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jerry81

Reserve repack surprises

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We just opened someone's reserve for a repack...to find the lines (except lower brakes) stiff and saturated with what looks like dry paint. The locking stows were almost glued together. Considering how hard we had to pull on the freebag to get them out, this would have been a weird deployment at the best, a baglock at the worst. And who knows what the stuff on the lines does to their structural integrity.

The reserve had been packed for a year (belongs to a German jumper). The rigger that I was helping thinks the previous owner may have painted the lines to make them look newer (1998 Speed reserve).
Has anyone ever encountered anything similar?

(The reserve of course wasn't repacked. I'm trying to contact the owner to let him know about it and try to figure out when this f*ckup happened)

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Man, who was the last person to pack the reserve? Might be worth contacting him to find out what kind of condition the thing was in last time it was inspected.


I definitely want to do that. I have the rigger's DFV (German association) number but his signature is illegible, so it'll be easier to check through the current owner.

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Is it possible that this is some coating on the lines that has deteriorated instead? Painting the reserve lines seems almost too bizarre an explanation. Definitely contact the reserve manufacturer also.


I'm leaning towards this explanation as well...It has been packed for a year, often stored at temperatures above 30°C. And .I find it hard to believe that the previous rigger would miss such an obvious defect. One thing that stills baffles me, though, is the brakelines...no sign of anything on them.

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This reminds me of two service bulletins issued by Strong Enterprises. The first SB was issued in 1979 and covered Strong LoPo (round) reserves with too much latex on the suspension lines. Strong issued instructions on how to wash those lines.

The second SB was issued circa 2000 and covered suspension lines on Stellar (square) reserves. I think the affected Stellars had to be returned to the factory.

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Think about where the lower break lines are in the pack tray, if stacked ontop of the front risers, might be protected from a heat source. In the odd chance that the rig was stored without the main (sometimes in an upright possition (over a hotwater pipe under the floor or something) and sometimes lying flat... i don't know... just pondering posibilities....

Ben
Mass Defiance 4-wayFS website


sticks!

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Don't think so...it's the lower brakes from cascades to toggles.

I've gotten no reply yet from either the owner or the German rigger who inspected and packed the reserve. I think I'll drop an email to Paratec to see if they treat the lines on these reserves with anything...
(BTW- what was the deal with Strong and latex on Stellar reserves? I looked around a bit for the SB but can't find it.)

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