Blahr

N/A

OK, I'm replying to my original post here rather than any one particular reply. The number of folks that seem to have taken offense to this thread make it clear to me that perhaps I have not clearly stated the purpose of the thread. Its not now, nor was it ever, my intention to offend anyone or to point fingers at any particular packer or DZ. Perhaps if I define MYSELF a bit better it will help. I am a control freak. This need to control doesnt extend to other people but only to myself and any circumstances (or piece of equipment) that might affect me in any way. I dont feel comfortable with people making decisions FOR me that are "for my own good" without my knowledge or consent. I didnt like it when my parents did it years ago, I dont like it when my government does it, and I dont want my packers doing it either. Its nothing personal. Its very clear from the replies I have received that this kind of thing is standard operating procedure and that no matter who packed the rig or what drop zone I was jumping, I would likely have had the same thing happen. The fact is I am young in the sport even though I started almost 15 years ago. I was away for a long time and only recently returned. Why would a self proclaimed control freak hand his rig over to a packer? Thats easy. I didnt know that this was the norm. I thought packers did just that. Pack. Maybe change a broken rubber band. Thats it. I didnt think they were doing anything more than that. I DID intend to start a healthy debate over whether or not this practice is a good thing, but I definitely did NOT want to make anyone feel as if I was personally attacking them or their procedures. As far as I can see at this time, it was a good thing because I learned something new that is an important piece of information. Maybe some other people learned something new about the Vector 3M and wont take it for granted that all rigs should close the same way. That would also be a good thing wouldnt it? To those of you who were offended, I'm sorry I wasnt clear enough in my original intent. Blue Skies

Dude, relax. I didnt badmouth anyone. I simply passed on a piece of info about something a packer did to my rig. I posted about it here to see if it was common practice. The consesus is that it IS a common practice so I engaged in a discussion about whether or not the packers should be making adjustments to peoples equipment without telling them they had done so. I'm not understanding why you see a problem in that. Is that not what these forums are for? I LIKE all the packers I meet there. Even YOU, for gods sake You have personally packed my rig on several occasions. No mal so far! BTW, what the hell are you doing up at 4:30 in the AM?? All very cool guys and gals. They work hard and can pack far faster than I can. I just want them to TELL me if they change something because in this particular instance, I knew better than they did how that closing loop should be. You think I dont need to know when someone changes something on my rig? I'll bet you would have wanted to know.

The closing loop in question wasnt broken, stretched, frayed, or even too long. It was EXACTLY the way it was supposed to be. I know this because I just bought it brand new from RWS and it was assembled there by their own master rigger. Additionally, they specifically state in the manual that it should not be tightened up till the grommets are on top of each other. It didnt need fixing in the first place. What the packer did would place additional stress and wear on the system so in fact, the packer in shortening the loop was INCREASING the likelyhood of a problem. Someone in this thread suggested that the packers out there in the field might be more up on how it should be working than the manufacturer and that they need'nt follow those recommendations. The packers know better than the guys that designed, tested the shit out of, and built the Vector 3 M? The same guys that invented the 3 ring release, skyhook, and numerous other things that we all use every day? The PACKERS might know better than the guys at RWS?!? Sorry man, I dont buy that for one second. Its absurd. I simply dont want them making those kinds of decisions for me. If the rest of you are ok with it, fine. Its your rig and your ass. I'm just gonna be handling my own from here on out.

Yep! Absolutely. Because then I could have explained how RWS says its supposed to be, the packer would have learned something they obviously didnt know about the Vector 3 M, and I'd put the loop back the way it was supposed to be right away.

Thats what I call a useless response to a reasonable question, Riggerrob! Thanks! Whining? I didnt whine, I simply asked a question and expressed an opinion. On the other hand, your tale of woe about how much money packing brings you does in fact easily qualify as whining. If you arent making enough money, find another line of work and QUIT WHINING. Chris Leahy No kind of rigger at all and unwilling to take crap from grumpy ones. PS. As a master rigger you are well qualified to make a decision about the length of a closing loop. I wouldnt say that applies to the majority of packers.

The fact that I did not do so doesnt imply that I am unwilling. It merely means that I had not considered it necessary because of my previously stated belief that they would ask me before making any changes. I would'nt change anything on someone elses expensive, lifesaving equipment without asking first. Thats common sense in my mind. I dont believe I was foolhardy either. I WAS mistaken in my belief, though. As I said, I have learned.

Its all correctly sized and brand new. It was assembled by the master rigger at RWS all brand new just a few months ago. Regarding your last question. No. I didnt discuss it with the packer before hand. Frankly it never even occurred to me that they would change something without asking me first. I thought packers were there to pack the rig, not make judgements about the equipment. I was wrong. Lesson learned. I will not use packers anymore. I prefer to pack my own anyway, I will just do all the time now.

Absolutely. I would not be even a little upset if they delayed my pack job to ask me a question before changing anything on my gear. I also have no need for them to pack it tighter than the manufacturer recommends. Do you? The biggest issue I have is that the manufacturer specifically says to NOT do that and I had mentioned that to a packer before. That one asked me first and I told him not to change it. I doubt the packer knows better than RWS how it should be closed. This is a safety issue in my mind. RWS says to not pull the flaps in that tight in the owners manual. There must be a reason for that. I dont think anger management is really necessary. I didnt kill anyone. I simply decided that they dont get my money anymore and posted the issue here.

I was packing after a jump yesterday and became very angry when I noticed that someone has shortened the closing loop on my main container making it very hard for me to close. I had several people point out to me in the past that they believed my closing loop was too long because the grommets on the container didnt line up on top of each other when the container was closed. I informed them that this was supposed to be that way with the Vector 3 M and that the owners manual specifically mentions this fact and that you SHOULDNT pull it in so the grommets line up. Anyway, one packer in the last week or two took it upon themselves to simply shorten the loop without asking me or telling me that they had done so. Is this a normal thing for a packer to do? If so, then I'm never using a packer again. I may not be the most experienced jumper out there but I damn well dont want anyone making changes to my equipment without discussing it with me FIRST. Unless they know what the manufacturer of every container recommends then they have no business changing anything. They are packers, not riggers. Fortunately I had spares that were the right length and replaced the shortened one. It was shortened by putting another knot in it which was so tight I couldnt pull it out. What say you all about this? Chris

Howdy, In my experience there are two kinds of skydiving video's. Vids that you would show to a whuffo and vids that you would be willing to have another skydiver look at. :-) I bet you all know what I mean. Anyway, I finally have some footage that I wouldnt mind having other jumpers see. My problem: Its on VHS. In order to get it into a computer I suspect that I would need a video capture card. I need recommendations on a good choice for the budget minded skydiver. Keep in mind that that as a skydiver, my expenses EXACTLY match my income (occasionally exceeding it) I dont want to spend too much since it will directly cut into my jumping funds. I want decent quality video. I'm not concerned with file sizes either or making something thats "downloadable" Only factors to consider are price and video quality. Thank ya! PS. Something supported by Linux would be preferable but thats not a hard and fast requirement.

I've never found that to be the case at all and I've done dozens of diving exits at this point. I have never rolled over into a front flip. I get vertical with my head down for a couple seconds and then flatten out on my belly right away. Perhaps its a weight distribution thing. As an avid weight lifter I have a large percentage of my weight in chest, arms, shoulders.

How long have they been using Spandura? I bought a brand new V3-M 5 months ago. Would my BOC be Spandura?

Exactly like that. I have not actually had occasion to buy since my return to the sport. Back in the day I bought the beer and drank it too. My decision is that I will give money to someone else and let them buy. That way I honor the spirit of the tradition without compromising my own rules which state unequivically that not only will I not drink any alcohol, but I wont walk into a store and buy it for anyone else either. I also leave before the beer starts flowing. That part isnt nearly as much fun as the jumping part anyway

Dude you rock!!! I'm right behind you bro, my 8 year anniversary is in 12 days Good thing its not our FIRST, eh? Wildest dreams is right on!