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flyinghonu

Newbies: Do you pack your own rig?

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Yes. It's just something that I feel I should know how to do if I want to be a serious skydiver, which I do.



Ditto. I just bought my first rig and I intend on packing it myself. Now that I own my own rig, I can practice all I want! :)
"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

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My first complete pack job with no help but a little supervision was on jump 59 and I have packed every time since then except when my riggers have done reserve repacks and they did it. Until then, I used rental rigs while searching carefully for the right first rig to buy. Rentals come packed so there was no need to pack em, though I watched alot. However, when I started packing my own rig it was a bit confusing at first and I took over an hour to pack it for a while. Since then, my pack job time has consistently shortened but it still takes me 20 to 30 minutes, but I am a bit anal about it still. It is becoming more of a routine now. At first I hated trying to get the damn ball of snot in the D-bag, but over time that too became pretty routine. Anyway, I like knowing what went into the container when it comes pull time and the practice has/ and is paying off with continually quicker pack jobs. I don't miss as many loads anymore as I did in the beginning.
One of the surest signs that intelligent life exists in outer space is that none of it has tried to contact us.

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However, when I started packing my own rig it was a bit confusing at first and I took over an hour to pack it for a while. Since then, my pack job time has consistently shortened but it still takes me 20 to 30 minutes, but I am a bit anal about it still.



GOD! Thank you for being honest. I don't pack my own rig yet for that reason alone...it takes me about an hour (a lot due to me being excessively anal about it). I miss loads, have to listen to: "gonna' have that packed sometime before Christmas" blah, blah, blah :P. Not to mention that my main is a tight fit and its quite a bitch trying to get that sucker in there!

I work about 50 hrs a week and when I get home at night, try to pack at least once a night but don't always get that in. I hope that as I keep up the practice, I can get down to about 20-30 minutes.

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Anyway, I like knowing what went into the container when it comes pull time and the practice has/ and is paying off with continually quicker pack jobs. I don't miss as many loads anymore as I did in the beginning.



Good to hear :)

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky..." - Jimi Hendrix

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Nita,
Your welcome, don't mind admitting the truth here. I know what you mean about all the razzing you get about packing slow. I got alot of that for a while and still get a few of them from those who got in the habit and of giving me shit even though I am faster now. I get a kick out of it and it's all good fun dropzone humor. I just tell em to fuck off. LOL One veteran who I like alot, am now good friends with and jump with whenever I get the chance likes to come by just when I am stuffing it in the bag and comment, "are you really gonna jump that".

I still envy the bastards that pack in 10 minutes, but maybe if I keep at it I will be able to do in 10 or 20 years..
One of the surest signs that intelligent life exists in outer space is that none of it has tried to contact us.

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No. It's big and slick and while it would probably be good practice, the twice I've jumped my own packjob I've had... um... *intriguing* openings at best. I'm waiting for the masters to wear it down a little... and for my practice packing to get prettier and take less than two hours. :S
------------------------------
Of course it hurts. The trick is not *minding* that it hurts.
- T.E. Lawrence

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I hope that as I keep up the practice, I can get down to about 20-30 minutes.



I think the best way to practice packing is by actually doing it after you jump. The incentive to pack faster is there because you know you are missing loads, there's no incentive at home - except that packing is a pain in the ass and you wish you'de never unpacked it in the first place!
www.TerminalSports.com.auAustralia's largest skydive gear store

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I pack my own chute about 95% of the time. Some times someone else will if it needs to be done real quick so I can hop right on another load. I just think packing is part of skydiving. You just need to know how to do it. I am slow at packing but I take my time. I try to make it enjoyable. I pack my own rig even if I am renting it from the DZ.

Devinator

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Yeah, I am one of those people who has the passion to know how everything works and why, so learning to pack my own rig was the best/only way to understand. It's is just part of skydiving to me as well.
One of the surest signs that intelligent life exists in outer space is that none of it has tried to contact us.

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This is why I dont pack also, my rig is a pain in the ass to pack, and it takes me FOREVER... I have also gotten those comments about "gonna get that thing packed this year?" etc. (go figure, we jump the same DZ :) Also very true is the fact that I work about 90 hours a week alot of the time, .. I really enjoy being able to just kick back and relax between jumps (which I get more of with others packing)..

FGF #???
I miss the sky...
There are 10 types of people in the world... those who understand binary and those who don't.

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come by just when I am stuffing it in the bag and comment, "are you really gonna jump that".



I get that comment alot, too... it was the rolling joke at the DZ for awhile. I'm a tad anal about making sure that everything looks right... or at least that it looks the same way as the last one that worked did. I've unpacked a rig I packed the night before and repacked it because I didn't like how something looked. I take about 20-30 minutes to pack... which I don't mind at all... I feel much more comfortable afterwards.

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For those of you under 100 jumps, do you pack it yourself? If not, why not?



I've done nearly all of my main pack-jobs myself since I started using my own gear at jump #13. It took a _long_ time at first but I got much faster.




I still like looking at it in a way that hits home. You have saved almost $7500 in that time... which is a lot of money.
~D
Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me.
Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka

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Our Dropzone is kind of a unique place in regards to this. I still consider myself a Newbie, so I will answer this question....

I have always packed my own, and I've kept myself jumping by traveling to WFFC, Freaks, and different boogies packing Tandems for my guy. Even this last saturday, I packed my own 5 times and I had 8 Student Packjobs. I also Teach packing at our DZ to Students.
However, as an Instructor, if I am trying to get a load ready to go, usually another staff member or fellow Instructor will just pack my rig. Nothing official, but I most always give them a JM ticket ($11 USD) or buy them lunch. If I see an Instructor or coach busy and I'm not doing anything, I'll pack their rig - and I don't expect to get paid for that. It's all about keeping that Airplane in the air. :)
=========Shaun ==========


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I'm sorry, I left something important out of my reply!!!

Whenever I am Jumping at the same boogie I am packing tandems, I most always have a packer. Here is how I look at it....
I face a trade-off for my time. I can pack a Tandem in more or less 15 minutes, and I can earn on average $15 per packjob. In the same time it takes me to Pack a Tandem, I could pack my own rig, or have a packer do it for $5. It simply isn't economical to pack my own rig in these situations...
=========Shaun ==========


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