breakable or not

[erdnarob 1]

After many discussions with instructors and packers at different DZ, it seems that there are two schools of thinking about what kind of rubber bands to use for a safe line deployment. Some argue that ordinary flat rubber bands are better because they can break and give up while other say that tube stows are superior since they allow the lines to slip with less friction and less torsion (of the bands) than flat rubber bands. On the other hand, tube stows seem to be more durable but can break after a longer use. I would like to know what you, the users, think about it.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[mattjw916 2]

large flat rubber bands for me... double wrapped... cheap and readily available

they just work

NSCR-2376, SCR-15080

[piisfish 140]

rubber bands for me.
Few of them with my Aerosports USA MAgBAg and No-Sto Bag

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Squeak 17]

flat small rubber bands.
single wrapped spectra lines

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[grue 1]

I started with bands, and then moved to Tube Stoes for my locking stows after about a dozen jumps on the advice of people at Eloy.

My first canopy was so tight in the dbag that between the force on the bands and the HMA lines, I had to replace the locking stows -every jump-, which was getting a bit old. Moved to tubes and never looked back. A little while later, I started using tubes on the non-locking stows as well just because they lasted longer, and with the (still HMA on my second canopy) small lines, I'm not worried about a hangup.

cavete terrae.

[sundevil777 102]

This has been discussed many times. Among the threads with my reasons explained for being an advocate of tube stows for the critical locking stows is this one:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4369937#4369937

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Maksimsf 0]

Bought a set of tube stows from a large reputable vendor. I broke 3 of the yellow ones withing my first 2 pack jobs. Black ones are still there, but there is no way I'm wasting another $10 on that.

[huge 0]

I use regular flat rubber bands. Long for the locking stows and short for the rest.

[skybytch 273]

Quote

I broke 3 of the yellow ones withing my first 2 pack jobs.

Don't pull so hard on them. They'll last for a long time.

[erdnarob 1]

This is exactely what I have for locking bands (tube stows) with HMA lines. Now I have something even better, I have a Jerry Baumchen MagBag just like a reserve but instead of Velcro, I have two pairs of magnets and according videos taken during lines deployment, line extensions are more orderly and faster than ordinary rubber bands placed on the DBag sides. Main openings thought are exactely the same.

Learn from others mistakes, you will never live long enough to make them all.

[ctrph8 0]

I've been using a semi-stowless bag (UPT) for about a month now and LOVE it. I use large flat rubber bands for the locking stows and it seems to be working great. I used to make my own tube stows and they would last forever. I never really worried about them not breaking if they needed to and never had a problem with them. Just liking the rubber bands right now.

Sunpath is now making a semi-stowless. I never used the bag/pilot chute that they sent me with my rig and they agreed to take it back as a trade in on their semi-stowless.

erdnarob

This is exactely what I have for locking bands (tube stows) with HMA lines. Now I have something even better, I have a Jerry Baumchen MagBag just like a reserve but instead of Velcro, I have two pairs of magnets and according videos taken during lines deployment, line extensions are more orderly and faster than ordinary rubber bands placed on the DBag sides. Main openings thought are exactely the same.

[xijonix 0]

Quote

I use regular flat rubber bands. Long for the locking stows and short for the rest.

I have mine set up opposite than yours (small bands for locking stows and double wrapped large bands for the rest. This is on spectra lines, which are you using?