riggerrob

Sounds like you are looking at a '94 Talon which is a Flexon harness sewn to an entirely new container design. The '94 is the immediate predecessor to the Talon 2, and so close in design that you should use the Talon 2 packing manual. For all practical purposes, you will get a Talon 2. There are only minor variations in yoke size.
When I worked at the Talon factory (1994 - 1997) I replaced plenty of mis-fitted flaps on '94 Talons, but we had corrected most of those pattern problems by the end of 1994.
'94 Talons are great containers. I jumped one for 3 years, then traded it in for a Talon 2. If I had the bucks today, I would buy a Voodoo which is basically a '94 Talon reserve container with a series of minor updates to the harness and main container.

First of all, the smaller reserve will lift out of the container slightly faster and since it requires fewer air molecules to fill, will inflate a fraction of a second faster.
The difference in inflation times will be insignificant.
As for the notion of different sized reserve pilotchutes for different sized reserve canopies .... it really only makes a difference when you get into tandem sized reserve canopies.
And remember that most reserve pilotchutes are over-sized to begin with (36 to 42 inch diameter). They produce hard openings if used on mains.

bhnery,
Now, now.
You know that supressing your emotions leads to high blood pressure, ulcers, etc.
Far better to let your feelings out.
Tell us how you really feel.
Banning Velcro, but not making Cypri mandatory sounds incredibly biased.
I could understand banning Velcro that is more than 300 jumps or 3 years old, but that is a maintenance issue.
A Racer would not be my first choice, but they work well when properly maintained.
I could understand banning some of the Racer clones, like 2-pin Teardrops. Early Teardrops had terrible quality control!

What is the maximum wing-loading per canopy model?
For example, lift to drag ratios seem to peak at about:
1.5 Sabre Mark 1
1.5 Diablo
1.7 Stiletto
We are discussing the heaviest you can load a specific model and still get decent glide and flare.
Maybe we should re-phrase this question: What is the maximum wing-loading per canopy model that will score well at a blade running meet?
Let's be clear here. We are not talking about the maximum wing loading you can jump and survive.
Let's limit discussions to canopies that you have jumped or observed closely at blade-running meets.

You are discussing two different variables in the same thread.
First, new F-111 fabric flies about the same as Zero Porousity fabric. After about 70 jumps (F-111 fabric) openings will soften. After 700 jumps the F-111 canopy becomes a car cover. By 700 jumps, the F-111 canopy will have a steeper glide and less flare power.
Secondly, most 9-cells will out-glide most 7-cells.
As for the side discussion on openings .... sorry dude, there are far too many different classes of 7-cells to generalize about openings. Specialized 7-cells are built for CReW, BASE, accuracy, reserves and casual skydiving. Opening characteristics vary from snivel to snap depending upon: slider size, line trim, nose design and packing technique.

It is easy to spot an incorrect closing loop.
Just peel open the pin cover and stare at the pin.
Sounds like he used a very fat, tandem main closing loop.
Please provide more details.
It takes a rigger to identify a bad pack job from the outside.
The good news is that you have to be a really bad packer to prevent a square parachute from opening. Look at all the millions of sloppy main pack jobs that open every year!

Four factors are at play here: first, the rig has multiple stiffeners at the top edge of the reserve container.
Secondly, tuck tab design is still a dark art. Even someone like Sandy Reid (Talon, Voodoo, etc.) does not always get it right on the first try. Tuck tabs are supposed to hold tight until some magical moment, when their resistance magically turns to zero.
Thirdly, field riggers have an annoying habit of ignoring packing manuals and distributing bulk in ways that never crossed the designer's mind in his worst drunken nightmare.
Fourthly, Jump Shack is taking a cheap shot at a competitor by pulling the bridle from an unrealistic angle.

Looks like a good deal.
Too bad there are too many Velcrophobiacs in Ireland.
Velcro works great provided you replace it every 100-300 jumps.

Duct tape.
The answer is duct tape.
Just remember Red Green's admonition that wrinkles in your duct tape are a sign of sloppy workmanship.

Icarus Omega is a slightly tapered 7-cell that competes directly with PD's Spectre. This class of canopy is one notch faster than Triathlon, but slower than Diablo. They are designed for casual, recreational jumpers, but their soft/slow openings have endeared them to videographers. Tapering means light toggle pressures and quick turns.
Because they don't glide as flat as - say a 9-cell Safire - they require more graceful technique to turf surf. But a chick placed a a recent blade-running competition in Perris with a Spectre. She was probably much smoother on the toggles than the guys.
Because Omegas are designed for casual recreational jumping, plan on a moderate wing-loading, say 1.2 -> 1.5 pounds per square foot.
If the Omega - you are planning to buy - has 300 jumps, ask a rigger to take a long hard look at line trim. Lines on lightly loaded canopies like this usually last 600 -> 800 jumps.

The previous poster was correct.
By the time your lines have shrunk or stretched by 3 inches from factory trim, you are due for a new line kit.
If you tell me which size of Lightning you have, I will post the trim numbers here.
I only have one Lightning trim chart. I am assuming that it is the stock trim. For the more exotic competition trims, you will have to contact the Performance Designs factory.

Heaven forbid,
You could ask a local jumper.

Yes,
US$300 or $400 sounds about right for a decent older 7-cell reserve.
Just make sure that you are within the placarded weight limit.
Back when I weighted 172 pounds, I did a few jumps on a Firelite main. Despite doing stand up landings in the pea gravel bowl, my ankles still tingled.

Get the wife jumping too.
AFF lessons, jump tickets, new gear every two years, vacations at sunny DZs, hotels, air fares, acommodations, etc. are all cheaper than a divorce.

If you have to ask the question, cutaway and move to Southern California.
I did it for six years, rigging in various lofts and doing tandems on weekends.
Pilot seats are harder to come by on SoCal DZs, but fortunately there are hundreds of civy pilot seats.
To update, Skip's DC-3s and Beech 18 are mainly used for tourism and Hollywood.
The Perkins family no longer runs the Elsinore DZ. The political history of Elsinore management would fill several pages! Larry Perkins is an A&P who owns a small fleet of Cessnas in partnership with Bob "BJ" Jones. Eco Flight's Cessnas may not have much paint, but Larry keeps the engines and brakes in good shape. Since Hemet closed, they have been leasing their planes to various small DZs in SoCal and Nevada.
Elsinore is now run by John Hamilton and Carl Gulch. Carl Gulch is the chief pilot and they run a pair of Super Otters.
Politics are even thicker at California City. Van Pray runs a Twin Otter at his DZ at the West end of Cal. City.
Bob and Judy Celaya operate various Cessnas and twin turbines at their DZ at the East end of Cal. City. The Celayas also operate a satellite school at 29 Palms.
You might want to talk to Buzz Fink, the dude whose Otay Mesa DZ serves San Diego. Last thing I heard, Buzz traded his Beech 99 for a Twin Otter.
Perris Valley DZ is run by the Conatser family. They operate a trio of Twin Otters and a Skyvan.
P.S. Sticking your dick in an arrogant, greedy Orange County princesses is like sticking it in a light socket. The fucking you get in the short run is not worth the fucking you get in the long run.
Hope this helps

17 reserve rides total.
15 were cutaways.
The first time - jump number 45 - the Capewells were rusted shut, so I hand-deployed the chest-mounted reserve.
The last terminal reserve opening was the result of a hard pull on a tandem. Saw stars for a minute after opening!
Most of my cutaways were from damaged Strong 425 and 520 mains. You could have driven a bus through some of those holes!
I have landed more damaged 425 mains than I care to remember.
Neither the Canadian Army nor the West German Army were too happy about the holy round mains that I landed.

Please share with the rest of us how a Javelin is packed differently than a Vortex.

Wouldn't it have been simpler to just burn the bodies?
Even a bonfire would do the trick.
Must be redneck logic.

Courage, honesty and conviction are rare commodities these days.
Be the best father you can be.
When the going gets tough, remember that the rest of us are expecting you to follow your original post.
The toughest part is going to be focusing your frustrated energies in a positive direction.

I can't decide which I enjoy more: skydiving or flying the plane, so I'm doing commercial pilot ground school this winter.

Eat sandwiches while the plane is climbing.
Skydive.
Fuck her at sunset.
No point to wasting daylight.

Phil,
A hard pull implies that none of the main pilotchute is out.
Is none of the main is out, go straight for the reserve ripcord.

Start with simple drills, then move to progressively more complex drills and problems.
Try starting with "student is stable, but staring blindly off into space when he should be doing a circle of awareness."
Leave complex problems like "student spins wildly on his back as he smokes through 3,000' " until near the end of your tunnel training sessions.
Dirt dive a specific problem with your evaluator (ie. correcting leg position), then dive it in the tunnel. De-brief. Repeat the process until it is second nature.
Brief the next problem (ie. correcting legs in and arms too far forward) and repeat the process.
Hint, wear a clock altimeter on later tunnel practice dives.

When in doubt, replace your Slinks.
When they start to show wear, replace your Slinks.
If you have to ask this question, replace your Slinks.

Thanks for exposing your ass to danger so that I don't have to!
Your Stiletto 97 was doing some pretty scary stuff!
Unfortunately, you only got crude data, because you were operating under a popular misconception.
The popular misconception is that modern reserves handle similar to modern mains. NOT!
The only modern main that handles like a reserve is a rectangular, 7-cell Triathlon.
Fabric choice only makes a minor difference in handling. New 0-3 cfm reserve fabric flies almost the same as the 0 P fabric mains are made of.
Aspect ratio is the biggest difference. Seven-cell reserves glide steeper, require more toggle movement to flare and have a smaller sweet spot during the flare.
Planform (rectangular vs. tapered) mainly affects turning characteristics. Tapered canopies turn more "vigorously."
And to clarify an earlier posters point. When Performance Designs designed the Sabre, they did not simply "re-skin" a PD-170. The Sabre introduced new fabric, new air foil sections and new line trim for more docile handling. Compare the open nose on a PD series to the over-hanging nose on a Sabre. PD knew that big people were going to overload Sabres, so they designed Sabres to land better than their PD series.
I am currently jumping a Sabre 135 with an Amigo 172 reserve. Even when I transition to a 120 main this summer, I have no intention of changing reserves, because I don't expect to land - my 190 pound ass - softly under a reserve any smaller than 170. Sorry, folks, I will have to see far more objective data or a new generation of reserves before I will jump a tiny reserve.