Question about packing

[Push 0]

My beer rig was assembled yesterday, so now I'm trying to pack the main. It's a 160 Triathlon. The manual explains propacking quite nicely, and I think I've got that figured out, at least to the point where I can cigar roll the canopy. After that I'm supposed to stack fold it and stuff it into it's bag. This is where the problems start.

I can kinda stack fold it ok without letting too much air in, but I can't get it into the bag for life. After a terrible struggle yesterday I got into into it's bag (kinda), but the bag did not close over the canopy. There was a lot of material sticking out, and no matter what I did I couldn't get it back in. There was about as much stuff sticking out as there was inside the bag.

Do you guys have any tips how I can minimize the pack volume when propacking? Or is the bag too small? Aerodyne makes a bag specifically for the Tri, and I know it fits in the container because I closed it yesterday, even though the bag was really deformed.

And yes, I will go see a packer, but it won't happen for another month or so and I want to see if it can be resolved before that. No, I haven't tried flat packing it yet. A 160 takes up a lot of space

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[SkydiveMonkey 0]

Do you know about psycho packing? Search the forums

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[weid14 0]

make sure the "cigar roll" or what ever you call it, is a little wider than the dbag. lay on the canopy to get all the air out. s-fold the bugger, but keep both knees on the center, lift one side, slide the flap of the bag under the s-folded canopy and stick that side into the bag, keep holding the mess with your knees, and flip the other side of the bag around and stuff the bugger in there. It really comes down to keeping your lines in order and the stabilizers in the right spot.

[bbarnhouse 0]

Check your PM

[freeflyerno 0]

Here's something I put together quite a while back. Since I started doing it this way I have never looked back
http://home.no.net/freeflyr/pack.html
Hope that helps a little.

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Unanswered questions are far less dangerous than unquestioned answers

[Push 0]

Thanks, I'll try that as soon as I get back.

Hopefully, I'll be able to stuff it in there this time. This whole packing thing is a lot more difficult than it seems at first, isn't it...

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[bbarnhouse 0]

Repitition takes care of it all....soon you'll be packing in 10 minutes or less. Best of luck!
B~Squared

[jumperconway 0]

Quote

Here's something I put together quite a while back. Since I started doing it this way I have never looked back
http://home.no.net/freeflyr/pack.html
Hope that helps a little.

That's almost exactly how I was taught and i teach it. Works well for meand others!

[Stacy 0]

hey-

since i'm pretty familiar with the rig you're packing - check the closing loop. I was packing a 136 in there, the loop is knotted to make it shorter. That should help you out at least a little. The 160 will fit, I had a 175 in there as well as a 150.

[Push 0]

Yep, you told me that when I bought the rig. I was just worried that you may have replaced the bag. And I've already fixed the closing loop up.

It looks like I just really suck at packing

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[Push 0]

Thanks everyone. After several tries I've managed to do it the way weid14 and the manual describe. The trick was to make the canopy stack taller, rather than longer. I was making the first snake fold too big, so that the canopy filled the bag up unevenly.

As they say, practice makes perfect. A shame it has to hurt so much though.

-- Toggle Whippin' Yahoo
Skydiving is easy. All you have to do is relax while plummetting at 120 mph from 10,000' with nothing but some nylon and webbing to save you.

[freeflyerno 0]

Quote

Quote

Here's something I put together quite a while back. Since I started doing it this way I have never looked back
http://home.no.net/freeflyr/pack.html
Hope that helps a little.

That's almost exactly how I was taught and i teach it. Works well for meand others!

What can I say. If it works, it works

What is it that you do differently btw?

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Unanswered questions are far less dangerous than unquestioned answers

[rickfri59 0]

I've been using the "get half of in the bag first method" and I always have issues with the loose fabric at the top of the cocoon screwing things up. When I saw your post I tried a couple of times to create the envelpoes in which to stuff the billowing extra fabric. I can't figure how to pull out the envelopes (what do you pull to create the envelopes)you make reference to. Can you be more explicit, or post additional pics??

[freeflyerno 0]

Quote

I've been using the "get half of in the bag first method" and I always have issues with the loose fabric at the top of the cocoon screwing things up. When I saw your post I tried a couple of times to create the envelpoes in which to stuff the billowing extra fabric. I can't figure how to pull out the envelopes (what do you pull to create the envelopes)you make reference to. Can you be more explicit, or post additional pics??

I should have updated that webpage a long time ago, as I've been getting recurring questions about those "envelopes"

I actually use the "sideways" reinforcement tape at the attachment point for the pilotchute bridle to create these. If you grab the reinforcement tape right at the attachement point (just as you would the handlebar on a bike) and let your hand move out towards the side of the pack-job, you can make an "envelope" out of it with your four curled up fingers.
By stuffing all the excess fabric inside these and making the two reinforcement tapes allign underneath your pack-job, everything will stay closed and you can hold it in place with just one hand as you S-fold it.

Hope that helped. If not let me know and I'll try again, and again, and again

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Unanswered questions are far less dangerous than unquestioned answers

[Craig 0]

Dude, I already broke that canopy in for ya too! Just remember, keep positive control of the canopy. If you take your hand off it, put somthing in its place...knee, elbow, head, you get the idea. Just for reference I have my back to the container. Once I get a canopy "S" folded up and ready for the bag I stick my knee on it gently to keep it from coming apart. ( I use my right knee) I get the bag ready and place the grommets on the bag right at the canopy. Now I move my knee to the right a bit and put my right hand on the front left edge of the canopy and grab the left corner of the d-bag flap and lift the canopy just enough to slip the corner of the bag under the canopy and work it towards the back of the bag. Now you have half of it in the bag. Put the bag over the canopy, not the canopy in the bag. Repeat with the other side of the d-bag flap. It is just a matter of pulling the bag around the canopy, not moving the canopy to put it in the bag. You'll get it, just keep practicing. Everyone usually finds their own little tricks to make things easier.

[Craig 0]

Quote

I should have updated that webpage a long time ago, as I've been getting recurring questions about those "envelopes"

I actually use the "sideways" reinforcement tape at the attachment point for the pilotchute bridle to create these. If you grab the reinforcement tape right at the attachement point (just as you would the handlebar on a bike) and let your hand move out towards the side of the pack-job, you can make an "envelope" out of it with your four curled up fingers.
By stuffing all the excess fabric inside these and making the two reinforcement tapes allign underneath your pack-job, everything will stay closed and you can hold it in place with just one hand as you S-fold it.

Hope that helped. If not let me know and I'll try again, and again, and again

This worked good for my Tri but not to well for the Cobalt I have now. This was just tucking the "top" S-fold into these, not the whole "rear" of the canopy. There is somthing different about the tapes and the Cobalt will fill the back corners of the bag better without doing the envelope thing. Just FYI it worked nicely on an original Sabre 150 I have packed several times. It just might work better for particular canopies and possibly that is why some people are having a hard time??

[riggerrob 558]

I have been doing a variation on this pack job for the last four years.
The biggest difference is that initially I only worry about getting the middle of the canopy into the d-bag.
Then I stuff some of th top into the d-bag, cock the pilotchute and finish stuffing the top into the d-bag. Yes, It looks messy, but I figure that the top skin is the last to feel the air, so I don't worry about it.

My final step is grabbing the bottom of the canopy - checking that the slider is still hard up against the stops - and shoving the bottom of the canopy into the middle of the d-bag.

[freeflyerno 0]

Quote

This worked good for my Tri but not to well for the Cobalt I have now. This was just tucking the "top" S-fold into these, not the whole "rear" of the canopy. There is somthing different about the tapes and the Cobalt will fill the back corners of the bag better without doing the envelope thing. Just FYI it worked nicely on an original Sabre 150 I have packed several times. It just might work better for particular canopies and possibly that is why some people are having a hard time??

That may be it. I don't know the design of the Cobalt as I've never been close enough to one to check it out.
I know the "envelope" thing works for the PD canopies I've dealt with, but haven't personally tried it on anything else.

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Unanswered questions are far less dangerous than unquestioned answers

[rickfri59 0]

Are you saying that you pretty much fold the canopy in half (back over itself), put it in the bag, then stuff the top into the front of the bag, then stuff the bottom into the clevage (hold back on the wise remarks) created by the first two steps?

[riggerrob 558]

quote:"

Quote

Are you saying that you pretty much fold the canopy in half (back over itself), put it in the bag, then stuff the top into the front of the bag, then stuff the bottom into the cleavage (hold back on the wise remarks) created by the first two steps?

:"end quote.

Uh, sort of.
You are inventing new terminology far faster than I can learn it.

Let's stick with PIA terminology, just so that pompous riggers - like me - will have clue what you are talking about.

Once I have the canopy "cocooned" to about the same width as the bag, I kneel on the top corners of the orange warning label. Then I slide the d-bag between the canopy and the floor and lock it in place with my knees.
Then it takes three steps to "bag" the canopy.

Step 1: Fold the canopy in half and lay it on your knees. Stuff the center of the canopy (measured vertically) into the top of the d-bag.

Step 2: Fold top of canopy away from your waist and stuff it into d-bag. Cock the bridle. Ensure that the bridle is clear of canopy fabric.

Step 3: Lift knees off of canopy. Grab bottom of canopy and stuff into middle of d-bag, between he canopy folds that are already in d-bag.

By breaking it down to a three step process, you are only struggling with some of the canopy at any one time.
The other advantage to this method is that your knees prevent the d-bag form sliding all over the packing area. Also, If the canopy tries to squirt out of the d-bag after step one, it bumps into your knees and cannot go anywhere.

[pds 0]

i tried this method and i love it. very quick and easy. thanks.

namaste, motherfucker.