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jamester28

Packing ZP vs student canopy

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I've had some basic instruction packing the student rigs at my DZ and still get shadowed but don't have too much trouble getting it in the bag. I have my rig at the house and decided I would try packing my Safire 1 189 (150 jumps) and that thing was slipping and sliding everywhere. LOL I can keep it decent until the second s-fold before pulling the bag around it. I put my knee on the first s-fold and raise up the opposite side to my thigh. As I try to fold it down over the first fold... "flop" the whole pack job pours out in front of me. LMAO I'm not to the point of frustration yet. I just think it's funny how hard this is when I see so many jumpers make it look easy. I guess I need to practice some more! I hope I'm just not incompetent and a lot of jumpers experience a longer than expected learning curve with packing.

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The method that works for me is to not place you knee on top of the first s-fold but to place one knee on each side of it.
I have used this method for the last ~400 packjobs and it works great untill you get to the smaler canopys.
It works on a 150 but not on a 111, never packed a canopy in the midrange so i dont know where the lower limit is.

The idea is to keep your knees on the sides making sure the canopy does not slide out.
When you have done the first fold you place one knee on each side so that your "front" of the knee is in height of where the canopy ends when you have done the last fold.
I gently squeeze the first s-fold between my knees/legs keeping the width of the fold about the same as the bag.
When you handle the canopy to make the second fold the first fold will rise slightly, but dont worry about that.
As you make the second fold use the "free hand" to push down the first fold and get linetension.
When you make the second fold push down the canopy between your legs/knees, this will make sure the canopy does not move around.
You have now confined the canopy between your legs, the floor and your hands from above, the canopy cant go anywhere.
If you keep the material stretched it will be much easier, if there is any air in the canopy it will be slipery. Take the time and squeeze out all the air before you try to bag it

Just remember to keep track of your feet and not have them in the lines.
Good luck

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good vid but you spend way to long getting the air out you should only have to lay on it once....

also you should try to keep the pack centered it looks like when you a rolling the tail you are doing it perpendicular to the container causing un-even tension on the lines which will lead to less reliable openings :)

Look out for the freefly team, Smelly Peppers. Once we get a couple years more experience we will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future! BLUES!

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good vid but you spend way to long getting the air out you should only have to lay on it once....



what if more air gets in? are you just caught in a catch 22 at that point? "damn...i can't lay on it again; i'm only supposed to do that once!"
Truth is the distilled meaning of facts, for any truth refuted by a fact becomes a fallacy.

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thats why you pack fast and control the pack so you don't let more air get in, otherwise it would be an endless battle



i think you and craig should have a "pack-off" with a new canopy...one that's never been packed. i think you'd get your ass kicked!
Truth is the distilled meaning of facts, for any truth refuted by a fact becomes a fallacy.

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It took me several tries, with breaks in between, to get my new ZP canopy packed the first time. Like you, my difficulty was controlling the s-folded canopy and getting it in the bag. My only suggestion is to watch Nick Grillet's packing video from PD and try to follow his example.

Good luck!
The meaning of life . . . is to make life have meaning.

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One thing I don't think was covered that may help a little, when using a knee to hold down the folded canopy, be sure to not use too much pressure. Use just enough weight to hold things in place. Pushing too hard makes things squirt out the sides.

Do watch Nick Grillet's 3 part packing video on youtube. It may show you some things to help you control the pack job though out the process?

Good Luck.
Blues...
Marriage is like a deck of cards. You start with two harts and a diamond only to discover you wish you had a club and a spade!

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practice, practice, and practice some more!

took me only something like 20 packjobs on my NEW canopy to get it right, maybe 23 if you count in the couple times i've had to do it over.. :)

and, maybe have your instructor look you over, there's a difference between f-111 210+, sabre 150's with over 800 jumps and brand-spanking new 120's.. they'll help you out! :)

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

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