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wstcoaster07

Large or small rubber bands for packing

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I am jumping a Sabre 190 and the biggest pain in packing i am having is with the rubber bands odly enough. I was told to use small rubber bands yet my first bits are a pain to get rubber bands around. I can barely get the rubber band through the gromet on the bag in the first place before looping it around the bit. Is there any problem with switching to large rubber bands and just double looping them around the bits?

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I'll leave your main question to a rigger, but I wanted to give you a little packing tip that may help you out.

When closing your D-bag, think about pushing the bag down to bring the rubberbands to the grommets instead of trying to pull the rubber bands up to the grommets. If you're still having problems a pull up chord can be used to pull the rubber band through the grommet very quickly and effortlessly.;)
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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I used to have the same problem so I'll just expand on what Dave said which is how I was shown to fix it. Once the canopy is in the bag roll the bag on top of the flap and using your knee compress the bag down so that the bands are up against the grommets. It should be easy enough to get the band through and you should have enough slack to easilyget the lines through. If it's a new ZP you may have to sort out any fabric that puffs out first when you roll the bag on to the flap but should be cool after that.

good luck


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I have routinely used for 15 years for canopies with 825 microline large rubber bands for the first two locking stows on a four gromment bag. Then small rubber bands for the rest. By the time your past the first two stows you have half the lines (due to the cascades) and small rubber bands are appropriate. For the 500 lb microline I'd use small rubberbands for everything.

The real key is do the line stow have enough tension on them? Through a combination of rubber band size, line size, d bag size and canopy size?

This doesn't make up for poor packing technique, but it does make it easier.;)
I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

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When my small rubber bands (the onesw not on gromets) get stretched out to the point that they arent holding the lines in very tight (slip out of the band easy) should i replace the bands or just double loop them?


I doubt the small rubber bands will stretch to the point where you can double wrap them and besides, they don't just stretch, they wear out as well. Better to replace them when they get too loose. Also, it's good to keep things symmetrical, so ideally, you should replace them on both sides of the bag at the same time.

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I have routinely used for 15 years for canopies with 825 microline large rubber bands for the first two locking stows on a four gromment bag. Then small rubber bands for the rest. By the time your past the first two stows you have half the lines (due to the cascades) and small rubber bands are appropriate. For the 500 lb microline I'd use small rubberbands for everything.

The real key is do the line stow have enough tension on them? Through a combination of rubber band size, line size, d bag size and canopy size?

This doesn't make up for poor packing technique, but it does make it easier.;)



That's basically what I do. I have spectra and use large bands and double stow them above the cascades(a single stowed small band is too loose for me here, really double stowd large bands are kinda loose too, but it's impossible to double stow the small ones here). That's the two locking loops plus one more. Then use small bands and double stow them below the cascades. It took a while to figure out how to double stow those small bands ;)

Cheers

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Every weekend after jumping I dont pack up and put my canopy in a bag and drive on home. Lay it out in my livingroom and go over every cell. After that I inspect the pin, closing loop, and PC. After that I cut ALL the rubber bands off and replace them....2 large for the middle locking stowes, and small for the 2 outside and the rest of the bag.

Keeps em fresh and clean. Once packed up I clean my cables and flex my rings.

Joe
For long as you live and high you fly and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry and all that you touch and all that you see is all your life will ever be.
Pedro Offers you his Protection.

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I really prefer and use all tube stows over rubber bands, and hate double stowing bands cause I find the lines dont stay as neat. And if they really reduce line wear as advertised, even better.

-Tony R
"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

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I do something similar to what councilman24 is saying. I have a g4 with a split bag & a Sabre 2 170. I use large bands in the 3 grommets to close the bag and use small bands for the rest. The tension seems a bit much with small bands on the grommets, which made me wonder about a bag lock.

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The tension seems a bit much with small bands on the grommets, which made me wonder about a bag lock.



~400 jumps on my Samurai120 in G3, using small bands only (as it was actually recommended by BigAir) - nothing but sweet on heading openings B| ...OK, had linetwists couple of times, but I don't blame rubber bands for that ;)

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an experienced packer i asked this question of last week told me that she had seen (by PD i believe) a demo showing that double stows held with more tension and that thereafter she always used them regardless....i wasn't able to get more from her but has anyone heard of such a study or similar work done by anyone?
"Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

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My bag has three grommets on the flap. I use a single long rubber band on the center grommet, without double stowing, just to get the canopy into the bag & win that battle. For the other two grommet stows on the sides and all the regular line stows, I only use the short bands. I read somewhere that double twisting long bands increases the abrasion of thhe stow on the lines. Don't know if that's really true, but it sounds reasonable. Then when I was helping a friend stow his lines, I took a closer look at how I do it and realized I stiffen a finger and run it through the rubber band almost like a knitting needle with the lines I'm stowing. Works just great.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

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I'll leave your main question to a rigger, but I wanted to give you a little packing tip that may help you out.

When closing your D-bag, think about pushing the bag down to bring the rubberbands to the grommets instead of trying to pull the rubber bands up to the grommets. If you're still having problems a pull up chord can be used to pull the rubber band through the grommet very quickly and effortlessly.;)



I agree that you should bring the grommet to the band and not the other way aroudn but...

I use my pull up cord to REMOVE broken bands because it is so abrasive. I can cut through one in about 5 seconds. I really would not recommend using it to pull rubberbands. I hope you are not being serious.
Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

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He serious. It's a good trick when it's needed. It's just a rubberband, it's ok to stretch it with a pull up cord now and then. Don't drag it across the gromment. Pull it straight through and grab it with your fingers.

Big or small rubberbands are fine. Double stowed or not double stowed is fine. the only thing that matters is keeping the bag shut until line stretch.
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

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I use my pull up cord to REMOVE broken bands because it is so abrasive. I can cut through one in about 5 seconds. I really would not recommend using it to pull rubberbands. I hope you are not being serious.



As hookit stated, I'm 100% serious.

Try this, make a new closing loop and put it in your rig, now do the same thing you do to remove rubberbands on the closing loop. Give it 5 seconds of the fast movement like you do with a rubberband and then look at the closing loop.

Just because it is abrasive doesn't mean it can't be used as a good tool to help you accomplish your goal (be it closing a rig or getting a rubberband through a grommet).

Worst case you break a rubberband, you go get another one, no biggy since they're worth less then a soviet penny.:P
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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