Shivon

I have my hardware source sorted, but can anyone give some advice on who the better dealers are to get non-hardware materials for rigging? Ie, rolls of fabric, suspension line etc. They need to be able to handle small orders, and deal internationally.

Has anyone flown both of these canopies? How do you compare them?

The good. 1. If it's tailored to your size, it's VERY comfy in the plane. Deluxe backpad is also great. 2. I hear its got one of the fastest reserve deployments in the business, although this is a mute point if you're not on a RSL IMO. 3. I like the way the main risers sit on the reserve risers, without layers of riser covers / stiffeners in-between. Less crap up there means less bulk, and less chance a mal can be packed by getting the riser covers wrong. 4. I think it's one of the better looking containers out there. The bad 1. The way the excess brake-line is stored is less than ideal. There are jumpers out there who are doing less than safe things to store excess brake-line because they don't like the way Mirage intended it. Have a look at PDs recent notice on brake-line stowage for a few great examples. I think also that there is a tendency for jumpers to 'find another way' rather then getting a rigger to add loops on the back of the risers like a Vector III. 2. I would put it on the slightly harder side of average for reserve repacks. 3. I think that the line stowage and set up of the D-bag (ie, your first locking stow goes through three gromets) is a little less then ideal. I understand that having the stows like it does, the bag is supposed to have less left-right 'jiggle' during deployment, but I would offset that against the large number of stows. Overall? Great rig, with a few minor problems. But if I were looking for a rig right now, I think that the Vector III / M would make it a close fight.

Racers....Reflex...Swift 5 Cells. All great replies so far. Thank you. I guess the reason I ask is that I am quite new to the rigging business, and I am still 'developing' my opinions about where I sit on these fences. It's great to hear the opinions of more experienced guys (and gals).

Riggers - what containers won't you do reserve repacks for? For example, I know riggers who won't pack racers, and who won't pack anything over 15 years. What are your own rules, and why?

Thanks for the replies guys. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back. In my country, round parachutes will be a part of the civilian riggers inventory for some time to come, and our parachute packers / riggers see quite a few of these during the summer months when glider and pilot rigs need to be used for competitions. In Australia the rule is 6 months for a reserve repack, and a lot of these rigs simply go out of date until they are again needed. For skydivers, it is rare to see one, but for packers and riggers, it is a common cycle that will last quite a few more years. In Australia, we still demand that our riggers be proficient with rounds, and we apply this rigorously with our packer A (kind of like a senior rigger - sort of) and our rigger (kind of like a master rigger) examinations / ratings. We still require our riggers to perform the acid mesh test, and seeing how these rigs are treated (glider and pilot emergency rigs in particular), I still think the acid mesh test has utility. My 2 cents. Again, thanks for the dialogue.

I am very happy with my Bonehead helmets. I have had crappier brands before, and I won't go back. It is definately worth waiting that little bit longer to put the extra cash together.

Ok, I have never heard of the mesh test degrading the quality (integrity?) of the mesh. Do you have details for a reference that we can look at? I guess I see the acid mesh test and pull (material strength) test as things to consider in isolation, but I agree with what you have said in the above quote. In my list of 'things' to check, the numbering wasn't intended to mean 'do number 1, then number 2'. Failing the strength test means the canopy goes out to pasture, period. Do other riggers out there still to the Acid Mesh test? Is it part of your training / exam qualification?

It's definately not the checklist in Vol II. Had a look at that already. It could be that reference for Vol I, I am not sure, I don't have access to it. It's a general question, and I am not sure there is a specific answer. It's as simple as "what would you check if you had to make a recommendation on the quality of a round reserve". Ie, pretend that a customer has approached you with a canopy and wants to know your opinion. I have very little experience with rounds, but here's what I have so far: 1. Check for acid mesh. 2. Has it had a reserve ride? If so how many? 3. Measure the suspension lines and compare to the template. 4. Check if the particular canopy has a specific end-of-life date issued by the manufacturer. 5. Does the canopy comply with any rigging advisories (ie, required alterations) issued by the manufacturer. 6. Conduct a strength test on the canopy material 7. Check for any rips / tears, paying particular attention to the bridle attachment point and suspension line attachment points. Any other / better suggestions?

Hmmm. Ok. Thanks. If it's not in Vol I, (and it's definately not in Vol II), I don't know where I will find it.

Hey all, I'm doing some research at the moment. Can someone with access to a Poynters Vol I help me out with "10 items which should be investigated when assessing the quality of a round reserve". Thanks.

Be careful if you are going to try and import items from the US. From my experience, it can get expensive depending on how items are packaged up, and what they are listed as. Dealing with the two big companies in Australia (Total Control and Parachutes Australia) makes things relatively simple in comparison. I haven't dealt with PA, so I won't offer an opinion. I have dealt with total control however, and I can't speak highly enough of them. Richie is great. When I ring, he remembers my name, and if I need something it's in the mail almost immediately. Their prices are good, and the company has good ethics. Total Control acts as the sole Australian dealer for some rigs too. When you buy a rig, you want to be able to support it down the track when you break it. Dealing with an Australian company makes that so much easier. Good luck

Ok. Sorry guys - maybe I am not making myself clear - I will try again. What I want to do, is put a TRV22 in a Dbox, and top mount it. Here's the complicated bit. I can see from the bonehead site that one of the 'TRV' style boxes is listed for use with a TRV22 - but it is a side mount. None of the Dbox's on the list say I can use the TRV22 as a top mount. As I want to top mount it, (and from looking at posts such as Quade's where he provides a picture of his TRV22 next to a 'PC' style box), I need to know which one of the PC boxes (ie, medium, large, IP micro or clam shell) is the Dbox which will do the job. Making any sense? Help?!

Hi all, I am not in the US, but trying to order a DBox from the US which will fit a TRV22. I want to top mount it. Can someone please tell me (preferably with reference to the bonehead site) exactly which box I need to get? Quade, I think you have done this?

Hey all. Is anyone using particular settings with a TRV22? FYI - I am using a sony .6

Regardless of wether the pin was bent before or during the test, I wouldn't feel comfortable packing a bent pin. For Hooknswoop - are you going to give the rigger a call? I would be interested to hear what his/her attitude is to what has happened.

Hey Brodes. Welcome! I too jump in the land of oz. Dropzone.com is definately the best skydiving forum IMO. Hard to put a time on 'average', but most people at my DZ do the AFF over about two to three months. No, it's not bad not to jump every single weekend, BUT, currency is a good thing. The more current you are, the more safer you are (for yourself, and the people you jump with). It's ok to be a person to turns up to a DZ once every two or three months for example (I am thinking of a guy at my DZ who does just that). He tries and mitigates that by ALWAYS taking things slow, making sure his buddies check him over (pin checks etc), and doing some good 'dirt dives' before he gets in the turbine. It's not ideal, but it's not a show stopper either.

Three weeks should be fine, but really, the longer you leave it between jumps, the harder it will be to perform well when you go back. In terms of what you can do between DZ visits, I would read (and re-read) any documentation that the DZ gave you (an AFF booklet?), or even grab yourself a book on skydiving and have a read (Dan Poynter has a really good one). Welcome!

Debt is a wonderful thing... congrats

Well, it works for cats (assuming they are in freefall long enough to reach terminal - any less time and they splat). Aparently once they hit terminal they 'relax', and that makes their little adventure more survivable.

I think that at my DZ, anything under 500 jumps at 1.7 would draw some serious scrutiny

Riggers - when faced with a re-line, do you cut the lines from a roll to measure, or do you buy the line-set ready-made and just charge for time. If you cut from scratch - why do you do it.

Sounds like a bad idea to me.

I would definatley try and stay with the same instructor if you can. If it works, don't try and fix it. Congrats though - 3 in a day can be pretty tiring when you're starting out.

I think the unisyn on the G4 is veeeery comfy. Our plane is very cramped most jumps, and I am a big fan on less pain on the way up.