Winter storage

[Parachut3Panda 0]

I'm in one of those northern states that get that damn season called winter.  First year having my own rig so I dont know the proper way to store it..packed, unpacked and daisy chained,  thrown into a trashbag??

What's the best way that it wont damage anything?

Thanks! 

[gowlerk 1,910]

15 minutes ago, Parachut3Panda said:

I'm in one of those northern states that get that damn season called winter.  First year having my own rig so I dont know the proper way to store it..packed, unpacked and daisy chained,  thrown into a trashbag??

What's the best way that it wont damage anything?

Thanks! 

Store it packed in a cool dry place. That way the container protects everything thing. Some people say differently, but that’s what I advise as the safest.

[pchapman 261]

I haven't seen anything really scientific or based on manufacturer recommendations or tests on this subject. So opinions are all kind of vague and unsubstantiated, certainly including my own. Maybe some others out there will have better info!

If stored unpacked, I tend to put canopies in a cloth bag to let them breathe (not retain any excess moisture) and not have them say pressed up against some unknown garbage bag plastic for months. (That's assuming a dry environment. If the environment were unavoidably moist, a sealed & taped shut plastic bin might be better!)  Also keeps the light out. Not that interior lights are anywhere as strong as sunlight, but there is a little UV in fluorescent lights for example.  But that's all just what feels right for me, and others ideas  may differ. The usual "cool dry place" rules apply. Nylon deteriorates more over the decades at higher temperatures, although it is still a slow process. (It isn't as if jumpers in hotter places have main canopies blow up all the time when others don't. Desert dust is more likely to reduce canopy jump lifetime.)

Packed is usually OK too, if space is limited. After all, those who have less winter or take a winter skydiving trip, they usually keep their rig packed up all year.  If stored packed, one might take the main PC out of the BOC elastic. As a rigger I certainly replace stretched out BOC's from time to time. So it seems not unreasonable that if one is away from the sport for a good fraction of the year, to relieve the stress on the elastic fibres in the BOC,  and try saving a tiny bit on long term maintenance costs.

As for the reserve PC spring, some might pop the reserve to keep the spring uncompressed. I'm not sure that matters a whole lot, but might actually matter a little. Springs do seem to lose a some power with age, but that's just anecdotal. It isn't as if people jumping year round with a 15 year old rig all bounce if they have an AAD fire, while those who take a winter off still have a great PC spring.

Generally for convenience I just keep unused rigs & their reserves packed up.