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billvon

Stowing your slider

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Here is what I have on my front risers (sliderstop). It is like a second confluence wrap with the top and bottom sides of the tape turned under on the front riser only about 2" up from the riser's confluence wrap. It is just a little wider than the slider grommet so you can easily pull it over, but it won't float back up. I grab the rear slider grommets first and sandwich them under the front grommets with the sliderstops on the front risers and it stays put, simple and effective.

The slider stow I use I made from a hard plastic ball that came off of a bungee that I found in the auto section at Walmart. The elastic cord comes from a fabric store. I took a dremel and drilled a second hole about 135 degrees from the mounting loop for the stow loop. I pull the slider down and wrap the stow loop around the fat side of the ball. Now it should be tight enough to hold it with a few pounds of pressure, but if you pick the rig up by it, it should release (for a cutaway). By adjusting the size of the stow loop, you can make it release easier or harder. Note: I ended up cutting my mounting loop, tieing knots in the ends and super tacking it just under the binding tape on my top reserve flap cover. I did this so it cannot come off and interfere with a regular reserve deployment.

-Hixxx

death,as men call him, ends what they call men
-but beauty is more now than dying’s when

sliderstowweb.jpg

sliderstopweb.jpg

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How long is the original piece of 1 inch type 4 before you fold it in half?



You can wing it on the size. Mine started at about 2 3/4 inches.

Fold one end over about 3/8ths in and fold the other end up to meet it.
My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

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:)
I still have the velcro loop on one of my pits. Love it when people ask "what is that?" The only problem with stowing the slider behind your head is if you do not get it completely contained it will block your vision back and down which is a critical area during approach.

Blues,

J.E.
James 4:8

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I have soft links on my rig and fly the Xaos with a double kill line slider. I have found for the most part that I can choose to either collapse my slider and leave it above the softlinks or collapse it and pull it down behind my head. I have experienced with both and prefer it to be stowed behind my head. Just dont do as one of my friends did once and stow the slider under chin..not a good idea...it reinflated partially on turn to final and scared the shit out of him...needless to say blocked his vision momentarly...he made it out ok..but shook up a bit...:o..scary stuff..

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sorry to appear thick :)
but what is a slider stow for? :)

It allows the slider to collapse in a manner so you can either get it out of your way...ie allow for lines to expand or to make the slider not be so loud and flap through the air while flying your canopy..etc ;)

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Just dont do as one of my friends did once and stow the slider under chin..not a good idea...it reinflated partially on turn to final and scared the shit out of him...



Could cause an "interesting" scenario if you had to cut away after having stowed in this fashion as well!

Personally, I have concluded that if you have SLinks AND a collapsable slider, that you use them fully as their design had intended. Collapse & pull ALL THE WAY DOWN beyond your steering toggles. If, like on my set up, you have a slider that tends to want to creep (or even POP) back up, ---find a solution for that, but DO NOT leave a slider at or just above the SLinks (collapsed or not). Between a few PM's between Bill Von & myself (THANKS BILL!) & some practical trial and error, I have found that either loosening your chest strap once fully saddled-out, or sewing a slider stop/trap to the BOTTOM REAR of your risers is an effective solution & consideration.

Slider keepers that I have seen either on the backs of helmets, or affixed to the yoke of the rig itself are NOT viable, recommended options IMHO.
coitus non circum - Moab Stone

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> The only problem with stowing the slider behind your head is if you
> do not get it completely contained it will block your vision back and
> down which is a critical area during approach.

Another potential problem is that it will prevent you from cutting away if the velcro is mated (or sewn on) incorrectly. This problem killed a jumper at Perris about five years back.

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I like the blocks sewn on the risers MUCH better that any type of attachment...

There have been problems with the loops releasing durring a cut away. I WOULD NOT DO IT.

But what ever you do...PLEASE STOW THE DAMN SLIDER...

FLAP,FLAP,FLAP,FLAP,FLAP Thats shit drives me crazy...

Slider Flapida....a disease only YOU can cure.

Ron
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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I'd like to vent, as long as we're on the topic, about sliders with a velcro thing that you have to remove from itself, wrap around the slider, and re-anchor. When I first started, my Saber 170 had one of these things, and for a while I didn't stow it 'cause I didn't like the added distraction of messing with it.

In any case, it was never as easy as using the pull tabs that a lot of sliders now have. The only thing about them is you have to watch for bent tabs (they get a "memory") and potential rips in the slider stow channels.
|
I don't drink during the day, so I don't know what it is about this airline. I keep falling out the door of the plane.

Harry, FB #4143

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I'd like to vent, as long as we're on the topic, about sliders with a velcro thing that you have to remove from itself, wrap around the slider, and re-anchor. When I first started, my Saber 170 had one of these things, and for a while I didn't stow it 'cause I didn't like the added distraction of messing with it.

In any case, it was never as easy as using the pull tabs that a lot of sliders now have. The only thing about them is you have to watch for bent tabs (they get a "memory") and potential rips in the slider stow channels.
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A rigger told me that he had seen an instance where a slider drawstring tab had not been completely stowed in its little pocket, and a line had knotted around it on deployment preventing the slider from descending --> cutaway.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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I was looking through old posts, and came across an incident which brought this post about...

Anyhow, I have Slinks and I kill my slider but sometimes I neglect to pull it down behind me. I didn't realize the importance of this until I read that incident report. I thought other newbies might benefit from reading this post. I will definitely be pulling my slider down always from here on out.

This sight has some really good info on it. Thanks to everyone who contributes.
Angela.



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Pulling the slider down can cause its own set of problems. I've knocked a toggle loose by pulling the slider down before and I've also had the slider get stuck on the toggles while pulling it down.

If you don't pull the slider down and have slinks, get the slink covers. No matter if you pull it down or not, make sure you have a good method for stowing the excess break line that does not involve the link or the top of the riser at all.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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Velcor vs Velcroless toggles are a whole nother issue, but its generally not reccommended to pull the slider down if the velcro is worn due to the increased chances of it prematurally releasing a toggle.

To save your break lines I'd recommend ditching the velcro toggles soon.
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

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I like the blocks sewn on the risers MUCH better that any type of attachment...

There have been problems with the loops releasing durring a cut away. I WOULD NOT DO IT.



I stow my slider with a velcro/webbing thingy which wraps around the reserve pin cover of my rig. If there has really been a fatality caused by this type of device, I'd like to read more. Does anyone have a link to the incident report, or at least some more details?

- Dan G

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What I like about my set up is all the problems that have been mentioned, can't happen . I have a collapsable slider like most everyone else. However, I have snap toggles like on tandem rigs and I have THESE to keep the slider down once I pull it down. The snap toggles greatly reduce the chance of brake fires and premature brake release when pulling the slider down and the slider keeper, keeps the slider down until I undo it and in no way hampers a cutaway.
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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I can't find a fatality....But I do know of several accidents where a guy stows his slider on loops like that...The one that comes to mind was on a jumpsuit..And then had a problem cutting away from a collision. The slider keeper held the trash.

I would not do it.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

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Slider-catchers -sewn to risers - offer the best of both worlds.
While working for Rigging Innovations, I installed a few sets of the tuck tab style and Sandy Reid reports that he has been selling lots of them lately.

More recently I have installed a few triangular slider-catchers.

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The only problem I have had with slinks, is when I have had a slightly harder than usual opening , then the slider has come past the right stowed toggle but stayed above the left stowed toggle, at the time on my previous jumps, I was not collapsing my slider, due to other canopies, and trying to get back to the DZ, and to look up and suddenly not see one stowed toggle took a few seconds to realise what had happened.
The only other problem was that when I collapsed the slider behind my neck and released the brakes I realised that I had the slider kill line in my right hand, not a problem at the time, But if I hadnt noticed and tried to flare on landing, I am pretty sure it would have got interesting, full flare on my left hand, half flare on my right, OUCH,

However the peace and quiet make it so much more pleasurable to sit under canopy.
Fly like an aardvark

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