mikeat10500 9 #1 September 23, 2005 All this talk about rounds again and I just remembered that my 26 ft strong lo-po turned 26 years old in apr of 2005. I guess I should retire it soon....I'm gonna miss that big ol' jelly fish P.S. I love the Hot Dog pilot chute almost as much(11 years old)----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
headoverheels 291 #2 September 23, 2005 So, what do you estimate the pack volume on that beast? I've been laughing at people suggesting that swoopers use a round reserve. Like they are really going to use something bigger than their entire present rig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 9 #3 September 23, 2005 Quote So, what do you estimate the pack volume on that beast? I've been laughing at people suggesting that swoopers use a round reserve. Like they are really going to use something bigger than their entire present rig. That is the problem at hand exactly....better to have a small rig and look cool than a giant canopy over your head when the shit hits the fan! I have a Protec too...not 'cause it looks cool. Pack volume is large on my beast...old one with extra lateral bands. Big on any round...they are big parachutes. And a parachute in the true meaning "Decelerators" not "Wings". The don't fly but limit air speed...different kind of cat. Para=to gard against Chute=fall Ram airs attempt to control air speed not limit it. Description: Lo-Po reserve canopies have become known as the standard round reserve parachute of the industry. Over 30,000 canopies have been manufactured to exacting standards. The term "Lo-Po " means low porosity fabric, it is manufactured with an additional finishing process called "calendering". The Lo-Po is extremely strong, reliable and often called indestructible.----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teason 0 #4 September 23, 2005 Volume is about 440. I had an instructor jump one as a main for shits and giggles. It had the about the same volume as a the Sabre 170 that previously inhabited the rig. If you have gear with a Raven II, a 26' Strong LoPo would be a tight fit and look lumpy but it would still work!I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sundevil777 93 #5 September 23, 2005 Aren't some people using freebags now? Or is tension on the apex needed for a clean deployment? I have 2 rides on a 26 ft HI-PO (high porosity) reserve. They come down fast. . The fact that it didn't even have a diaper, and one opening was at terminal are pretty scary. I found 28 ft mains to also just land too fast for it to be fun. And I only weighed 185 back then. A 35 ft T-10 or PC I could stand up, so I suppose a 26 Lopo would not be so fast.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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 9 #6 September 23, 2005 I never try to stand up a round...plf fall down...be happyP.S. I'm going out to the new DZ tommoro to see the AN-2 with the kids. I have learned that it was designed to be crashed landed blind at parachute desent speed "pull back all the way to land...it will not stall". or so they say!----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggermick 6 #7 September 24, 2005 QuoteAren't some people using freebags now? Or is tension on the apex needed for a clean deployment? I have 2 rides on a 26 ft HI-PO (high porosity) reserve. They come down fast. . The fact that it didn't even have a diaper, and one opening was at terminal are pretty scary. I found 28 ft mains to also just land too fast for it to be fun. And I only weighed 185 back then. A 35 ft T-10 or PC I could stand up, so I suppose a 26 Lopo would not be so fast. I have one or two rides on a Pioneer KXX (that's 20' diameter kids), a remarkably soft landing I might add. I still have it, it was one of the drop test "tersh" rigs I have. It packs up about the same size as MR 150. This reserve "mysteriously" "sprouted" a full stow Phantom 22 diaper a few years ago, (after it's "tersh" days) must be due to maturety or something. Of course it's not street legal any more but it dosen't get used as a reserve anymore either. It's not the only round I've landed under, just the only one I've had to use "in anger" thanks to a malfunctioning Dragonfly (anyone remember that one?). Mick. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 9 #8 September 24, 2005 I saw a Pioneer KXX used once and it was dragging a 200sq ft seven cell with a skinny guy under it....it wasn't coming down slow! Cat's eye my ass...bigger is better.----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 9 #9 September 24, 2005 QuoteAren't some people using freebags now? Or is tension on the apex needed for a clean deployment?. My reserve and container are not modified, 2 bite diaper,line stows in pack tray, 2 risers on L brackets, steering lines, little metal rings at the end of them. My lo-po has large slits in the back that open when you pull a toggle for fast turns----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outlawphx 1 #10 September 24, 2005 I had a reserve ride on a 26' LoPo myself... In 20mph winds The results were enough to convince me not to cheap out on my reserve Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #11 September 24, 2005 QuoteI had a reserve ride on a 26' LoPo myself... In 20mph winds The results were enough to convince me not to cheap out on my reserve >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Whatever money you "saved" on cheap gear is "lost" during the first minute in an ambulance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,120 #12 September 24, 2005 QuoteIt's not the only round I've landed under, just the only one I've had to use "in anger" thanks to a malfunctioning Dragonfly (anyone remember that one?). Not only to I remember, I had a Dragonfly (well sort of) with a KXX reserve in it until a couple of years ago. I had a couple of cells added to my Firefly, which effectively made it a Dragonfly. I've also stood up a KXX. I don't think I ever fell down for it; I probably had 2 rides on it. I'd jump a round reserve in a heartbeat. I can find a safe place to land, and I don't have to worry about a freebag costing $150... 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) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
outlawphx 1 #13 September 25, 2005 QuoteWhatever money you "saved" on cheap gear is "lost" during the first minute in an ambulance. Amen to that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 9 #14 September 26, 2005 Round reserves are not cheap. A lot of nylon goes into one. Old FXC's maintained correctly cost as much as a CYPRES. Used gear is cheap. My gear was cheap, used and mostly baffed out when I got it. No AAD, no RSL, very old round reserve , not even full diaper. 600 jumps and zero injuries, 4 reserve rides...three landed on the DZ. I did 2 terminals and 2 sub-terminals on reserve. Dispatched and documented over 1000 IAD students and much less freefall studends on Manta mains, in bullet/sidewinder containers , phantom reserves, FXC AAD's. My loads had near zero injuries, no broken bones, no Ambulance rides, no AAD activations, no pukeing in the plane, very few refusals, no power line strikes, no tree landings, 2 reserve rides, one "jumper induced" mal and one very cool cuttaway by a confused FJ student. Today I jumped from a biplane ----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EvilLurker 2 #15 September 26, 2005 QuoteI've been laughing at people suggesting that swoopers use a round reserve. Like they are really going to use something bigger than their entire present rig. I had a 26" Lo-Po reserve in my Talon container when I bought it. Replaced it with a PD-160 and it isn't a loose fit, so a swooper could do it fine if they desired. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 9 #16 September 26, 2005 QuoteQuoteI've been laughing at people suggesting that swoopers use a round reserve. Like they are really going to use something bigger than their entire present rig. I had a 26" Lo-Po reserve in my Talon container when I bought it. Replaced it with a PD-160 and it isn't a loose fit, so a swooper could do it fine if they desired. "headoverheels" Wings is about half the size of your Talon. Some are smaller.----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
