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Shyandinnocent

550 microline or 500 Vectran for Vengeance?

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I have asked PD this same question, but wanted to post it here.

I have had microline on this canopy, but after 150 - 200 jumps it started to get noticeably out of trim, and now at 600, it´s bad. The lines look quite nice, but the trim is v bad, so thy need changing.

Canopy is a 97 and the rig is quite tight. Does anyone know it these lines pack about the same? Drag is not a concern for me, my landings are vanilla.
Also, is the Vectran going to snatch me more? I suffer from "cameraneck".

Any help greatly appreciated!!

It's never too late for a low turn!

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well first of all i would not go to 600 jumps on a line set, especially if the canopy is out of trim already!:P
personally i prefere Spectra lines, but i am sure you will get a few people who would disagree with me.

and i would def think that the openings will get worse with a canopy that gets more out of trim.
however, there is a couple other reasons why you might get harder openings.
1) what condition is your Main pilot chute in? is your kill line long enough?
2) what condition is your slider in? any rips or tears there?
3) have you checked inside your canopy at the cross ports or vents? is there any damage or tears there? normanlly you would see some fraying along the edges of the cross ports, but there should not be any major damage there.

My 2 cents

Rodger

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So you asked the manufacturer, who has tested and manufactured more canopies and configurations then any other manufacturer on the planet what you should do and now you're posting here?

Why would you think a bunch of people on the internet would be able to give you better advice then what is probably the most experienced group of parachute engineers on the planet?

For the record, you should do what the manufacturer says to do.

Microline, or spectra line, has more elasticity then Vectran. One of the downfalls is that it is more susceptible to friction wear, which makes it shrink faster.

If you are concerned with opening shock, perhaps you should investigate a canopy that is known to open softer.

The line does not produce the "snatch", whatever that is. Opening shock is determined by many variables, including, pilot chute size, burble size, body position of jumper, wear and condition of canopy and slider, the actual quality of the pack job, and the chaos introduced by deploying fabric into a variable windstream.

Basic information on equipment and it's wear characteristics can be found in Poynter's Parachute Manual, v. 2, or most of the FREE downloads available on PD's website.

Dacron stretches the most, followed by spectra line, vectran, and HMA. All have different characteristics that determine which is best for a particular jumper in any situation. The larger the size, generally the longer life. If you're a working jumper concerned about his neck, 825 Dacron is the way to go. 550 Spectra wears fairly rapidly in comparison to the same size vectran, though both have about the same lifespan. The spectra will transmit less opening shock, however. Pack volume difference is negligible.

TL,DR: If you asked the manufacturer, why would you ask a bunch of people on the interweb who may have no experience or certainly a biased experience? Follow the manufacturer's directions.

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spectra is fine but the thin 550 is garbage. is that not the case?



Not exactly. It is higher maintenance for sure, so you have to want the marginal increase in performance. And if you want that marginal increase in performance, other line types work better.

Mark

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This vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knXrXHiWO7o&list=PL45E3B7998E49283E&index=18 does a great job of explaining the different line types. I watched it yesterday when I was bored.

Microline, a.k.a. Spectra doesn't stretch like Dacron and is fairly rigid but is susceptible to going out of trim because of heat. It has a long life and will still look good even after it has gone way out of trim.

Vectran maintains its trim very well but can wear quickly and shows its wear.

Sounds like vectran is the way to go for you.

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If you asked the manufacturer, why would you ask a bunch of people on the interweb who may have no experience or certainly a biased experience? Follow the manufacturer's directions.



I understand the wisdom of what you say, but much like the FAQ that was linked to by another person here, PD was reluctant to make a recommendation.
So I ask other people, and not just on the interwebs...

To be clear, I have not had problems with openings on this canopy, and I like it very much. I´m trying to get a clear picture of what I can expect if i go to another type of line that what I have always jumped. Now that I read my original post, I see that I was not very clear about that.

Thanks for input, tho! I always like that I can depend on the forums here to provide advice and information that are cautious and safe!

PS! I knooow, 600 jumps is too much...

It's never too late for a low turn!

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