mdrejhon 8 #1 July 18, 2005 I did it! I finally know how to pack now. Jumped 5 of my own packjobs this weekend on my new rig. Yay! Now I can finish studying for my "A" test. But, man, stuffing the bag on a hot midsummer day, is the biggest instrument of torture known to man. Even packing shirtless, my shorts got almost totally soaked with sweat falling off my chest and back. And shaking my head just twice, caused a minor rain to fall on the floor. It consumes much more energy than the skydive itself! (I also had my first 3-ways too. And yes, I bought beer already) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heidihagen 0 #2 July 18, 2005 wow, good job! hopefully that will be me next w/e. i have been using this to study-http://genbiol.cbs.umn.edu/alicense/i didn't lose my mind, i sold it on ebay. .:need a container to fit 5'4", 110 lb. cypres ready & able to fit a 170 main (or slightly smaller):.[/ce Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflygoddess 0 #3 July 18, 2005 wow you are braver than I am....I would never ever jump my pack job.....mostly cause I have a bad knee and well I just can't do it....I think the longer you wait to jump your own pack job the worse it gets...I packed a rig for my A sure, but I didn't jump that job because the DZ I did it at at that time just had me pack someone's really small 120 sabre and well I wasn't going to jump that no matter who packed it so someone else did, and they were fine and all, but I just can't seem to do it myself....so much easier to make hubby do it for me, esp since he use to be a packer anyways, eh what can I say he packs for "Crack" edited to add...just my crack that is Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KevinMcGuire 0 #4 July 18, 2005 QuoteI did it! But, man, stuffing the bag on a hot midsummer day, is the biggest instrument of torture known to man. ) Ummm....What? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #5 July 18, 2005 QuoteUmmm....What?For a newbie like me at least. On a hard concrete floor hurting my knees. Repeating it 4 or 5 times before I jumped my first packjob. Humidex was well north of 30 degrees C and 90 degrees F. I think it felt like 100. Parts of southern Ontario has broken some record temperatures recently. That's extremely hot for Canada. And praticing packing for 3 hours nonstop as a newbie, before jumping it for the first time. Also, I now realize I appear to be stuffing a 170 into a bag ideally sized for a 150. (But it's too late to reconsider, because I bought the rig already.) It's really, really, really tight. Also, it kept slipping out as it liked to stuff up pretty well. It's a low-jump ZP Sabre 170 that loves to fluff up faster than I can defluff it. The fabric is slippery and likes to slide easily back out of the bag despite the tight fit. And my hands were too wet and sweaty and the rubberbands kept slipping out of my hands, and my shorts was too damp with sweat to dry my hands with. And the canopy becomes even more slippery because when I lie on it to get the air out, the canopy gets slightly damp with the sweat from my body. Making it even more slippery, and leaps out of its S-folds as soon as I let down my guard slightly. It'll become a LOT easier when it is cooler, so that my hands are dry. Have you considered how difficult it is to pull small rubberbands through grommets with wet and soaked hands you're unable to dry because your clothes are already damp with sweat? That was how HOT it was... And I pack on a CONCRETE floor. Brutal on my knees, and too hot to wear a jumpsuit to protect my knees while packing (even just jumpsuit pants) Nontheless, on my fifth packjob, it did become easier, since I spent extra time pushing air out, and allowing me to rest while I had both knees on the canopy so I didn't have to hold the air out with my hands all the time. (God help me when I have to pack on a dry and cold day. I hear stuffing a D-bag is harder.) Consider the fact as a newbie I pack really sloooooow (I started packing when one load of people left the hangar, and was not yet finished when they came back to the hanger to pack!). And that's a nice leisurely Cessna load that took forever to climb to 11K. I drank about 5 or 6 liters of water that day, and I think I sweated ALL of that out. (I know, since I had bottled water... and ran out.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashtanga 0 #6 July 18, 2005 QuoteIt's really, really, really tight. Also, it kept slipping out as it liked to stuff up pretty well. That sounds rather personal. QuoteThe fabric is slippery and likes to slide easily back out of the bag despite the tight fit Maybe you need a smaller condom? QuoteAnd my hands were too wet and sweaty and the rubberbands kept slipping out of my hands, and my shorts was too damp with sweat to dry my hands with. It'll become a LOT easier when it is cooler, so that my hands are dry Damn, I bet she didn't like you very much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
windcatcher 0 #7 July 18, 2005 Good for you!!! Feels great, doesn't it?!?!?!?!? I HATE packing, it's so much work. I don't mind doing everything else, but putting it in the bag just sucks. I always pyscho pack, which is way easier IMHO( you can hold the entire pack job in one hand), but packing still sucks. Glad you didn't pack yourself a malfunction Mother to the cutest little thing in the world... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #8 July 18, 2005 QuoteDamn, I bet she didn't like you very much.Very funny. I guess, ya, the D-bag is literally "a bitch". According to Merriam-Webster, you used the correct gender. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bch7773 0 #9 July 18, 2005 its gets easier every time you do it. i used to whine and sweat when i first started packing, but 400+ packjobs later its fairly easy. oh and try doing it on a rubber tarp spread over concrete like i did this weekend... your sweat turns the rubber into a slip-n-slide as you try to pack. MB 3528, RB 1182 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heidihagen 0 #10 July 18, 2005 QuoteQuoteI did it! But, man, stuffing the bag on a hot midsummer day, is the biggest instrument of torture known to man. ) Ummm....What?i know exactly what he's talking about. getting it in the bag is a nightmare when the nylon keeps sticking to you because you're THAT sweaty and hoti didn't lose my mind, i sold it on ebay. .:need a container to fit 5'4", 110 lb. cypres ready & able to fit a 170 main (or slightly smaller):.[/ce Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #11 July 18, 2005 QuoteI did it! Good Job... it gets eaiser... it just takes practice... Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #12 July 19, 2005 Well. I just looked up some weather data, and while the temperature was something like 33-34C, the humidex was a whopping 43 or so. That's 110 degrees F. No wonder I was sweating as much as I did when packing! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeth 0 #13 July 19, 2005 Congrats! But there is also a satisfaction to it, and I like meeting other jumpers while I toil away on the mat. (I always get wonderful tips and suggestions from the more experienced ppl.Its all part of the experience! "At 13,000 feet nothing else matters." PFRX!!!!! Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109 My Jump Site Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dougiefresh 0 #14 July 19, 2005 Beth, you grunt like a pig when you pack too. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
