pay a packer, set your own brakes?

[pds 0]

it seems obvious to me. have never know otherwise.

am i missing something?

namaste, motherfucker.

[diablopilot 2]

Absolutely.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[ZigZagMarquis 9]

Yes, set your own brakes... un-stow your slider... and cock your pilot chute... AND... if... you pay a packer, you take your chances.

[jheadley 0]

To be honest when I was a packer, I would prefer to set the brakes, so I know it's actually done right. You'd be amazed at the fucked up ways some people stow their excess line.

[Yossarian 0]

i dont mind if they dont cock the pilot chute as ill do that again anyway once the canopies laid down just before it goes in the bag, brakes and slider is a big help and its alot quicker to see the brakes have been set correctly than to do it yourself. i do have a question though... when i pack student kit i expect, and usually do, find the brakes unstowed (and a few step throughs and general entanglements...). am i in a position to teach a student how to set the brakes or is this instructor territory...?

[peregrinerose 0]

Ask whoever your supervising rigger or the DZO if they want you to teach students to set brakes. Personally, I teach them as soon as they graduate AFF, some sooner, depends on the student. And anyone that hands me a holy hairball of line without damn good reason hears about it from me too

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[stratostar 5]

Nope, if I'm paying to take chance with a packer, that is part of the pack job I'm paying for, so earn your money and do the whole job or don't it at all!

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[monkycndo 0]

I have a way that I prefer to set my brakes. So I do them on the very few times I pay for a packjob. Most packers I know appreciate but don't require having the housekeeping done for them. But if they get backed up, the rigs with the housekeeping done get packed first because that little time savings for them gets more rigs out the door sooner. If you help them out, they help you out when you are trying to make a load.

Regarding students stowing the brakes. Our FJC includes how to stow brakes and daisy chain the lines. Our DZ has an off airport landing area with a van ride back. Having loose lines and unstowed brakes makes packing a real pain. Once the student starts packing for themselves, they start to appreciate why a bit of housekeeping should be done. Besides, the steering lines will have to be untwisted less often/ shrink less if you set your toggles before you let them out of your hands after landing.

50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

[skybytch 259]

When I was a packer I always had to set people's brakes and cock the few collapsible p/c's that were out there (nobody had collapsible sliders back then). But back then we were flat packing; I found it much easier to stack the canopy with the brakes not set so I'd do it partway through the packjob.

Once I moved to Perris and started using packers there I learned that they prefer people to set their own brakes, cock their own pilot chutes and uncollapse their own sliders. Now I prefer it that way; I'll usually set my brakes in the landing area before carrying my stuff in, and cocking my own p/c/uncollapsing my own slider allows me to inspect them on a regular basis.

[FlyinseivLP2 0]

Maybe we should put in in tha bag and stow the lines too. That would make it easier on the the person we are paying

[Yossarian 0]

i agree with you to a point in that if you are paying someone then they should do the whole job but when those same people start gettin itchy cos their rig might not be ready for the load then that valuable minute spent doing housekeeping becomes important. i always stow my brakes when i land anyway as i jump quite a big canopy it means theres less fabric to lose control of on the walk back to the hangar

[Maxx 1]

Also in Germany a standard procedure...

[peregrinerose 0]

Then your rig would sit there for a reaaaaalllly long time waiting to get packed. I'll do it for you once if you don't know the policy, after that, it just sits there until it's done I do check the brakes though, it amazes me the creative ways that supposedly experienced jumpers will try to set brakes, or only set one brake just for shits and giggles.

I always set mine as soon as I land.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[okalb 104]

Quote

it seems obvious to me. have never know otherwise.

am i missing something?

It is a good idea to set your brakes in the landing area anyway. It helps keep them from getting wound up. I generally don't unstow my slider or cock my pc though.

Time flies like an arrow....fruit flies like a banana

[stratostar 5]

And that is why I don't hire packers. I guess I need to start making my rigging clients inspect their own reserve canopy and set the brakes too and still charge them the full amount. I have yet to see tandem masters setting breaks as well, it's the packers job and they get paid to do so. If packers don't want to do the compleat job then they shouldn't hold them selfs out as packers for pay!

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[ianmdrennan 2]

I'm with you on this one.

If I pay for a packjob, I expect my brakes to be stowed, pilot chute to be cocked, etc.

If I'm jumping with an RDS I'll pay them extra for that hassle though.

Performance Designs Factory Team

[EddieJ710 0]

as a packer..i expect to set the brakes, uncollapse the slider and cock the pilot chute....it is part of the job. but..as said earlier in the thread...the rigs with that done already are first in line..! however, i HATE IT when jumpers bring in a big ball of sh*t for me to untangle. when you pack 20-30 tandem rigs a day on top of all the sport rigs, having to stop and take much more time on a packjob untangling lines and fixing step-throughs, etc, you get pretty irritated VERY quickly.

[NWFlyer 2]

I tip HEAVILY and let the packer know that I will if I give a packer a ball of shit. Last time I can remember having to do that was after an out landing where I had to take my rig off to climb through a barbed-wire fence.

Oh, and to answer the original question, I almost always set my own brakes if I'm giving it to a packer. I like stowing my excess brake line, and I've had packers not do that for me. I generally field stow my brakes, anyway.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

I set my brakes because too many packers simply do not know how or refuse to set them correctly. I set mine in a very particular way to prevent brake fires. That said, I don't feel bad at all if all I have time to do is throw it on the mat, pick up my other rig, and run to the plane. Setting brakes is part of packing and that's what you are paying for: a packjob. I have seen some places where they will bitch if you don't cock your own pilot chute! Forget it.

Chuck

[ianmdrennan 2]

Hey Eddie,

I can totally understand that frustration, and I think handing a packer a ball of shit is asking for more than a packjob.

When I take my rig to a packer, I lay it out and leave everything neatly where they would need it. Just common courtesy. And, if I have time, I'll stow the breaks to help them out, BUT if they wont pack my gear simply because I haven't stowed my brakes, I simply won't use them
edit: Now if they'll take a dollar off for each thing I do (brakes, slider, pilot chute) hell, that's a different story!!!
edit edit: Of course this is a non-issue as I haven't ever had a packer turn me down for not stowing my brakes Blues,
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[Floats18 0]

I Think its HILARIOUS that peregrinrose and stratostar are arguing packing politics....

They're 2 of the most stubborn people I know...

Stratostar: you're a crazy bastard!
Jenn: you're a wore!

--- and give them wings so they may fly free forever

DiverDriver in Training

[GravityGirl 0]

Hmmm. I must be a control freak!

As a jumper, I like to set my own brakes, cock my own PC and undo my slider before I hand it to a packer.

As a packer, I prefer to stow the brakes, cock their PC and undo their slider as part of the service. Mostly because I don't want to break a routine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[Floats18 0]

*TO ADD MY OWN THUNDER*

When I pack I don't like it when people cock their own pilot chutes because I like to make sure its been done right... I also drag test the thing 2wice during the packjob (once after cocking, once before the bag goes in the container) to be sure.

But keep bitching about packers because I think its funny.

--- and give them wings so they may fly free forever

DiverDriver in Training

[stratostar 5]

I wonder where you learned to provide such good customer service.

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[peregrinerose 0]

Kyle, 'wore' is spelled 'whore'!

And you didn't mention that you don't set brakes either (except student rigs), as that is the DZ policy

I wasn't argueing, and to my knowledge, neither was Strato... we both said what we thought, that was it. From his posts here, he seems like someone I'd love to meet in person (from other threads).

And we both know that I'm such a whore that Rocky is allowed to not set brakes... he's the only one that I let get away with that.

In the past 2 years as packer, the people who bitch about setting brakes are the same people that bitch that their rig isn't done quickly enough for them. Oh well. I pack according to DZ policy, I do my job well (and so do you!), and we haven't really had any unhappy customers.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda