Hi there, first post here, so yay, welcome to myself! Now, when I took my AFF-course this summer, we were taught some packing method which looks a lot like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZi2TAe7Of8 I couldn't quite get along with that packing method and the big canopy I used (280), and at my 3rd or 4th jump one of my AFF-instructors showed me his way of packing. I would best describe it as a variant of the way Nick Grillet packs here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyM_LkW8DVI The difference in how I was taught is that instead of folding the sides of the canopy in "under" (over the nose, right?), he folded the sides up towards yourself, over the tail. I found that way to be very easy to use, and packed like that every time since. Now, what I would like to know is: Is this a good way to pack? Me not having many openings with other packjobs to compare with makes it a hard task to really evaluate it. I'm also very interested in how the opening of the canopy will differ using this method instead of the PD one? My instructor said that folding the sides over the tail would make it open softer, since not so much material would be presented to the oncoming wind. (Or maybe I completely misunderstood him, not impossible.) One of biggest points of concern for me is the wear and tear of the canopy. How much do different packjobs differ in that aspect? Will this method wear more than for example the psycho pack or the PD one? A final thought: Does there exist some sort of "packing for dummies" or similar? There are many ways to pack a canopy, but I have never seen a good summary of the different methods and the pros and cons of each, which surprises me since the experience must be floating around among all the great jumpers out there. Thanks! PS. Will celebrate my first post here by attaching a photo of me during my 5th AFF-jump. Enjoy! DS.
