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denaga

Canopies

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I have a Sabre 190, and most of my opennigs just beat the crap out of me!!! Not only they are hard, but had a couple of times that half of the canopy collapsed for a few secs
I'm just curious. TO EVERYONE who jumps SABRES: Do u ever get it? How's most of the openings?
I don't know if i should buy Sabre for next downsized canopy or something else

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Sabres have a reputation for opening hard on occasions, and in my experience (250 jumps on Sabres), this is definitely deserved, especially if you're jumping at higher altitudes - even 1500ft can make a difference. A larger slider or pocket slider can slow the openings - talk to PD, they're very helpful.
As for the canopy collapsing - well it never happened to me. If your canopy has a few hundred jumps, it's possible that the lines are out of trim - you'd need to get a rigger to check that.
Hope this helps
Geoff

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That's really odd. I have a Sabre 150 and have something like 150 jumps on it and I've only had two or three extremely hard openings. Generally the openings have been really nice and soft, I have only positive things to say about it. How do you pack it ? I had one very hard opening which (I believe) was because of a rushed packing and I believe I left the silder bit "loose". Since then I've paid extra attention in inserting the slider properly and getting a really good roll to the tail to close the packjob, that has worked for me.

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I also jump a sabre 190, but I haven't experienced any hard openings yet. I have had end-cell closure on a few jumps, some off-heading openings, & one SERIOUS off-heading opening.... but I chalk all that up to lack of packing experience.
"Peace & Blue Skies!"

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I have a Sabre 210, and the previous owner put a pocketed slider on it... I only have 6 jumps on it, and we're still experimenting with pack options, but so far we found out we can make it open way too slow for my taste... currently not rolling the nose at all, and the tail just enough to control the pack job...

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I know this is an old post/thread, but I have an opinion on Sabre's too. How not to get whacked.
I have 150 jumps on one. The hard openings got so bad that I began to have a phobia about deploying. Not a good thing for skydiving. So I worked on it, and haven't had a bad opening for 75 jumps or so. Here is what I have collected.
Pack careful. 4 or 5 rolls on each side of the nose, lightly push them into the center of the pack, not very far. Don't tuck them in the center cell or anything. The slider is super important. Set it too the stops and quarter it, then pull the back edge back (toward the rig) In flight and opening, this is actually the leading edge of the slider, over the nose. Pull it too just to where the front edge (actually the back of the slider as you are under canopy) is almost even with the lines. Very important, if it doesn't catch air, you will get a spine adjustment. Then wrap and roll the tail good.
Get a good firm bite on your stows, to prevent line dump.
Here is the kicker that people don't seem to talk about much. You will NEVER get a hard opening if you don't deploy it... Simple, no? What that means is that the way you deploy is as important as the way you pack. Trust me.
If you have forward speed, your slider has a chance to catch your burble. Ouch.
If you try to get big, to slow down, you have a bigger burble, and the same whack may happen.
So body postion on opening needs to be controlled. Slow down your forward speed, or stop and backslide a bit, if you are clear and have time. Don't get too big, the vertical speed won't kill you, if you let the air catch your slider. Fly your opening on heading with your body in your harness, then your rear risers, and you are good.
I have no issues with Sabre openings anymore.
Blue ones...

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I have owned two sabre 135s in the past; pre pocket-slider days. I don't care HOW you packed them, eventually you were going to get the shit smacked out of you. I would not consider buying one these days, not with the advent of so many other similar-flying parachutes with more reliable opening characteristics. But hey, don't take mine or anyone elses word for it; test jump other stuff before you make your next purchase.
In the Sabres defence: A BIG pocket slider really does cut down on the frequency of bad openings. My dad, who just turned 65 this past Monday, still jumps a Sabre. He has a 190 and a 210, both equipped with pocket sliders. The openings are soft enough that he hasn't complained to me since the slider replacement. That being said, I would still try other stuff. A PD Spectre, if you MUST stay PD, flies a little better (IMO) and definitely opens better. Both parachutes are pretty easy to find in the classified ads of this website.
Chuck

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On the bigger Sabres, 190s,210s etc. sometimes if you don't untwist the brake lines the second line will catch or be slow to release as they were designed to. This can cause some strange openings. Also, you need to make sure that the slider is all the way against the stops or you may have some hard openings. I jumped a 170 sabre for over 800 jumps and never had a problem. Sabres are more packing sensitive than a lot of other canopies

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Hi there,
Just a point that has kept my Sabre(170) tamed since new -
A FAA Rigger who used to work for PD advised me not to bother rolling the nose, & NEVER to stuff it into the centre cell. What he DID recommend was to make sure the slider was quartered and the front was brought well out. also - ROLL & ROLL & ROLL THE TAIL!!
IT's always worked for me.
Mike D10270.

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