Packing Anxiety

[FrogNog 1]

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Am I the only one, who thinks it is worse packing for others? I have no problems jumping my own pack jobs, but I can assure you I had my head out the door first time someone jumped one of my pack jobs. Boy was I glad to see a nice opening

My first dozen or so pack jobs for other people, I was pretty nervous too. I think once you begin to really trust your pack jobs, the parachutes themselves, and the skydivers who deploy them, that goes away.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[PsychoBob 0]

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I'm trying to economize the weather scenario and the fact I can't jump when the visibility is 1/8 of a mile or the wind is above 50 knots.

Bob my brother,
Those are ideal conditions, I can't believe you are letting a nice winter breeze and a little "industrial haze" keep you on the ground! Just kidding. Sunny SoCal has been getting a beating and I feel for you.. I am having a blast packing my almost new Triathalon 220. I had a pretty ugly line twist the other day and it took about 900 ft. to get out of it. I think it was directly related to my poor pack job. I talked to a couple of my friends that are packers and a rigger and learned some techniques that will help me in the future. Anyway you cut it packing sux but I want to learn as much about my equipment as I can. Once I get more comfortable with my abilities then I'll spend my money on packers. Good luck my friend and I hope you get some better weather.\

"I'm not a gynecologist but I will take a look at it"
RB #1295, Smokey Sister #1, HellFish #658, Dirty Sanchez #194, Muff Brothers #3834, POPS #9614, Orfun Foster-Parent?"

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[AggieDave 6]

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This cracks me up!!

When did Dave become the all-knowing, all-seeing guru on the 'place and purpose' of flat packing???

feel more like a "skydiver" too funny Dave. It really is.

Maybe one day I'll go back to pro packing if I ever feel the need to feel more like a skydiver. I'm sure I'll get invited on more of the 'cool' loads if I pro pack.

Hold on now.

Look past your ego and discuss this for a bit. What do students see the majority of people using as a packing process at the majority of DZs? Pro-packing. 1. It makes them feel more apart of the skydiving family, which is important. 2. More people know how to do it (switch from when you started, huh?) and are able to ask questions to more people if they have a problem.

I honestly believe that it helps students from getting discouraged when they're able to do some things like every other skydiver they normally see on the DZ. Do you remember the sense of accomplishment you had when you first learned how to pack and you packed everything up yourself AND that packjob worked when you jumped it? Made you feel like a real skydiver didn't it? Same sort of thing, learning how to do something like the rest of the DZ is doing and learning how to do it successfully helps a lot with some students.

I don't flat pack my canopy, but that doesn't mean that I don't understand the pluses and minuses of flat packing vs. pro-packing, it just means I'd rather not flat pack my high-performance canopy.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Shark 0]

Skylord,

There's a possibility that you will be jumping your
pack job when we do your Level 8.

That being the case, (pun intended) you will owe
2 cases of . Then we'll take your mug shot
and post your grill on the wall.

Shark out.

[CrazyL 0]

Welcome to sunny southern california! The sun just peeked out maybe theres hope for jumping soon like thursday, maybe. So your making the most out of these weather days. Well, if you'd like to be educated on how to's, what not's, and why's of parachute packing by a well qaulified and reputable skydiver before your next jump with your packjob, then email me at the [email protected] address and you might gain the knowledge and confidence to pack your own parachute. I also jump at Perris. I've found that those who have viewed the pack like a pro video absorb more info from my packing lessons than those who have not. You'll get there!

[CrazyL 0]

And once your done F**** on your flat pack cause its cool just complete packing steps 18 to 48 and jump it, your parachute dang near cleans itself just to do it all over again! Flat packing is cool, so is pro packing!

[GTAVercetti 0]

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I've been trying to patiently wait out the funky SoCal weather we have been getting for almost a month now. In the meantime, I've done my AFF-6 recurrency jump, and I am now waiting to do my AFF-8 jump. I have gotten past most of the door jitters, I'm pretty sure. I did a five minute stint at SD Perris in the tunnel just yesterday to keep me up to snuff.

I'm trying to economize the weather scenario and the fact I can't jump when the visibility is 1/8 of a mile or the wind is above 50 knots. So I got the P.R.O. Pack video, and watched it in advance of the required class for my A license. Holy crap. I have now watched it three times, and frankly it scares the living shit out of me. I will screw it up, A lines, B lines, do this, flake the nose now, not later, clover the slider, kill line this, not that or you'll get a pilot chute in tow, roll this left, but this right, careful of the grommets, spacers, steering lines HERE, not THERE, this will give you a line over, arggh!!! We might as well re-release the video as "Mr. Bob's Sucky Pack Job and First Reserve Ride".

It may seem like alot now, but soon you it will just flow. It is the same as a lot of things. I remember when I learned to drive. I started and still drive manual. When I first started, it was so complicated to remember, clutch, no gas, release, gas, plus using my hand to shift. Then there were turn signals, wipers, radio, etc. Now, I don't even think about shifting, I just do. Eventually, it will get that was with packing too.

And once you get past that first self-packed packjob, you will probably find yourself much more relaxed. Just do it, jump it, and do it again.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[JohnMitchell 14]

Yes, I agree that pro packing is cool, too. That's my preferred method for most canopies, but I can flat pack almost as fast, and find it is easier to teach to beginners. I can pack both ways. I don't see why some people get so irate about flat packing! What the hell do they care how someone else is packing?

[GTAVercetti 0]

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Yes, I agree that pro packing is cool, too. That's my preferred method for most canopies, but I can flat pack almost as fast, and find it is easier to teach to beginners. I can pack both ways. I don't see why some people get so irate about flat packing! What the hell do they care how someone else is packing?

The only problem I see with flat packing is if you haveve too many people trying to pack in a small area, it can be hard to find an area to lay the canopy down. But if ya got the space, use it!

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[tbrown 26]

I came back to the sport after a very long time away (22 years) and had to learn how to pro pack. Besides that, I hadn't packed a rig in all that time either. But if you're learning at Perris, I know they start you off by hanging the canopy from a hook. That's a good way to start, it gives you the time to look at everything and see where it's all going. The thing I did was to repeat the stepa over and over until I felt comfortable with them, then I did a complete pack job. And then I pulled the whole thing apart and did it all over again. By then I was not only feeling confident, but bored and antsy as well. So I jumped it, and guess what ? It opened.

In the old days, like thirty years ago, you'd learn to pack a round canopy for your first freefall, which was usually around your sixth jump. Talk about stressfull, you were not only going to pull all by yourself for the first time, but on your first packjob as well. That one opened too by the way...

Packing's not all that hard, it's just a pain in the rear. It's completely understandable that you'll be nervous about jumping your first pack job, but believe me, the thing will open. I don't know anyone yet who's had to chop their first pack job. It's just going to take you a few times and after you get two or three good openings, you won't even think about it anymore.

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[skylord 1]

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Skylord,

There's a possibility that you will be jumping your
pack job when we do your Level 8.

That being the case, (pun intended) you will owe
2 cases of . Then we'll take your mug shot
and post your grill on the wall.

Shark out.

Shark,

Well, it looks like a certainty now, since I did the class today with Bill. And he told me that he'll save it just for little ol' me to jump. Problem is they may have to use it for the Brit students that showed up today. If so, I pack another one and jump it. Even if not for my 8, then for my solo. However, I must quote from the beer rules:

"Whithersoevereth a jumper maketh one sky flight of initialeth uniqueness that actually is initialeth uniqueness twice or even thriceth, yea and verily shall that be considered the same uniqueness so in that the sky flyer is not put into ruptcy of bank."

I'd love to buy beer twice for the same jump, but hey, I didn't make the rules up.

Bob Marks

"-when you leave the airplane its all wrong til it goes right, its a whole different mindset, this is why you have system redundancy." Mattaman

[skylord 1]

All,

Thanks for all the support and encouragement. I did brave the weather conditions and headed up to Elsinore to learn how to pack a parachute. Bill came out, and we spent the rest of the day together teaching me how to do this daunting task.

Really, it was not as complex as I thought, although as some of you mentioned you really have to watch some of the critical points. I was surprised at some of the physical exertion it took, especially with getting the chute in the bag, stretching rubber bands, double looping, getting the bag in the container, etc..... I really broke a sweat.

Bill broke the tasks up into four separate sections, each of which I had to show proficiency in before moving on. Then it was time to put the whole concerto together. I did good once, broke for lunch, did good the second time, and then busted my third attempt when I let the chute come out of the tail wrap while trying to get it in the bag. I didn't self i.d. the problem so it was start again.

Third time was the charm, and I did pretty well. The actual practice really helped with my concerns, and Bill told me this was a good jumpable pack job. Whew! But I need to jump it. Gulp!

I learned so much today about equipment, and although the weather sucked it was not a wasted day. Thanks again to all of you for your support!

Bob

Bob Marks

"-when you leave the airplane its all wrong til it goes right, its a whole different mindset, this is why you have system redundancy." Mattaman

[360daysofsun 0]

A friend of mine, with a ton of jumps, invited me over to his house for a packing class. I have my own rig, so it was super helpful. He showed me his way of pro-packing his ZP chute, then he walked me through mine (111). Like you, I wanted everything to be perfect... When done, he looked at me, pointed, and said, "I'd jump that..!".

What really sunk home was when he told me about a Boogie he attended, where they had a "phone booth packing competition..." These guys packed inside a phone booth, then after completing their pack job, they would jump out and say "I'll jump it..!" It's a timed event, with guys doing it under 5 minutes... He said it was CRAZY stuff to watch. That day, they all opened... Lesson? Get the basics down, then relax. Watching people around me pack, I would rather jump my messy jobs (which I've been told isn't a bad thing. To be a little messy anyway), than someone elses typical pack job. Focus on the lines, keeping them straight, then stuff away. I know with time, I will clean that part up a bit as well.

Todd .... "Life, figure it out."

[Designer 0]

Your not alone.Nothing but "Just Doing IT" and jumping your packs will get you past it.We all had to do it.Well,now if your rich?Pass your A packs and pay a packer?(LOL)

[kelpdiver 2]

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Your not alone.Nothing but "Just Doing IT" and jumping your packs will get you past it.We all had to do it.Well,now if your rich?Pass your A packs and pay a packer?(LOL)

that had been my MO. But now that I have my rig...trying to make the middle ground. Usually the packers are a lot faster. Sometimes (busy period, or god help us, a boogie), that's not the case.

[freakygirl 0]

i pack my boyfriend's rig most of the time (if i'm there) and he usually does it the other times. i pack pretty neatly up until the point where you put the stupid thing in the bag. then it gets REALLY ugly. his pack jobs are pretty nice, even going into the bag. but why is it that my pack jobs are better openings?? we've done a combined pack job (i did everything EXCEPT put it in the bag) and it still opened the way his normally do - not hard, but harder/faster by comparasin. its pretty consistent that way. any idea why that is??

[ps. i've done searches and haven't found anything in the forums that looks much like this topic, although i'm sure it's there somewhere. i just didn't find it. also, i don't know that this post necessarily belongs under the "anxiety" heading, but whatever.... i'm just curious and this seemed like the best place i could find. it's just a casual question. we've talked about it with others and they seem to agree that messy pack jobs usually open pretty well. just wondering....]

[RossDagley 0]

I've been attempting to pack for the last 40 jumps or so. It hasn't got off to a good start - new jumper, new ZP canopy (super-size me please) etc.

I learnt in stages - I did the brakes, then someone else packed it. Then I did the lines and put it on the floor, then someone finished, then it got to doing everything other than sticking it in the bag.

I never got anxiety I guess because I only ever did a 'bit' of the pack job. That was, until yesterday when I got the slimy bastard in the d bag on my own

Didn't hesitate to jump it. Hell, I wanna know that I didn't but a 'Smart' wad of newspaper someday

Oh, and on the point you made about pack jobs? I'd had some off-heading openings (2) with two sets of line twists (1) on 3 jumps yesterday. The one I packed myself? Lovely. And man, when I stuffed those lines in the d-bag, I really did have my doubts... S fold? what S fold. - S fold created

[jsaxton 0]

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What are your experiences and advice, besides "Pull High".
Bob Marks

If you pull high it'll make it harder to find your shit

[pacncathyjr 0]

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What are your experiences and advice, besides "Pull High".

I remember my first time packing I was so scared and I still am so I ask my customers how their openings are and how I can improve them. As I do not skydive I don't get to jump my own openings but I have never had a complaint.

As for advise don't be afraid to ask questions.

[simulacra 0]

I don't really get it, don't students pack their own chute from the beginning in the us?
At my dropzone (stockholm, sweden) we started jumping with our own packjobs from the get-go, only flatpacking while on student status though.

[Elisha 1]

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I don't really get it, don't students pack their own chute from the beginning in the us?
At my dropzone (stockholm, sweden) we started jumping with our own packjobs from the get-go, only flatpacking while on student status though.

No. Jumping your own pack job at least once is a requirement for your 'A' License, but that's it AFAIK. I could be wrong, but after that, you could theoretically pay a packer the rest of your skydiving career. It would be stupid, but I think "legal".

[dbattman 0]

Packing is really, really, funny. The neat ones go in nice, but the ugly ones tend to be better openings. What I think goes on is the neat ones pop out faster and more of it catches the air at once. The ugly ones kinda wave around and open slower. There are other factors involved like shoving the slider back down the center of the pack job when it's in the bag and such.

Stows and rubber bands seem to make a difference as well. Really short stows would not absorb the snatch force as much as stows about three inches long. Loose bands can also lead to line dump which is a killer on tandems.

It's as much dependent on the canopy as the packer. Find out what works and stick with it.

[simulacra 0]

My biggest problem is the s-folding, everytime I try to get the canopy in the bag it tends to slide apart, but lately I tend not care so much about it, in due time I'll get more proficient and start understanding the inner workings of zero-p fabric and it's relation to the surrounding air.

[kelpdiver 2]

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I don't really get it, don't students pack their own chute from the beginning in the us?
At my dropzone (stockholm, sweden) we started jumping with our own packjobs from the get-go, only flatpacking while on student status though.

It's pretty uncommon, esp in AFF. And the US regs state that only a rigger (or supervised packer) or the jumper can pack the main, so when you rent a rig, you may not be allowed to pack, or not after your last jump. If you only do 2 jumps, that's one packjob you can do. Some places deal with that by renting out the rig unpacked, but then the start of your day is slowed down.

Personally I wouldn't want to have the burden of spending an hour on a warm day stuffing a 300 into a d bag on top of the stress of the training jumps, nevermind wondering how it would open. (Though in hindsight, given how forceful the pd300 opened for me, I might have liked my packing better)

[simulacra 0]

Well, to me packing seems like something very important that should be taught from the beginning.
To have your chute packed after every jump sounds like a luxury.
The upside is that you spend more time jumping, but the downside is that the student might become uneducated as to how this VERY important aspect of parachuting works.

The way we have it set up around here is that the packjob gets checked by a certified packer 3 times during the packing procedure to make sure that the student hasn't done anything especially stupid.
And while making those checks they share experiences and ask us why we did what we did, this makes you think and get a overview of the whole procedure.

After you completed 20 packjobs you are eligible to take a packing course where you gain alot more insight as to exactly how the chute works and possible consequnces/risk of mistakes etc and become a certifeid packer yourself, after that the checks are no longer required.
That means that even a graduated AFF-student has to get checked during his packing and that S/L-students might not have to get checked at all while on student status.