The Hong-pack

[nikko 0]

If you don't know much about packing, please DO NOT try this yourself.
(i don't know too much, but i was trained by the "inventor" of this pack.
He is a long-time reserve packer and been BASE jumping for quite some time.)

Ok, I'm posting this to hear pro's and con's about this.
This is the deal:
You pack normally till the tail is wrapped.
From here on in, it is a little different...
You take the side panels and roll them in a 45 degree angle. Do not roll them as hard so it will affect with the slider grommits.
Then, Instead of
a) folding in one flake at the time and then clamping it
b) folding all three at the same time and then clamping it,
Take all three flakes and fold them over the tail and clamp them down.

After this, the rest of the pack is normal, except that you now have covered the tail with the flakes of the canopy.

This is done so that the tail will not be exposed before the canopys front has been fully inflated and the tail then becomes the last part to "come out" of the pack job.

I have attached photos of these stages, so please have a look.

The "inventor" of this pack is nicknamed Hong, so we now refer to it as the Hong-pack.

He has done close to 70 jumps with this pack, everything from PCA to terminal, and has been filming backwards to examin it closer. As far as i know, he has not had an offheading (well, more than a few degrees) since he started packing like this.

I myself has had 3 jumps with it, and i love it.

Let me know what you all think about it...

Nikko

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http://www.oslobase.no

[TomAiello 26]

I've seen Outrager packing like this since around 1999. I also have a xerox of a set of packing instructions for this method, that was (I think--I got it third hand from KMonster) written up by Hookitt.

Personally, I don't think it's much different. But I only made around 20 or 30 jumps on it around 2000 before I decided that and just went back to putting the tail pocket on top.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[460 0]

I've seen this done by various jumpers internationally since the mid-90s. Some have had success. Others have had terrible results.

I suspect it is more sucessfull when slider down/slider removed jumping, primarily since it's a bottom skin inflation process. I have a friend who jumped slider down prior to the invention of the tail gate, and with over 150 slider downs, he did not have a single line over by reefing the tail. The tailgate, however, is now the de-facto standard piece of equipment for constraining the tail from premature inflaction.

In a slider up process, the tail has to inflate in order to drive the slider down, since the brake lines are the primary force driving the slider down. I suspect there are not as many gains in reefing the tail as might be expected for a slider up process. However, these techniques indeed provide another packing variation that can be helpful in dialing in your opening. Also, if it makes sense to you and it makes feel more comfortable, by all means do it. I have not used it but may in fact try it based on your recommendation.

Looks like a death sandwich without the bread - Steve Deadman Morrell, BASE 174

[hookitt 1]

I've been packing similar to that for 3 years. I watched an ex Consolidated rigging employee and stole it from him. He learned it from Marty who now owns Asylum BASE. I have about 230 jumps on it. I use it because it's very easy to maintain control. It helps encourage nose first inflation. It also is one more step to help prevent line overs.

It wasn't untill after using it many times slider up with good success that I'd ever considered that it may cause a slower opening with a slider. But so far (as far as I can tell) it's opened very consistantly and no slower than other pack jobs slider up.

I've experimented with other pack jobs and as far as how the opening feels, it's the same. Watching video and also watching the opening from above, it's quite apparrent that the tail stays put rather nicely.

I've had great heading performance both slider up and down. At this point, since it's very easy to control the canopy putting it in the container, and it gets me off the object I'll continue to use my version of that pack job.

I pack reserves in a similar manner. There are no releasable toggles in skydiving so any thing to help prevent line overs is worth doing.
========
If this makes sense, here's my current variation.
---

After the canopy is all prepped and the tail is flaked out nicely, Take the C-D layer and the flaked tail and long fold it upward and inward. ( the the flaked tail will fold approximately in half )

Wrap the excess tail around the C-D fold.
~~~~~stow the lines.. it's easier at this point ~~~~
45 degree fold the stabilizers up.

Long fold the A-B and B-C at the same time, Upward and inward to the edge of the wrapped tail. Then Long fold it again right over the top.

It's a nice compact pack job that's easy to handle during packing.It doesn't require much squishing when you're closing the rig, so it fits inside the container easily and most importantly, it comes out of the container very clean.

I've modified the pack job a few times and that's how I'm doing it now. I'm very satisfied with its performance.

Any way, That's what gets me off the edge.

[brits17 0]

I basically followed the crowd after my crew all began packing this way. I love it and use it fairly consistently now. I'm not sure if it has an impact on my terminal openings slider up, or its just me rolling the heck outta the nose, but they don't wack the patooties out of me anymore. Could be that the tail is not the first directly exposed into the wind but nonetheless I'm cured

_______________________
aerialkinetics.com

[DexterBase 1]

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I also have a xerox of a set of packing instructions for this method, that was (I think--I got it third hand from KMonster) written up by Hookitt.

No man, I drew those up. I didn't have a rig around when I was drawing them so I hope they were somewhat accurate. How about my super drawing skills?

Edit: Oh yeah, I use this packjob sometimes. Sometimes I put the tailpocket on top, sometimes I use the Hookitt pack. (That's what I call it because Hookitt showed me how to do it.) I haven't noticed much difference in heading performance, so I just pack like that when I feel like it. I can't say which I prefer to use when heading is really an issue. I personally think getting the heading has more to do with your attention to detail in the packjob and body position. If you pack sloppy, either method is going to produce off-heading openings. I think the advantage to the Hookitt pack is lower probability of a line-over.

[Faber 0]

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If you pack sloppy, either method is going to produce off-heading openings.

thats it.. im staying at the "old"way,atleast that one i can pack sloppy whith out using clamps

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[CrazyThomas 0]

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The "inventor" of this pack is nicknamed Hong, so we now refer to it as the Hong-pack.

I heard some guy from Paraguay did it first.
I've always heard it referred to as "The Paraguay Pack", as this is where it was first performed.



Thomas

[Faber 0]

i call it a Faberpack as im at this point is the last one in this tread mention this pack

he he too many names for stuff in this sport..

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[hookitt 1]

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I think the advantage to the Hookitt pack..

Dude in no particular order it's the... Hong-hookitt-paraguay-Faber-pack


(so far)

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto