to buy new just of student status. My first rig that i was jumping was an old as racer, felt like it was 15-20 years old, still worked though but i was not a fan of the exposed risers(after being hung up on a door.)
Second rig was a vector 2 that was 10 years old at the time. This rig i started jumping on was around number 40, it was an excellent rig and i had it checked by a parachute technician first. It was a sweet rig, not good for freeflying but it was great for getting the jumps and experience up.....three years later and i have just bought my first custom made wings. I am glad i never bought this until now, i have had it nade so it takes anywhere from around 120-150 main.. it is perfect and will give me another couple of downsizing. You can pick up a decent rig of student status for around 1000 dollars. later when you know what you want you can sell it for around the same price and purchase a custom dae rig for around 5-6k with all the trimmings and canopy's.
Don't rush into buying new gear, give yourself a chance to explore what you want after your first hundred jumps of getting familiar with the sky and your surroundings and your canopy size and flying style.

As long as rigs are looked after and regular check ups they can last for many years and stay safe.
Enjoy finding your equipment.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[bigway 4]

Quote

Also, if buying a rig from someone who base jumps, does their canopy have less left because it's a diff jump?

base jumping rigs and skydiving rigs are very different. you do not use base jumping rigs to skydive.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[riggerrob 558]

Four factors affect the condition of older parachutes.

1) Calendar age (i.e. number of years old) makes little difference provided it was properly stored. We do not know the shelf life of nylon. I have seen 40 or even 50 year old rigs that were still airworthy.
Some manufacturers publish maintenance schedules that limit the number of years you can continue jumping their product.
For example: Cypres AADs require factory inspections when they are 4 and 8 years old and are retired after 12 years.

2) The rapid advance of technology makes most skydiving equipment fall out of fashion long before the material wears out.
Sure, we see the occasional airworthy 30 year old "closet queen," but belly band mounted pilot chutes fell out fashion 20 years ago.

3) Number of jumps is a major factor in the life of gear. Steering lines can wear out in as little as 200 jumps. Most lines are due for replacement after 600 jumps. Old-school F-111 fabric is usually pretty porous by the time it has 800 jumps, but ZP fabric can easily last 2,000 jumps.

4) Environment is the largest variable in the life of parachute equipment. The worst thing you can do with gear is jump it in the desert, PLF on a regular basis, dip it in swoop ponds, drag it through cactus and leave it laying in the sun for lengthy periods.

It is easy to see if a harness has been abused: it is faded and frayed.

[Shivon 0]

In my opinion, age does not necessarily affect the integrity of a container (if it is well maintained), but I think you also need to look at the attribues of the container vs the experience of the jumper in question.

The easy solution is to get your rigger to check it out before you buy. People who are selling equipment and are not happy with you getting a second opinion should probably not be trusted (IMO). Likewise, I think that most riggers feel the same way I do in that I would rather to talk to a student about a prospective rig before they buy. That way, I am not going to be asked to fix something that I can not certify as airworthy, or make repairs I am not comfortable with.