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Andybilly

Size of bungees

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I use large rubber bands on my four locking stows and small rubber bands on my non-locking stows. If I use large rubber bands on the non-locking stows, I have to double them over.

Best bet - sit down with a rigger or experienced packer while you're packing and have them take a look at the stows you're making to see if they're getting good tension. Then you'll know what size to use where when you need to replace bands.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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Has your rig been packed by a packer at all? Packers have a habit of using long bungees (as well as doing things like making the closing loop long) so that it is easier and quicker for them to pack.

This could be why you have different length bungees. Alternatively it could be that who ever it was who last packed broke a bungee or two and couldn't find the ideal length bungee to replace them with.

It PROBABLY will not make a difference, particularly for a larger more docile canopy, but in an ideal world your bungees will all be the same - at the very least the same on the mouthlocks. I have had combinations of micro bungees and stupidly long ones on my crossfire from packers and they openings are generally OK (although not normally great either).

Blue skies

Paul

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Packers have a habit of using long bungees (as well as doing things like making the closing loop long) so that it is easier and quicker for them to pack.



That's a pretty broad indictment of packers. [:/] I've actually had a packer *shorten* my closing loop because it was too loose (and yes, she even asked before she did it). Drove me nuts when I packed it next because I can't get it in the bag quite as neatly and tightly as she does, but she definitely had my safety in mind. I tend to pack for myself about 70-75% of the time, so the closing loop length's gotta work for me, too!

Fact is whoever's packing the rig (whether it's a paid packer or the jumper) often grabs whatever bands are around. As I said earlier I have my preferred configuration, but if there's only large bands available when a non-locking stow breaks, I'll use one and double-band it. (But I usually try to prevent that problem by carrying a good supply of both large and small bands with me).

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My setup (that workes nicely)
2 large tube stows on first 2 mouthlocks (doubled over, the small ones are too small)
2 small bungies one 2nd mouth locks
then large bungies (double stowed) to stow excess.

As a general rule, always mirror the bungies on yuor bag. I have also been told that double stowing mouth locks can be a bad idea.
I used to use small bungies for the first 2 mouth locks, but they used to break every 2-3 jumps. With the current set up the bungies break about every 10-20 jumps, and the tube stows about every 30-40.

UK Skydiver for all your UK skydiving needs.

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I put probally 150 jumps on my tube stows last year as locking and only replaced them since they were starting to really crack, if you are breaking them every 30-40 jumps I'd look at how you are putting them on to see if something could be made better.
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And tomorrow is a mystery

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Packers have a habit of using long bungees (as well as doing things like making the closing loop long) so that it is easier and quicker for them to pack.



That's a pretty broad indictment of packers. [:/] I've actually had a packer *shorten* my closing loop because it was too loose (and yes, she even asked before she did it). Drove me nuts when I packed it next because I can't get it in the bag quite as neatly and tightly as she does, but she definitely had my safety in mind. I tend to pack for myself about 70-75% of the time, so the closing loop length's gotta work for me, too!

Fact is whoever's packing the rig (whether it's a paid packer or the jumper) often grabs whatever bands are around. As I said earlier I have my preferred configuration, but if there's only large bands available when a non-locking stow breaks, I'll use one and double-band it. (But I usually try to prevent that problem by carrying a good supply of both large and small bands with me).



I'm a packer and I had a guy complain when I shortened his closing loop because the rig didn't look as good. :|

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