Pulling reserve re-pack early?

[JoeBobinNC 0]

Is there any drawbacks to getting a reserve repacked earlier than its due? Also is there any +/- allowed to 120D repack cycle

It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

[vdschoor 0]

Quote

Is there any drawbacks to getting a reserve repacked earlier than its due? Also is there any +/- allowed to 120D repack cycle

The only drawback is money, but there is no problem getting it repacked before it is due.
Actually.. if you get it repacked more often.. the reserve will "expire" earlier, since I think there is a maximum number of repacks on them..

There is no problem with having it repacked past the due date either, the only problem with that is that you are not allowed to jump it once it is past it's due date.

[diablopilot 2]

Quote

Actually.. if you get it repacked more often.. the reserve will "expire" earlier, since I think there is a maximum number of repacks on them..

That only applies to PD reserves currently. The most wear the average reserve gets is durring the packing process, so having them packed more often than required really isn't good.

To the original poster, you can have them packed sooner (most people do by a week or so), but there is no "+" grace period. At 120 days it turns into a pumpkin.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Travman 6]

If you are thinking getting it repacked more often is safer, give some thought to this.
In Australia we get our reserves repacked every 6 months, and there is talk of extending that to every 12 months. I remember on the Brian Germaine course he mentioned they had tested reserves that had been packed for different periods of time and there was no difference in reliability. I am not sure who conducted the study or what sort of sample size, just something I remembered from the course.

[koppel 3]

Interesting thing about the 6 month cycle that everyone wants to lengthen....
A friend of mine came back from a competion that was held on a beach recently. He said he ahd about a cup and a half of sand in his reserve tray when he repacked it. Also in the hard housings there was more gunk (shit) than usual.

I wonder how many of us would like to have that much crap in our reserves for 12 months rubbing into the lines and canopy whilst it tries to worm its way into the AAD as well?

In principal I like the idea of a longer cycle but on the down side.....

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[councilman24 36]

Quote

In principal I like the idea of a longer cycle but on the down side.....

The down side is that it puts more responsibility on the jumper to inspect his own rig to look for loose tackings, stiching, wear, etc. and to be aware of the environment they're jumping in. In the Arizona desert maybe 90 days makes more sense. In the grass of Michigan 180 may be all right. This was part of the debate within PIA. It wasn't so much will the reserve work after 180 days but how much other stuff was found as soon. While other countries go longer I have the sense that many of them are more conciencous in maintaining their gear. And are more willing to accept the personal responsibility.

The down side of packing more often is that whether manufacturer mandated or not, reserve wear out based on number of times packed. The air permiabilty increases just from the handling during inspection and packing.

So my advice would be in harsher environments or if you use your gear for a bicycle ramp to jump the bonfire (personal observation) you might want to get it inspected more often. But 99.9% of jumpers will do the same old thing at 180 days that they do at 120 days.

I somewhat more direct answer to the question above. You can have it inspected and repacked anytime you want. If it's been more than 120 days since the last inspection and repack it's illegal to use it when a certified parachute is required.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[billvon 2,436]

>I wonder how many of us would like to have that much crap in our
> reserves for 12 months rubbing into the lines and canopy whilst
>it tries to worm its way into the AAD as well?

Do you think it's OK to have that much crap in your reserve for 4 months?

There is a very distressing trend I see in repack length discussions, a trend that points to all the things you can squirt, rub, inject, pour or infuse into your reserve. The reasoning goes something like "If I spill a Coke on my reserve, do you really want that reserve to sit in there for six months?" That's disturbing because it seems like there are really people out there who think their rigger, not they, are responsible for their gear, that only the rigger is going to catch that spilled coke as a problem. They think their gear is 'sealed' by a rigger when he repacks it, and is not to be touched, cared for, or inspected until that rig returns to the rigger in 120 days. And that's a very dangerous attitude.

A rigger's sole job should be to inspect and repack a reserve/container system. If he finds anything that needs to be replaced - shame on the user for not caring for their own gear. Most of the damage we've seen in Amy's buisness is harness or external container wear; all things that the jumper themselves could have caught at any time. Waiting 119 days for a rigger to catch a problem you know about is a recipie for disaster; that worn bridle isn't going to wait for the FAA to see it before it fails.

So I can't take all the "what if XXX happens; do you want it to sit for 12 months?" arguments seriously. If XXX happens, fix it. No amount of regulation can make up for negligence in gear care.

[JoeBobinNC 0]

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. I'm not concerned with the safety or reliability of a 120D old reserve pack job. In my case my current reserve pack job will expire during an event that is supposed to last a few days, and I don't want to miss any of it due my gear being out of date, so I am going to have it done about two weeks early.

It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.

[Travman 6]

I have seen the gear requirement of events state "Your reserve must be in date for the entire duration of the event, even if you are only there for a few days"
So it probably is a good idea to get it done.