building vs. buying Safety Stows

[pchapman 279]

Question for riggers:

Who builds safety stows vs. buying them from the manufacturers?

In my area it seems common just to make them, instead of grounding the rig & ordering one from the manufacturer. Do many riggers really go the absolutely professional route versus building them?

Comments welcome on any of the many issues that are possible for safety stows...

There are some very poorly made stows out there, some old ones that are very stretched out, and some that are built ugly but functional. I'll admit to a few of the latter in my earlier days, before getting the thread tension figured out on the sewing machines. Lots & lots of tension needed to keep the bottom thread from getting all messed up.

Some companies publish safety stow info, some will let you know if you ask, and some won't tell you. It is a TSO'd component, they say. I can understand that they are hesitant about people building these things.

But what if you're rigging outside the USA? Or if they don't tell you, then how do you tell if the old one is out of spec? :)

Some rules of thumb have been published by experienced riggers, so some riggers are building stows.

There are bungees of different stretchiness but similar diameter, which may cause some confusion out there. (E.g., Paragear item W9651 vs W9654 vs W9655 - the latter apparently being the stretchier stuff that appears best to use.)

Sometimes somebody has to build the stow because the original company is out of business. Sometimes one has to build a stow to match the particular canopy, one which is either a bit loose or crammed into the freebag.

Some riggers don't seem to pull stows out of their channel enough to inspect them.

Sometimes it is only the sheath that is holding stows together, with all elastic strands broken. I do try to replace stows like that, more so because of increased stretch and general age than strength. (I've put 150+ lbs of force on stows like that and seen no obvious effect.)

Should more be published about building safety stows to encourage riggers to get things right about these secretive little devices, or would that just encourage riggers to screw up things they shouldn't be playing with?

I've met a number of jumpers who had no idea what a safety stow was, when I told them I had replaced theirs and showed them the old bungee.

All in all, given the variations one sees out there, it's surprising that there haven't been more problems with bag strip on reserve deployments!

[JerryBaumchen 1,357]

Hi pchapman,

Great post. I've spent time pondering this also.

About 15 years or so ago Elek Puskas (then Pres of Para-Flite) told me that they should be replaced annually. However, I have never seen anything (well, I don't remember seeing anything) in any manual about a time-frame to replace them.

The old 'when to replace because . . .' gets into a lot of technical work on what are the quantifiable elements that determines when to take one out of service. I think most riggers just say 'this is too stretchy' and throw it away.

Again, great post.
Jerry

PS) Five votes and only one response; hmmmm.

[hookitt 1]

Quote

All in all, given the variations one sees out there, it's surprising that there haven't been more problems with bag strip on reserve deployments!

I've never seen one ready to actually break either. The strands have all been broken but the sheath was intact. Those get replaced.

Regarding bag strip, the bag is yanked by the bridle. Being that the canopy wants to stay in place, the first thing it does is push against the closing flap effectively tightening the locking stow. Unless it actually breaks, the chance of bag strip is slight.

There is a certain manufacture that will tell you otherwise but so far, I've not seen much evidence.

My selection was the first option.

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

[plummeteer 0]

I chose none of the above because I'm a new Rigger that has been pondering the same question. Keep forgetting to ask the M.R. I rely on for info. So far I haven't found one in poor condition, but I'm sure I will eventually.

Edo
Concumbui
Aethrae Cernuare

[parachutist 2]

Quote

Question for riggers:

Who builds safety stows vs. buying them from the manufacturers?

Quote from the 2005 Parachute Rigger Handbook, by Sandy Reid:

=====
Many riggers fabricate these
loops in the field, which, in most cases, is an unauthorized
procedure. The Safety-Stow® loop is an integral part
of the approved reserve deployment system and is manufactured
under an approved quality control system from
approved materials. The rigger should use only OEM
approved parts for this.
=====

After reading that, I went ahead & ordered some replacement safety stows from several manufacturers. Now I have about 40 in my rigging kit, alongside some replacement Cypres batteries... stuff that I know I'll need & don't feel like waiting on when it comes time to replace.

[teason 0]

Wow, you must be psychic because I was just having this same conversation with another rigger about 4 hours ago.

I was asking him if he wanted to go in with me and buy a bunch of safety stoes from the manufacturers so that we're never in the position of having to ground a rig or letting a stoe pass when it's starting to go, also known as the "ah........It'll be ok" technique. I like to get my stoes from the manufacturers. Technically, I believe you need a drawing to manufacture a safety stoe.

All too often, riggers in the field will let things pass that they would correct if they had the resource to do so. In other words, you'd replace Velcro sooner if you have a sewing machine, matching thread and velcro in stock. If you don't have those things, you either have to send the gear elsewhere to be fixed or convince yourself that the velcro ain't that bad.
That's why I'd like to have a bunch in stock, that way I'll replace stoes when they should be replaced without question or hesitation.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

[bjornufknu 0]

What is the benefit of making your own safety stow loops? I always have a few in stock!

d.d.s.

[mark 107]

Quote

What is the benefit of making your own safety stow loops? I always have a few in stock!

What size?

Mark

[riggerrob 643]

... it's surprising that there haven't been more problems with bag strip on reserve deployments!

[AndyMan 7]

Quote

Quote from the 2005 Parachute Rigger Handbook, by Sandy Reid:

=====
Many riggers fabricate these
loops in the field, which, in most cases, is an unauthorized
procedure. The Safety-Stow® loop is an integral part
of the approved reserve deployment system and is manufactured
under an approved quality control system from
approved materials. The rigger should use only OEM
approved parts for this.
=====

I was surprised to read this. I would think replacing a safety-stow is no different than replacing a closing loop. Especially no different than replacing a Racer loop.


I'm certainly not smart enough to argue with Sandy Reid but I am curious: Is his interpretation widely adopted?

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[bliston 0]

Different rigs need different size safety stows - UPT has two different sizes depending on the container size, quasars are longer if I remember correctly.

Sunpath states in bold that you have to use THEIR factory safety stows... which are almost identical in size to UPT larger ones.

While I am not a fan a racers, the rubber band option (even on rigs that came with safety stows but have sewn loops behind the free-bag grommet) is a nice option to have.

Sucks to have to buy them, especially when some are $10 plus a pop...Definitely have come across some that were tattered...

Mass Defiance 4-wayFS website


sticks!

[riggerrob 643]

I suspect that Sandy is trying to limit liability by limiting "creativity" in the field.
Trust me, I have seen some "creative" home-made Safety Stows.
The biggest hassle in making your own Safety Stows is finding the correct strength of bungee cord, rare at your local hardware store.
The other issue is the zig-zag stitch pattern, which will take you a few hundred passes to learn the finer points.

[indyz 1]

Quote

I was surprised to read this. I would think replacing a safety-stow is no different than replacing a closing loop. Especially no different than replacing a Racer loop.


I'm certainly not smart enough to argue with Sandy Reid but I am curious: Is his interpretation widely adopted?

As far as Jump Shack is concerned, you shouldn't be making your own Racer quick loops either. Most riggers I know make their own safety stows and quick loops.

[captain_stan 0]

Quote

finding the correct strength of bungee cord, rare at your local hardware store.

Para-Gear catalog #W9655. Confirmed by Sunpath before they prohibited us making our own.

[deadwood 0]

So you have to ask what "In Most Cases" means.
What cases can you? Leaves it kind of open.

Are they really TSO'd? If so aren't they required to be marked as such? I admit to never getting out my 10X to look for a TSO marking on them.

If the packing instructions don't say they have to be replaced with a TSOd part (If they mention it at all) what forces you to buy one instead of make one?

If it's TSO'd as part of the freebag, why couldn't you make one as part of a major repair (master rigger) similar to patching the bag, replacing a damaged bridle, replacing the velcro or replacing the grommets?

Questions, questions, questions.

Quote

Quote

Question for riggers:

Who builds safety stows vs. buying them from the manufacturers?

Quote from the 2005 Parachute Rigger Handbook, by Sandy Reid:

=====
Many riggers fabricate these
loops in the field, which, in most cases, is an unauthorized
procedure. The Safety-Stow® loop is an integral part
of the approved reserve deployment system and is manufactured
under an approved quality control system from
approved materials. The rigger should use only OEM
approved parts for this.
=====

After reading that, I went ahead & ordered some replacement safety stows from several manufacturers. Now I have about 40 in my rigging kit, alongside some replacement Cypres batteries... stuff that I know I'll need & don't feel like waiting on when it comes time to replace.

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

[riggerrob 643]

Re: Sandy Reid saying that only factory original Safety Stows should be installed.

This is partly a legal dodge.
If a skydiver thunders in ... wearing a Talon ... with a Racer Safety Stow ... that gives Sandy a reason to ask to be excused from the law suit.

[deadwood 0]

Agree completely.

But where exactly does he say it?
In the packing instructions?
On his web site?
In a conversation at PIA?
Over the phone?

Quote

Re: Sandy Reid saying that only factory original Safety Stows should be installed.

This is partly a legal dodge.
If a skydiver thunders in ... wearing a Talon ... with a Racer Safety Stow ... that gives Sandy a reason to ask to be excused from the law suit.

He who hesitates shall inherit the earth.

Deadwood
Skydive New Mexico Motorcycle Club, Touring Division

[mark 107]

Quote

Agree completely.

But where exactly does he say it?
In the packing instructions?
On his web site?
In a conversation at PIA?
Over the phone?

In the packing instructions, available on the RI website.

Mark