Dogmatix

I've been offered to buy a Sife rig, but I have no one around me who use this brand. When I ask they mostly tell me at they stick to the well known brands like Javelin or Vector and that there's a reason I can get a Sife rig cheaper. Do they produce good quality or should I stay away from Sife?

Imagine that. You get back from your jump, dock your rig, walk the lines and give it a good shake. Then press the button and the lines start pulling into the rig like a vacuum cord and packing the cute where it belongs. *duck and cover*

Thanks, it's really not more complicated than this. Can't believe it resolves to me complaining and not respecting more experienced jumpers. It's a very general question and I throw out something to get the discussion started. I very much identify myself as a monkey that might get lucky, it actually happens once in a while that people mistake me for being smart.

Ok, so this discussion is heading somewhere else than what it was intended for. I basically wanted to know what is out there, if there are different options and something to think about when buying a gear, so I know what to buy and not buy. If newer rigs maybe offer new innovations etc and if there are any experimental inovations out there that people use, that you think will become standard later. Yes, 10 years is ofc a ridiculous claim, I just used the example in the quote and used the same exaggeration.

No, I've not gone from anything to something else, read the posts again. I have an engineer degree if that's what you focus on and the motivation has been clear from the beginning, if anything can be made simpler, easier and faster with same quality. A better way is a subjective notation and it has been clear what it involves.

I think that's a good summary. Sure, I see experienced people everywhere getting it together fast but I would want parachute packing to be as easy so you don't have to do it for 10 years to get half decent at it. I don't say my ideas were good, it was just something I came up with while writing. But I do think packing seems like a lot of hard work and there should be room to make it easier. I also think it makes sense to listen to the beginners, as in all fields. When you get someone loking at it in a fresh way, you may discover things that you've just gotten used to. Packing is a big procedure, a lot of steps, pulling and twisting. Maybe the current way really is the best, or there are improvements to be made. Ideally I would wish for a parachute that is easy to pack in 2 ways. Firstly, so it's very hard to do it wrong. Everything is marked up and just doesn't fit any other way than what's correct and natuarally falls in place. Like when you think when designing a video game, you shouldn't need instructions and you should get it within the first seconds. Secondly, that it's easy and fast. As discussed with folding the parachute, getting it into the bag, getting the rubber bands on and closing the main loop etc. It's a lot of work for that 1 minute free fall. I think one reason why things are like they've always been is because your life kind of depends on it. It takes some balls to make new innovations. I mean, we've only thought in terms of how to improve the current way of packing, how to make stowing easier etc. There might be far more bold solutions. It would be interesting to put a company like Apple on the task to design a new parachute and rig, and see what they come up with. The purpose of the thread was basically that I wanted to get a feel if there were different systems and if I should look out for something when buying a rig. I've only seen the student rigs and have no idea if the real deal might come with tons of improvements that they've excluded for cost or other reasons on the student rigs. Like stoweless bag, no one has mentioned this, I only found it by googling.

That's something I thought about as well. As long as you don't roll it up in some strange way, have it inside out etc, then there should be a fair chance for the wind to catch it and deploy propery if the lines are straight. The pilote chute will pull it out and it's designed to catch the air in one way.

How nice with all the positivity in here. The attitude I've been meeting while learning is more "don't try to be smart", and to just comply with some of the strange things. I some what understand why they have this mentality, when you're falling with a high speed malfunction it's probably best to just stick to the program. But there is also some parts where you just think there is a million right ways to handle some things, but it's important to not question and just do as they say if you want to pass. They told me they had some students cutting away because the slider had a different color than in the pictures etc, so they probably have to deal with a lot of that if they allow too much free thinking. Regarding the packing, one thing I thought about immidiately was the rubber bands. They're very tight, best way is probably to get your entire hand in there, grabbing the lines and get them through. Sometimes you have to double it up and when you're done the lines don't look as pretty as before you jammed them through and you've spend quite some energy getting them there. This constant stretching of the bands also stress them so they break frequently. I don't see why there can't be a construction where you easily get the lines inside the rubber bands, and then add the tension. Think like when you put on a clock with a metal strap, you have one part that is easily expandable and when you got it on you tighten it. It doesn't have to be remotely as advanced on a rubber band, just some way to add some optional slack, and they would hold longer since you don't stretch them more than you have to. When the slack is closed it could be identical properties of a rubber band. But then again, we already have stove less bags, don't understand why this isn't a revolution. I saw one basejump packing where they stoved the lines in the canopy and some magnetic flap to hide it, seemed very smart and neat. The closing loop also seems like a lot of hazzle for what it achieves. I understand you want a single point of release and opening the rig when you pull the pilot chute. The reason you need to struggle, pull, put your knee on it, get it through next flap etc is same as why you need to struggle to get the canopy inside the bag. You have something that is too big to fit unless you struggle. If there was a way where the flaps had more slack you could easily get the string through the flaps and add the pin, and then add the tension. I think of it like getting your foot inside a ski boot. Current way seems like you try to jam the foot in when it's closed. If it's open you can get your foot in easy and then close it. It just seems like there is so much force used, when there should be easy routes around it. It might be good to think about these things when you're new. When you get used to it, you just figure it's as it always have been and you manage. But it's very stressfull to pack a parachute when you're new. You want to get everything right and you look at the lines and don't feel confident regardless how they look. If you wouldn't have to struggle and force everything, you could pay more focus on the details.

Being an engineer and just having finished my A certificate and packing course, I was surprised about how primitive I found the packing procedure. I don't know if it's maybe the student rigs that are harder to handle, or maybe bad technique from me. But it was quite a workout getting the rubber rands around the lines and jamming the parachute into the bag. Not only a workout, but also a safety issue when you as a student are so happy getting it together that you're not very keen to get it out of the bag if you see it doesn't sit in the perfect orientation. Or if there's a rubber band you'd like to redo, but it would mean redoing them all. Are there really no better innovations and standards coming for this? I've seen some stoveless bags on YouTube, but never saw anyone at the drop zone having one. Is rubber bands really the best candidate to arrange the lines, isn't there something that's easier to handle? Why is the bag half the size it should be to fit the canopy easy? It could at least be expandable while getting it in. What's your thoughts on this, is it just to suck it up and get used to it, or is there hope for easier packing procedures?