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saftey1st

main closing loop break

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You might have to buy another container. It might be defective, it might not be. Look for the service bulletin, and ask your local rigger.

Who is the manufacture of the container?

and did the closing loop had a red thread fiber in it? Those are bad, made in Liberia or something like that. Some South Western African manufacture. Not to be trusted.
Bernie Sanders for President 2016

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If your new to the sport I'm guessing your shoving as much canopy into that container you can, To leave room for eventual downsizing!? If everything is maxed out or even if not just have a rigger make your closing loop a little longer next time. Also, when you remove the pull up cord out of the loop once the pin is in pull the cord out from underneath the pin not on top of it. That will eliminate ALOT of friction. I had the same problem with my new container when i first bought it. 4-8 jumps and it was shredded... Definitely look into lengthening your closing loop. Just have someone who knows left form right check the loop to make sure its not too long.

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stayhigh

You might have to buy another container. It might be defective, it might not be. Look for the service bulletin, and ask your local rigger.

Who is the manufacture of the container?

and did the closing loop had a red thread fiber in it? Those are bad, made in Liberia or something like that. Some South Western African manufacture. Not to be trusted.



Not helpful.
"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

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jumplongisland

Also, when you remove the pull up cord out of the loop once the pin is in pull the cord out from underneath the pin not on top of it.



To add to that, there are packing tools that use Cypres cord Spectra line with less friction. The newer pull up cords tend to be a softer material and perhaps not as abrasive as the old Type III binding tape ones. Still, "sawing" a closing loop with a pullup cord can damage it quickly.

And some people go for a closing loop out of heavier material than the usual type IIA (dashed diagonal lines on it), although that shouldn't change using good technique.

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You can also get a steel wire from local hardware store and make a closing loop out of it. They last forever.

Make sure the wire doesn't have any bur, or other wise it might damage you d-bag when pc is extracting off your back.

Sucks when that happens, buddy of mine ripped his canopy because of the bur on his closing loop.
Bernie Sanders for President 2016

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saftey1st

I'm new to the sport, with a couple week old rig. container was new and everything else used.
i had the main closing loop break during packing, only after 6 jumps. is this normal? or is there something wrong?



Need more info...

Was the loop brand new? Where did it break? At the loop? The knot? Somewhere in-between? What kind of material was the loop made out of? 550-cord? Spectra? Do you use a leverage tool to close it? How do you remove the pull-up cord when the rig is closed? Are there burrs on the grommets? Sharp edge on the loop washer?

Show everything to a local rigger and have him examine it. Yes, something is wrong. Might be the rig. Might be the loop. Might be you.

If it broke on jump 6, you probably should have noticed something wrong on jump 5, and replaced it.

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jumplongisland

If your new to the sport I'm guessing your shoving as much canopy into that container you can, To leave room for eventual downsizing!? If everything is maxed out or even if not just have a rigger make your closing loop a little longer next time. Also, when you remove the pull up cord out of the loop once the pin is in pull the cord out from underneath the pin not on top of it. That will eliminate ALOT of friction. I had the same problem with my new container when i first bought it. 4-8 jumps and it was shredded... Definitely look into lengthening your closing loop. Just have someone who knows left form right check the loop to make sure its not too long.



yes your right, i do have the container maxed out, with a pilot.
if this new closing loop breaks again after 6-10 jumps then ill check with my rigger/or the place that sold me the container to see what we can do.

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Dilligas

***I'm new to the sport, with a couple week old rig. container was new and everything else used.
i had the main closing loop break during packing, only after 6 jumps. is this normal? or is there something wrong?



Need more info...

Was the loop brand new? Where did it break? At the loop? The knot? Somewhere in-between? What kind of material was the loop made out of? 550-cord? Spectra? Do you use a leverage tool to close it? How do you remove the pull-up cord when the rig is closed? Are there burrs on the grommets? Sharp edge on the loop washer?

Show everything to a local rigger and have him examine it. Yes, something is wrong. Might be the rig. Might be the loop. Might be you.

If it broke on jump 6, you probably should have noticed something wrong on jump 5, and replaced it.

yes it was a new loop(to my knowledge)
don't know the material of the loop(looked to be white paracord with a gray dash)
didn't notice anything wrong with the washer, and the loop broke near the top.

i haven't been packing it, I've been practicing packing it(not actually closing the contianer, just getting it into the d-bag. my last time practicing i got to the point of closing the container and noticed the fray on the loop, and asked the instructor to taKE a look he said it needed to be replace, he attempted to close it to show me that it would break, i assume)
Every time it has been pack was with a power tool, except one time with a pull up cord. and when it broke it was with a pull up cord also.

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saftey1st


yes your right, i do have the container maxed out, with a pilot.
if this new closing loop breaks again after 6-10 jumps then ill check with my rigger/or the place that sold me the container to see what we can do.



I wouldn't wait to see if it breaks again. Find the reason now. If it breaks while on the door or jumping you'll be in a very serious trouble. Being said that, it looks like the loop quality was not the best. A loop has to hold MUCH more than 6 jumps, no matter how you close it or pull out the pull up cord.

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Personnaly I use for main closing loop a 550 nylon line sheating. That kind of empty line stays supple and good for 50 jumps+. But when removing the pull cord, go very slowly. You can decrease the friction also by applying a downward force with your thumb on the container near the pin when removing the pull cord. Make sure the pull cord is smooth and slippery. All of that will keep your closing loop good for a longer time.

You can easily burn and break the closing loop by removing the pull cord too fast. I have seen one of my packer doing so. I had to change the closing loop after only 6 jumps. I told him and there was no more problem.

Check also with the manufacturer's manual to know the ideal position of the last flaps. eg. for the Vector 3 the binding tapes of the last two flaps have to overlap.

Check if your main container is compatible with your main canopy. Some people also pack their main with too much material on the center of the container which makes it tighter. Get some suggestion from more experienced people to know how to spread the main material the proper way if needed.
Always keep a good force on the pin. Better a bit tight than too loose.
Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

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Hint, after you insert the pin, continue pulling (with your pull-up cord/power tool) to maintain a 1/2 inch (1 centimeter) of slack in the closing loop.
Use your thumb-nail to press the closing loop against the last grommet. This will maintain that slack as you SLOWLY remove your pull-up tool.
Lift thumb.
Confirm that pin is inserted 3/4.
Unpack at 3,000.
Repeat.

Theory, that little bit of slack vastly reduces tension, friction and abrasion on your closing loop.
When you visit your rigger, ask him/her for a few spare closing loops. Keep those spare loops in your gear bag. Replace old loops at the first sign of fraying.
Remember: closing loops are cheap, but airplane tails are expensive.

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riggerrob


Confirm that pin is inserted 3/4.
Unpack at 3,000.
Repeat. quote of the day


Remember: closing loops are cheap, but airplane tails are expensive.

times two ;)
i have on occasion been accused of pulling low . My response. Naw I wasn't low I'm just such a big guy I look closer than I really am .


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Honestly, most of the advice in this thread seems geared towards more experienced jumpers, or those packing their own rigs.

You'll get there, and the advice will be useful then, but the summary is this:

1) No. A closing loop shouldn't break after 6 jumps.

2) Get it inspected by a rigger at your DZ - tell him what happened and sit with him through the inspection.

3) Don't just keep jumping without making the inspection... It's probable that the closing loop was defective in some way, but just in case it isn't and there's something on your rig causing the issue, you MUST get it fixed before it potentially kills a plane load of people - maybe on the next jump. - I'm absolutely serious... premature openings are not something to fuck around with.

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yoink

Honestly, most of the advice in this thread seems geared towards more experienced jumpers, or those packing their own rigs.

You'll get there, and the advice will be useful then, but the summary is this:

1) No. A closing loop shouldn't break after 6 jumps.

2) Get it inspected by a rigger at your DZ - tell him what happened and sit with him through the inspection.

3) Don't just keep jumping without making the inspection... It's probable that the closing loop was defective in some way, but just in case it isn't and there's something on your rig causing the issue, you MUST get it fixed before it potentially kills a plane load of people - maybe on the next jump. - I'm absolutely serious... premature openings are not something to fuck around with.



thanks for making it absolutely clear what i should do. this is what I've been planning on doing since i left the dz.

I'm glad there is a community of 3rd party jumpers that can weigh in, when sometimes you don't know if your getting a straight answer from people trying to protect a store/company.

ill report back what my rigger says.

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erdnarob


You can easily burn and break the closing loop by removing the pull cord too fast. I have seen one of my packer doing so. I had to change the closing loop after only 6 jumps. I told him and there was no more problem.



I manipulate the closing pin and pull-up cord so that the pull-up cord is beneath the metal pin and rubbing against it not the loop as I remove it.

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DrewEckhardt

***
You can easily burn and break the closing loop by removing the pull cord too fast. I have seen one of my packer doing so. I had to change the closing loop after only 6 jumps. I told him and there was no more problem.



I manipulate the closing pin and pull-up cord so that the pull-up cord is beneath the metal pin and rubbing against it not the loop as I remove it.

...............................................................................

That doubles the life of any closing life.
With careful packing the main closing loop in my Mirage lasted 300 jumps.

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stayhigh

You can also get a steel wire from local hardware store and make a closing loop out of it. They last forever.

Make sure the wire doesn't have any bur, or other wise it might damage you d-bag when pc is extracting off your back.

Sucks when that happens, buddy of mine ripped his canopy because of the bur on his closing loop.



That didn't happen.

You can certainly do better than that. At least try... to sound sincere.
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

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jumpwally

wtf ?



...................................................................................
Mr. stayhigh would be wise to limit that brand of humour to senior jumpers who get the joke.
The risk is that a junior jumper will follow his advice all the way into a smoldering carter.

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