Paratec Next, POD is sticky on the inside

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Hey fellow skydivers,

I just received a Paratec Next Harness yester, that i'm planning to buy used. It's made in 2003 and is in quite good condition. The parachute is almost new, only 40 jumps and made in 2010, so it's still a little difficult to pack, also the POD is a little tight, but if you pack nicely it fits well. Here's where the problem is.

The inside of the POD has got a coating (kind of rubber maybe?), and this coating is very very sticky. It does not transfer to your fingers, but if you touch the inside of the pod you clearly notice that your fingers stick there. So when you put the parachute into the pod, the parachutes material sticks to the pod, and screws up your parachute. You definately can't just slide it in, like i'm used to with my almost 20 years old PdF Atom POD ...

I'd say, this is the newest pod I've packed, but the first one that prevents the chute to slide into the pod due to the sticky surface on the inside. I tried to clean it with a wet towel, but it didn't really help at all.

Has anyone experienced something like this before and has a possible cure for it? I've already contacted paratec support yesterday, but haven't received an answer, and propably will not until monday. I'll post here once I get one. Would be cool if anyone has some experience with this phenomenon that he could share.

cheers!
Wolfgang

[riggerrob 558]

Stickiness is a recurring problem with several nylon fabrics used to make parachute containers. Several other manufacturers have issued Service Bulletins related to urethane coating peeling off of oxford cloth, parapack, cordura and "that shiny stuff they used to make Flexons out of."
Most of those fabrics were manufactured for the luggage/hiking/mountaineering industries and they have urethane coatings to keep the rain out. Unfortunately, urethane is not the best chemical for water-proofing, nor is it the most durable, ergo problems with it peeking off.

Have you mentioned your problem to Stefan Ertler at the Paratec factory?

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Thanks for that info, pretty much sounds like thats my problem. I have sent them a support request on friday via their website and haven't heard back yet (no surprise though). I'll post again once I hear from them.