Treejumps 0 #1 July 30, 2003 My girlfriend lost her racer freebag ( I know, who jumps a racer?, But it was an inexpensive 1st rig that fit well). I ordered a new freebag from Jump Shack, and the new bag is nothing like the old. Jumps Shack has decided to step back 20 years in parachuting technology and build free bags that utilize rubber band stows intead of a velcro pouch as well as rubber band locking stows (on brass gromets). Does anyone know of a source that may have an old style freebag in stock? It is an 11X size. Thanks, Tree Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
askir 0 #2 July 30, 2003 You can ask Nancy at Jumpshack to make you the OLD STYLE freebag and they will do it, they have done it for me and 3 of my friends who jump Racers. I had a cutaway on a Saturday, and by wednesday they had already made me a freebag and had it at my doorstep. LIFE IS LIKE A CIGARETTE, YOU CAN SIT THERE AND WATCH IT BURN AWAY OR YOU CAN SMOKE THAT BITCH TO THE FILTER Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMURRAY 1 #3 July 30, 2003 rubber bands will break - that is a good thing. So you are saying that the testing that John Sherman did before the change was BS??? Just make sure you use MIL spec rubber bands. I don't see the big deal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Treejumps 0 #4 July 30, 2003 What I am saying is that this design was fairly typical.... 20 years ago. More importantly is that with bands and stows there is the possibility of a line bight going through another line bight, leading to baglock. The probability is low, but if it is possible, it will eventually happen. Tandem reserves use a similar stowing system, and I am aware of a tandem that was opened for repack that had this situation. It would have bag locked and two people would have died. The velcro pouch eliminates this possibility, and is used on virtually All other reserve systems. So once again we have an outdated manaufacturer (Velcro is better than tuck tabs, right?) straying from proven systems and saying that it is better. Some riggers are wisely refusing to pack reserves with this "new" design freebag because of the liablility. Tree Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #5 July 30, 2003 Welcome to the world of rig manufacturers. Remember, they are all skydivers who couldn't get a real job! (to my manufacturer friends, I'm just kidding, kinda)I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crapflinger2000 1 #6 July 30, 2003 After the whole red cutaway cable fiasco at Jumpshack...... __________________________________________________ What would Vic Mackey do? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmsmith 1 #7 July 31, 2003 I would re-order a "speed bag" from Jumpshack. It represents a better deployment system than even the bungee stow and line pouch, IMHO. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #8 July 31, 2003 QuoteI would re-order a "speed bag" from Jumpshack. I was under the impression that the speed bag was for the main, not the reserve. Derek Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmsmith 1 #9 July 31, 2003 It is made for the reserve too; see the photo! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #10 July 31, 2003 Speed bag makes far moe sense than the earlier freebags that used rubber bands. Just remember to use MIL Spec rubber bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlshealy 0 #11 July 31, 2003 Is that what it looks like in the Photo, 12 locking stows on the bag? I think I'd be sticking with a stow pocket and 2 locking stows, I'd rather have line dump than a bag lock. Tad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmsmith 1 #12 August 1, 2003 The free bag's bridle is fairly long, so the pilot chute will never be in the free bag's burble, which means that the pilot chute can exert a lot of pull easily breaking a mil-spec rubber band in the event of a locked line stow, IMHO. Many years ago, I was riding in a van with several skydivers who were making a beer run. One curious soul decided that he wanted to see how much pull his hand deploy piloy chute would exert while traveling at roughly 55-mph. To make sure that he wouldn't lose his grip on the bridle he wrapped it around his wrist several turns leaving about three feet of bridle line available for the pilot chute. With the apex mounted handle in his hand he stuck his arm out the window into the airstream and let go of the handle. Almost instantly, the pilot chute inflated yanking his arm rearward dislocating his shoulder! I heard his arm slap against the side of the van before he cried out in pain, and the driver quickly applied the brakes. The spring loaded pilot chute used in the reserve system applies more pull than your typical hand deploy pilot chute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
