Rigger -Any Reserve colors/patterns which would hinder your abilty

[Flying_Penguin 0]

Hi, I am in the market for a reserve, I recently spoke with PD and they said it was possible to get any combination of the available colors.

I thought I could only get the same color top skin and same bottom,

but apparently I can get a rainbow, with each cell different if I want (not really thinking rainbow)

I know in Base a different colored center cell makes it easier to pack, I think a reserve is a similar pack-job, so would this help?

also when I did AFF, long ago, I remember hearing that a reserve has to be a solid color, usually white - but obviously this is not an FAA regulation.

So riggers is there any pattern which would make it harder for you to pack safe?

Any colors that would piss you off and hamper your ability ?

*Not saying that you would ever let an unsafe packjob go out the door, but perhaps there are the ones you enjoy and the ones you have to think twice about, "like is this is the center cell?"


Thank you very much for your help and time

Cheers and blue ones
-J

[NWFlyer 2]

Not a rigger, so I'm not giving you a rigger's perspective, but a solid color such as white (common reserve color) will help others know that you've had a reserve ride so they can 1) keep an eye on you to make sure you're okay and land safely (especially if it's an out landing) and 2) keep an eye on where your main & freebag go, which may help in recovery and 3) make it patently obvious to you and others what canopy you're under in the event of any kind of premature deployment.

"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

[bodypilot1 0]

Colors do not matter to me.


Be safe
Ed

www.WestCoastWingsuits.com
www.PrecisionSkydiving.com

[fcajump 164]

(Any frustration apparent in this following rant, it NOT directed at the poster of this thread... but at the community at large... "if the shoe fits...")

Agree with the notion that a solid pattern helps identify that you are under a reserve. Once looked up and saw a main drifting free, and the right number of canopies... but only when we could see whick (custom colored) canopy missing its PC could we ID who had issues...

My pet pieve is thread color. PD uses grey and PA uses red. Makes it much easier to verify construction/condition of the seams.

As to finding the center cell when packing, almost all mfg's put the TSO lable there, so that is not often an issue.

I also prefer coated lines, but understand PD's argument for using uncoated. (uncoated are more prone to pick-damage when in contact with velcro or on landing)

Finally, pet-pieve for the owners... Get a reserve that you can land half concious (if that) and with a broken arm into a bad spot. THEN get a container that is correctly sized for the reserve!! Stop assuming that I want to vacuum pack your canopy into a 1 Quart container, and stop assuming that you will never have a bad day (regardless of what your main is or how well you can swoop it).

[/rant]

JW

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

[kris2extreme 0]

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Not a rigger, so I'm not giving you a rigger's perspective, but a solid color such as white (common reserve color) will help others know that you've had a reserve ride so they can 1) keep an eye on you to make sure you're okay and land safely (especially if it's an out landing) and 2) keep an eye on where your main & freebag go, which may help in recovery and 3) make it patently obvious to you and others what canopy you're under in the event of any kind of premature deployment.

agreed. Solid colors for reserves, multiple colors (at least 1 cell or a logo) for mains. I like really bright colored reserves... yellow, pink, orange, etc... but alot of them are white or blue also... White and blue can be hard to see against the sky from the ground and on-level in the air (dependant on conditions), but jumpers above can see them both pretty well against the ground.

I'm always looking for a trailing pilot chute when I see solid colored canopies.

[Flying_Penguin 0]

RANT ON Brother its how us younger guys learn,
good thoughts

[skybeergodd 0]

Precision has a neon pink color out there that damn near blinds my whenever I pack one. I have to take eyeball breaks to keep from burning out my retinas...lol

[justinb138 0]

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Precision has a neon pink color out there that damn near blinds my whenever I pack one. I have to take eyeball breaks to keep from burning out my retinas...lol

Those, the bright yellow PD's, and the AR Smart reserves with white thread are the biggest eye-killers for me.

[Flying_Penguin 0]

What do you guys think about a two-tone solid, like red top and blue bottom with white ribs

A color like yellow/red/orange, you can see easy in the trees, but landing out at Perris or eloy and you might look like the sand.

so a blue,green color for days at a dusty dz and a loud color for the forest /ocean

*Would this appear to be a reserve to you if you didn't now me, (not counting closer detail like no pilotchute/d-bag, not an RDS type dude@ 1.3)

also generally, do you think the use of white in colbalts or Icarus has led to a diminished recognition of white as a sign of duress?

Thanks and Blue Skies

[justinb138 0]

I'd say just get a solid color, no matter what it is.

Anything else is going to look like a main.

[darkwing 5]

Solid color canopy with contrasting thread color. That is my official riggers and skydivers perspective.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[Yossarian 0]

white with 'BEER' in red letters on the bottom skin

[Spizzzarko 0]

Personally I would get the brightest colored reserve possible incase you land out and are broken.

[RIGGER 0]

PD stock PR's are Light Blue, Yellow & White.

Light Blue is the one, easy to see & the color is great for inspection - Light Blue F-111 & white seams.

Safe Jumps !!!

[FrogNog 1]

I'd get a nice, girly pink. That way when someone sees it they'll wonder "Why didn't he cut that ugly thing away?" and eventually they should figure out "oh, it's a reserve; it's really tough and unadvisable to cut that away."

Personally, I like white because it looks "proper". The baby blue just looks gay to me. I wouldn't be sore about this except once I thought I bought a white reserve and ended up with a blue one.

That's on the ground. In the air, my favorite color of reserve is, as they say, "open". That orange Swift 245 sure was prettier than the ground...

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[UDSkyJunkie 0]

I am a rigger.

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I know in Base a different colored center cell makes it easier to pack, I think a reserve is a similar pack-job, so would this help?

Easier to learn mains... irrelevent to riggers, who ought to be able to find the center

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also when I did AFF, long ago, I remember hearing that a reserve has to be a solid color, usually white - but obviously this is not an FAA regulation.

Good idea to be solid color and a standard solid color at that (white, yellow, blue). Reason is that people will notice the reserve and go looking for your main and freebag.

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So riggers is there any pattern which would make it harder for you to pack safe?

Any colors that would piss you off and hamper your ability ?

not really... however, an idea I got from another rigger was to buy a reserve with thread a different color from the fabric... easier to inspect!

"Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission."

[rushmc 23]

Contrasting thread really helps. White with red thread is my choice and how I ordered my reserve

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[koppel 4]

One thing that has not been mentioned here yet is bulk.

White reserves have the least bulk to my knowledge through to the darker colours which would have the most.

The difference may be small but can be a factor on some containers.

I agree that I would prefer to see manufacturers make it standard to have a different colour thread than the material and block colours are the only way to go for reserves.

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[jumper03 0]

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One thing that has not been mentioned here yet is bulk.

White reserves have the least bulk to my knowledge through to the darker colours which would have the most.

Alright - I'm gonna have to ask for numbers on that. I've heard it over and over and everytime the numbers are run - the color makes absolutely no difference. I've packed the same size white and yellow pd reserve into the same size container - no difference.

My only thing with color is I hate inspected white thread on white fabric - that is eye strain!

Steven

Scars remind us that the past is real

[justinb138 0]

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My only thing with color is I hate inspected white thread on white fabric - that is eye strain!

I've only come across one like that, and it was a 250sq ft canopy.

[Elisha 1]

Why get a non-solid reserve? You're almost NEVER (hopefully) going to even use it. You shouldn't care - just that it WORKS!

[rmarshall234 14]

I am a (newbie) rigger, but I speak more from > 20 years of experience in the sport. I think a reserve should be a solid color. Preferably white, but maybe yellow. The reason being - you should have _instant_ recognition you are under your reserve. And therefore, have no other options. Besides, white is the color of angels..

Just my 2 cents.

[koppel 4]

I learnt that from the rigger that taught me to pack reserves.

I took it on face value. If that is not the case I too would be interested to see numbers on it. I shall go do my own reasearch and report back.

regards

I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

[fcajump 164]

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PD stock PR's are Light Blue, Yellow & White.

Light Blue is the one, easy to see & the color is great for inspection - Light Blue F-111 & white seams.

Safe Jumps !!!

I've got a friend with a light blue main (built as a reserve, now used as main) and I gotta say I would avoid light blue... On-level it is much harder to see than any other color. Now imagine that you had a problem up high and for what ever reason you are under that light blue canopy 10k' above all the other canopies on a hazy day. What is the chance that a pilot will see (and recognize you)? I think on balance even white would be better. But this is why I prefer Yellow or Orange (solid). Easy to see against almost any background.

Just my $.02
JW

Always remember that some clouds are harder than others...

[skydiverek 63]

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One thing that has not been mentioned here yet is bulk.

"Does canopy COLOR influence/increase pack volume?"
THREAD here:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=885302#885302

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