mountainman 0 #1 August 20, 2001 Hey all.....we are looking at Safire canopies and am wondering something.What are the differences between "spectra" and "vectran" suspension lines??Thanks!!--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 August 20, 2001 Spectra is a smaller line that streches more but has better abrasion tolerences then Vectran. Vectran on the other hand is a thicker material that does not strech as much as Spectra but tends to wear out sooner then Spectra. The line material will make a difference on the pack volume of a canopy. Microline is usally Spectra 550 or 575 line.Do I HAVE to do another raft dive??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mountainman 0 #3 August 20, 2001 Which do you recommend?? I'm sure Steve will recommend something, but I am curious. It sounds like the Spectra is the one to go with.--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wingnut 0 #4 August 20, 2001 mm,sounds like this would be better in the gear and riging forum...... p.s. i would go for the bailing twine option... cheaper and it might just work....."if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites PhreeZone 20 #5 August 20, 2001 Spectra will require replacement at around the same number of jumps because the trim of the canopy will be off by 4-500 jumps. Vectran is recommended for jumpers that are going to be placing a lot of stress on lines.... ie. Over loading it by lots or those who want the lines to absorb part of the shock too. Either of the above or Dacron are OK to use. I have microline Spectra 550 on mine. If I break a line on opening then i was doing something wrong.....Do I HAVE to do another raft dive??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites flyhi 24 #6 August 20, 2001 I have heard that with Vectran lines you will have to get your canopy relined sooner and it will absorb less opening shock. The benefit is that it has a smaller profile to the wind which means faster speeds due to lower drag. If you believe a thin wallet and bad back are not too high a price to pay to look shit hot, go with the Vectran. Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, "Mable, did you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?" Mable answered, "I have? A suppository?" She pulled it out & stared at it. Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing. Now I think I know where my hearing aid is." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Aviatrr 0 #7 August 20, 2001 Quote I have heard that with Vectran lines you will have to get your canopy relined sooner and it will absorb less opening shock. The benefit is that it has a smaller profile to the wind which means faster speeds due to lower drag. If you believe a thin wallet and bad back are not too high a price to pay to look shit hot, go with the Vectran. Actually, the way I understand it, the main reason to have Vectran lines is that they don't go out of trim anywhere near as quickly(or as bad), so they are best suited for high performance canopies.. This prevents canopy distortion(making the canopy less efficient) as the lines go out of trim..Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mountainman 0 #8 August 20, 2001 Quotesounds like this would be better in the gear and riging forumI thought I was in the G/R forum. After I submitted it, I noticed all the "non-gear related" threads. Oops!! I think I'm conditioned to click on this forum without thinking about it.Thanks for all the useful info!!--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Geoff 0 #9 August 20, 2001 Spectra will last longer before a risk of breaking, but will go out of trim. Brake lines and 'outside' lines get rubbed by the slider causing spectra to actually shrink in length after a few hundred jumps. This can make your canopy fly and land badly.Vectran lines won't generally go out of trim, but are less resistant to abrasion. Now if a line breaks on opening shock, it's not too bad - you can decide whether the canopy is controllable and chop it if you don't like it.The real danger arises because the lower control lines are not loaded during opening shock, and are also abraded by rubbing through the metal guide ring, so they are more likely to snap during the flare. This has happened with Vectran lines. Legs have broken.But the bottom line (no pun intended) is that both Spectra and Vectran need replacing after a few hundred jumps or when they look worn. If you do that, they're both safe.If you don't want to pay for a full reline, then just replace the lower part of Vectran brake lines (that's what I've just had done on my Safire), or get the trim of Spectra lines checked by a rigger.Geoff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites spectre230 0 #10 August 20, 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites apoil 0 #11 August 21, 2001 QuoteVectran hides line wear because of the color.Don't plan on the same lifespan as spectra.The color has nothing to do with why Vectran hides wear.Are you telling me you wouldn't be able to see wear just because the lines are tan?Ridiculous.It's a property of the material. Vectran will lose tensile strength without fraying the way spectra does.This is one of the things you need to be careful of. Your brake lines may be dangerously close to snapping, but you wont see much or any wear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0 Go To Topic Listing
mountainman 0 #3 August 20, 2001 Which do you recommend?? I'm sure Steve will recommend something, but I am curious. It sounds like the Spectra is the one to go with.--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #4 August 20, 2001 mm,sounds like this would be better in the gear and riging forum...... p.s. i would go for the bailing twine option... cheaper and it might just work....."if dreams are like movies, then memories are like films about ghosts"-counting crows Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #5 August 20, 2001 Spectra will require replacement at around the same number of jumps because the trim of the canopy will be off by 4-500 jumps. Vectran is recommended for jumpers that are going to be placing a lot of stress on lines.... ie. Over loading it by lots or those who want the lines to absorb part of the shock too. Either of the above or Dacron are OK to use. I have microline Spectra 550 on mine. If I break a line on opening then i was doing something wrong.....Do I HAVE to do another raft dive??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites flyhi 24 #6 August 20, 2001 I have heard that with Vectran lines you will have to get your canopy relined sooner and it will absorb less opening shock. The benefit is that it has a smaller profile to the wind which means faster speeds due to lower drag. If you believe a thin wallet and bad back are not too high a price to pay to look shit hot, go with the Vectran. Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, "Mable, did you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?" Mable answered, "I have? A suppository?" She pulled it out & stared at it. Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing. Now I think I know where my hearing aid is." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Aviatrr 0 #7 August 20, 2001 Quote I have heard that with Vectran lines you will have to get your canopy relined sooner and it will absorb less opening shock. The benefit is that it has a smaller profile to the wind which means faster speeds due to lower drag. If you believe a thin wallet and bad back are not too high a price to pay to look shit hot, go with the Vectran. Actually, the way I understand it, the main reason to have Vectran lines is that they don't go out of trim anywhere near as quickly(or as bad), so they are best suited for high performance canopies.. This prevents canopy distortion(making the canopy less efficient) as the lines go out of trim..Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mountainman 0 #8 August 20, 2001 Quotesounds like this would be better in the gear and riging forumI thought I was in the G/R forum. After I submitted it, I noticed all the "non-gear related" threads. Oops!! I think I'm conditioned to click on this forum without thinking about it.Thanks for all the useful info!!--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Geoff 0 #9 August 20, 2001 Spectra will last longer before a risk of breaking, but will go out of trim. Brake lines and 'outside' lines get rubbed by the slider causing spectra to actually shrink in length after a few hundred jumps. This can make your canopy fly and land badly.Vectran lines won't generally go out of trim, but are less resistant to abrasion. Now if a line breaks on opening shock, it's not too bad - you can decide whether the canopy is controllable and chop it if you don't like it.The real danger arises because the lower control lines are not loaded during opening shock, and are also abraded by rubbing through the metal guide ring, so they are more likely to snap during the flare. This has happened with Vectran lines. Legs have broken.But the bottom line (no pun intended) is that both Spectra and Vectran need replacing after a few hundred jumps or when they look worn. If you do that, they're both safe.If you don't want to pay for a full reline, then just replace the lower part of Vectran brake lines (that's what I've just had done on my Safire), or get the trim of Spectra lines checked by a rigger.Geoff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites spectre230 0 #10 August 20, 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites apoil 0 #11 August 21, 2001 QuoteVectran hides line wear because of the color.Don't plan on the same lifespan as spectra.The color has nothing to do with why Vectran hides wear.Are you telling me you wouldn't be able to see wear just because the lines are tan?Ridiculous.It's a property of the material. Vectran will lose tensile strength without fraying the way spectra does.This is one of the things you need to be careful of. Your brake lines may be dangerously close to snapping, but you wont see much or any wear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
flyhi 24 #6 August 20, 2001 I have heard that with Vectran lines you will have to get your canopy relined sooner and it will absorb less opening shock. The benefit is that it has a smaller profile to the wind which means faster speeds due to lower drag. If you believe a thin wallet and bad back are not too high a price to pay to look shit hot, go with the Vectran. Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, "Mable, did you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?" Mable answered, "I have? A suppository?" She pulled it out & stared at it. Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing. Now I think I know where my hearing aid is." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aviatrr 0 #7 August 20, 2001 Quote I have heard that with Vectran lines you will have to get your canopy relined sooner and it will absorb less opening shock. The benefit is that it has a smaller profile to the wind which means faster speeds due to lower drag. If you believe a thin wallet and bad back are not too high a price to pay to look shit hot, go with the Vectran. Actually, the way I understand it, the main reason to have Vectran lines is that they don't go out of trim anywhere near as quickly(or as bad), so they are best suited for high performance canopies.. This prevents canopy distortion(making the canopy less efficient) as the lines go out of trim..Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mountainman 0 #8 August 20, 2001 Quotesounds like this would be better in the gear and riging forumI thought I was in the G/R forum. After I submitted it, I noticed all the "non-gear related" threads. Oops!! I think I'm conditioned to click on this forum without thinking about it.Thanks for all the useful info!!--------------Drop on in...leave a message Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff 0 #9 August 20, 2001 Spectra will last longer before a risk of breaking, but will go out of trim. Brake lines and 'outside' lines get rubbed by the slider causing spectra to actually shrink in length after a few hundred jumps. This can make your canopy fly and land badly.Vectran lines won't generally go out of trim, but are less resistant to abrasion. Now if a line breaks on opening shock, it's not too bad - you can decide whether the canopy is controllable and chop it if you don't like it.The real danger arises because the lower control lines are not loaded during opening shock, and are also abraded by rubbing through the metal guide ring, so they are more likely to snap during the flare. This has happened with Vectran lines. Legs have broken.But the bottom line (no pun intended) is that both Spectra and Vectran need replacing after a few hundred jumps or when they look worn. If you do that, they're both safe.If you don't want to pay for a full reline, then just replace the lower part of Vectran brake lines (that's what I've just had done on my Safire), or get the trim of Spectra lines checked by a rigger.Geoff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
apoil 0 #11 August 21, 2001 QuoteVectran hides line wear because of the color.Don't plan on the same lifespan as spectra.The color has nothing to do with why Vectran hides wear.Are you telling me you wouldn't be able to see wear just because the lines are tan?Ridiculous.It's a property of the material. Vectran will lose tensile strength without fraying the way spectra does.This is one of the things you need to be careful of. Your brake lines may be dangerously close to snapping, but you wont see much or any wear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
