Reserve: repack or pencil?

[riddler 0]

I've been thinking the same thing myself throughout this thread. All these "buddy-of-mine" posts make me ask "doesn't your buddy do a gear check?"

Here's what I do at the beginning of every day of jumping, and many of these are repeated before every jump. Obviously, this won't find every problem, but this, combined with maintaining gear and good sense (e.g. get a repack if you spill Pepsi on it) would probably prevent most issues.

1. Set the cypress.
2. While watching the cypress self-check (battery level, goes to 0), check that reserve pin is straight and goes through the closing loop on the reserve. Check the reserve seal.
3. Carefully tug on the reserve cable at both ends to make sure it slides smoothly through the steel housing. This is make sure that small rocks don't get jammed or the cable isn't kinked.
4. Check the main closing pin - I do the "happy face", but some people prefer the "frown". Once through the main loop, and no bridle wrapped around in a confusing way. Upper bridle stowed away, and lower bridle (between pin and PC) is REALLY tucked away (I spin it and it's velcroed to the container, ever since that premature deployment )
5. Check BOC - make sure PC isn't bunched up in the spandex, that the bottom and sides are smooth, and no stains.
6. Check the three-ring system, not only the rings, but the yellow cables go through the loop (think "Dropzone") and that the ends go into the inserts.
7. Check that the leg and chest straps are good - I can pull them loose one way, and they don't loosen if I tug on them. Also that the leg straps have no twists.

Anything I should add to this?

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Gawain 0]

120 cycle not withstanding, I pay for the inspection and repack. The way I see it, it's money I hope I never have to verify is worth the investment. If my life is saved by a reserve ride once, it's worth every repack I've ever had, and will ever have.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[bwilling 0]

Quote

The whole idea behind the repack is not the repack itself, but the inspection.

Yeah, what he said... I've had a loonnngggg layoff (again!), and my rig sat in the closet (packed) for over a year. I opened the reserve recently to send the Cypres in for a 4 year check (yep, getting ready for yet another comeback, long story), and it would have opened just fine, even after a year of being packed...

"If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

[riggerrob 558]

Sure!
Go ahead!
Feel free to pencil pack.
Just remember that every time my name appears on your card, you owe me CAN$55.
Also remember that I am off the hook 181 days after I signed the repack in MY rigger's logbook (121 days in the USA).
Oh and I usually catch small wear problems on the 120 - 180 day repack cycle. Half the times I fix those problems for free because the paperwork takes longer than the repair.
If you let a problem develop for a year or two then you pay me CAN$45 per hour for repairs.
If you left it way too long, then you can sit on the ground while you pay for shipping to and from the factory and you get to pay the factory to replace panels, etc..
Pencil packing is a great way to save money in the short run, but it costs more in the long run.

[bwilling 0]

Quote

Sure!
Go ahead!
Feel free to pencil pack.

Hey Rob, I hope you don't think I was advocating pencil packing by stating the above, because I was not!

I was just confirming that it's the inspection part of the 'Inspect and Repack' cycle that's the critical part... I'm certainly not suggesting that someone should jump out of date gear, and for the record, I never jumped that rig while it was out of date (like they would even let me, at my DZ. I missed a day of jumping once when my reserve showed up a couple of days out of date, and I refused to pencil pack it! I waited for one of the staff riggers to get to it, and well you know, actually inspect and repack it, before I jumped it.)

"If all you ever do is all you ever did, then all you'll ever get is all you ever got."

[billvon 2,400]

>I will never pencil pack my reserve for one reason only, and that's my kids.

Hmm. So if we go to a 6 month cycle will you still get it repacked every 4 months?

[Sebazz1 2]

Resreve parachutes are for cowards... That's why I don't jump with one!

[relyon 0]

I've always gotten an I & R and will continue to do so, at least for those reserve packs that actually get through the cycle . I've known people to jump a freshly out-of-date (ie. a few days) pencilled reserve for the weekend then leave it with the rigger, but that's pushing it.

Bob

[rgoper 0]

i haven't yet, i've been tempted to, but i'll pass! better safe than sorry!

--Richard--
"We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

[skymama 35]

Quote

Hmm. So if we go to a 6 month cycle will you still get it repacked every 4 months?

No, I'll go by whatever the USPA requires. It's all about my kids knowing that I did everything I was supposed to do in order to save my life. If I cut corners, and subsequently died from it, then that would be a huge burden for them to have to think about. I want them to realize that even though this can be a high risk sport, that I did everything I could to balance being involved in a risky sport and still tried to stay safe. It's the same reason why I jump with an AAD, still jump a 170, pull above 3000, don't jump in squirley winds and won't BASE jump. It's the only way I can rationalize being in an extreme sport while having children that need me.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[riddler 0]

Plus they make the rigs so darn expensive. If I sold the reserve and cypress from my rig, I would have enough money for 100 jumps! Base jumps, at least

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Lolie 0]

Quote

The whole idea behind the repack is not the repack itself, but the inspection.

When I was down in Eloy and needed a reserve repack during the boogie, I had a couple people tell me I should just forge it and get it repacked when it was more convenient. I decided to go for the repack, and when I did, it turned out there was a huge black-death problem with my rig... if I hadn’t taken it in for the repack, I would have kept jumping it. I’m more than happy to pay for repacks--it’s my life.

-Miranda
you shall above all things be glad and young / For if you're young,whatever life you wear
it will become you;and if you are glad / whatever's living will yourself become.

[riddler 0]

Quote

I'll go by whatever the USPA requires

Someday I will have children and I want to be an example to them. I want to let them know that I am my own best judgement, and not any other group or government agency. I hope that they decide to be the same, but that, of course will be their decision. We are all fallible, but no more so than any other group that makes laws for us.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[goose491 0]

Quote

....when I did, it turned out there was a huge black-death problem with my rig... if I hadn’t taken it in for the repack...

Black death? That's pretty serious eh? What did they find pray-tell???

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[skymama 35]

Quote

I want to let them know that I am my own best judgement, and not any other group or government agency.

But, you see, I'm just a 200 jump wonder. I know squat. Who am I to think that I know more about this than the people who we all elect to represent us? Maybe after I've spent a few more years in the sport, and have talked to a variety of riggers, I'll change my mind. But for now, I think the USPA probably knows best in my circumstance. The difference between a 120 and a 180 day repack cycle is only 1 pack job. In the big picture, the $40 is really not that big of a deal to me.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[hookitt 0]

Long read but there's a moral to this.

When I trained in Freeflying, I used 2 rigs, one on every other load. My buddy had 3 rigs one he left in the cabinet unless he REALLY needed it.

I needed a 3rd rig on one occasion (Edit: Or shall I say, I wanted to make the next load) so I borrowed his backup. Near the bottom end of the dive, we did and over under and I tracked off on my back. The toggle hit me in the helmut so I rolled over and thought. * this might suck* The cameraman saw this so he hung out to watch.

The toggle was out so I thought that MAYBE I could clear the other brake on opening and deal with it.

Pulled, It flung me into linetwists before I could do any thing. It pinned my head down and it was spiraling Hard. * at least it was a good view of the handles*

One hand on each handle, peeled cutaway and *Fuck* both hands on cutaway pushing hard... *FUCK*....now I'm really serious. Pushed with all my strength to the point where it was painfull. it released. As I flung away from the main and grabbed the reserve handle, I thought *I'm the rigger for the owner of this rig, when was the last time I've seen this*... yep that's when it first registered that the rig hasn't been serviced in a while.... Pulled the reserve and it opened fine. After gathering every thing we were back on track with our regular rigs.

Now for some details and the point of the whole story.

This rig has had 2 owners and both owners have successfully and easily cutaway from a spinner a few times.

The top keeper was missing on the riser. With out it, the velcroless toggle is bound to release prematurely.

It was a Talon with soft housing and a plastic channel in the back.

Integrity risers which under a load has less mechanical advantage than regular risers.
..............

I don't know if the cutaway cables were trapped in the riser twist, I tried to simulat this on the ground but could not do so.

Since I didn't realize it right away I jumped the rig. I looked at the data card and found it was 2 years and 2 months out of date.

The cutaway handle was never pulled out during the whole 2 years. The toggle keeper? I don't know when that was torn off.

I don't work on mains unless asked too but I do like to see the risers at every repack.

A few things, Had I looked to see if the rig was in date I would have just missed the load. Taken it with me and packed it up and found the toggle keeper.

After this event, I Re-re-re-explained the importance of removing the cutaway handle cleaning it, flexing the risers and reassebling it. We always did it on our regular rigs. But it didn't even come to my mind that this rig hadn't been touched much for the past 2 years.

---------

The parachute worked proving that leaving it packed for a 2 and 1/2 years total, still works. The battery on the cypres was out of date but it indcated 6320 during the countdown.

However, no maintainance on the rig and a some complacency of not looking or asking when it's been repacked, could have easily cost me my life. I pulled muscles pulling the cutaway I didn't have much time left before there would have been no choice but to pull the reserve and hope for the best. I would have spiralled down right in front of the hangar and spectators causing all kinds of grief.
--------

Go ahead and pencil it. It's not always quite that drastic =8^)

*Maintain your equipment. It's cheap insurance.*

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[SkySlut 0]

I would also recommend checking on the ball at the end of the reserve ripcord. If that thing breaks off...you are stuck with nothing but a handle in your hand. A friend of mines mother whistled in because of that...

[PhreeZone 15]

I think the manufactors know better then the USPA. PD/PA and others say 6 months is no issue and they would go out to a year with their reserves. I pack my own (under supervision still) and still repack mine just for the experience... but once i get my ticket, I would'nt hesitate to get the pencil out for my own gear since I know what the rig was doing 24/7 since its mine. If someone steals my sig and redates it... I can't stop that, but I would'nt repack them once I compare records (unless I told them to for a weekend or something)

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[BoobieCootie 0]

The steps you take to check your gear is exactly like how I do it. And it think you should take the same kind of care with the repack. Just ask yourself if $40 or whatever your rigger charges is cheaper than a hospital bill.

That'd be times when say it's a few days out of date, but it's a BIG difference when letting it go for weeks.

Besides getting a repack, the inspection should catch certain anomalies like the closing loop coming loose, the reserve PC shifting ++.

Just think of it this way: Would you change your oil without a new filter?

[Racenic 0]

If you want to skip on the repacking, than why bother wearing a helmet. Why not skip that too. In fact why bother wearing a rig with a reserve, get yourself a base rig.

Better yet find yourself another sport, where if you feel breaking the rules is okay
it won’t do any damage to the sport. Or affect those who’s jobs and lives depend on it.

A good rigger should inspect the entire rig including the main. Plus check all service bulletins issued by the manufacturers, the FAA and the USPA that pertain to your rig, reserve, and main.

What if your reserve was re-called and you were too stupid to know about it, because you penciled in the repack!

Sure I would like to see a longer cycle between repacks, and we may get it.
However in the interim get the repack, get it done right and in the time frame of 120 days.

Nick D

The key to Immortality is- first living a life worth remembering”

[bobsled92 0]

At Dave DeWolf's Post riggor course party, last Sat. I was talking to Jeff W. who was talking of a guy who had pencil packed his res. for a 18month period and wanted Dave to look at time & repack.
They pulled it open and the canopy wouldn't come out of the freebag after pulling and kicking it.
No malice needed to harm him. He was going to do it to himself to save a buck.

_______________________________
If I could be a Super Hero,
I chose to be: "GRANT-A-CLAUS". and work 365 days a Year.
http://www.hangout.no/speednews/

[cloudseeker2001 0]

i have heard a story that a well known DZO up north used to "pencil pack" his rig several times over. well, when it was finally re-packed for real, the rigger found the reserve risers had been CUT and carefully put back into place! what you think about that?!

"Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance,
others mean and rueful of the western dream"

[BoobieCootie 0]

I guess in this sport, we're constantly cheating death. Other times, we'd be cheating ourselves.

[councilman24 36]

I don't much care if people pencil pack. They should remember that they and the pilot can be fined up to $1000 for each jump. Never actually happened that I know of. But I get really pissed when someone forges my name. At that point they are no longer a customer. I don't want to have to prove I didn't pack it last week. One guy who used to jump on my DZ claimed he could sign my signature better than I could.

I now number all my pack jobs, on the card and in my log. That way I can say "No, pack job XXXX was this other rig." I also had a stamp made of my seal code and use red ink to stamp the card. I know one rigger/DZO who had his signature and seal made into a stamp, and left it on the packing table in the clubhouse for anyone to use! No pencil needed.

Sure rigs will work after 120 days, 180 days, even 20 years. But somebody better look at them once in a while. I inspected a rig last year that took 35 lbs of force to pull the free bag off the reserve, after the lines and locking stows were out. The coated interior of the bag had "stuck" to the canopy. The owner had left it in his car all summer. It was only a couple of weeks out of date when I saw it.

Our signature implies that the rig was airworthy on that day! Anything can happen the day after. There are some rigs and some customers that I would recommend 2 or 3 month inspections, even if the US goes to 180 days. Not that they'd do it. The limit is a max not a minimum.

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

[riddler 0]

I'm only a 120 jump wonder I ask everybody I know - I get opinions from people with 5,000 jumps as well as AFF students. I trust the word of people I've jumped with - people that have been skydiving 20 years. And in the end, it's my decision to use a cypress, RSL, large canopy, no swooping, etc based on what those people think and my own experiences. I may be killed from my decisions, but I feel better about that than being killed from the decisions of a governing body. I just have to wonder why another group of people have mandated that I follow their definition of safe practices. I think guidelines are great, but some of the laws, as they relate to an individual's choices about his/her own safety, are IMO overboard.

P.S. - If my mom was a jumper, I would probably think she was just about the coolest mom ever - even if something bad happened. I'm sure your kids feel the same.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD