LIfespan of rig and canapy with low jump numbers

[landmissle 2]

Hi folks,

My wife and I are thinking of returning to the sport after about a 10 year hiatus. Both of our rigs have relatively low jump numbers of about 500 and were purchased by us brand new in 2001. We last jumped in 2009 and the rigs have been stored (packed), in our house in a closet for the last 11 years.

We plan to have them inspected by a rigger and serviced (batteries for AAD, reserve repack, etc..), but I'm curious if there is a real danger of the equipment (especially the canopies) deteriorating over such a lengthy time span regardless of condition when initially stored. 

Rephrasing the question differently, even if "properly stored" does the nylon of the canopy eventually become brittle or structurally unsound after 10, 15, 20 years? What about containers and the material that they are comprised of, including belts, elastic loops, etc?

I don't believe in our case our rigs are obsolete based on technology, so from that standpoint I think they would be airworthy. For what it's worth they are;

mine: Mirage G3, Cobalt 150, PD Reserve, and Vigil (new in 2009).

wife: Mirage G3 PD Spectre 170, PD Reserve, and Vigil (new in 2009)

Oh, I should add that we almost returned to the sport in 2018. At that time, the rigs were inspected, reserve repacked, and were deemed airworthy. I don't remember if the AAD batteries, were replaced for sure, but they would have been if the rigger indicated they needed to be.

I don't see us initially jumping with the equipment as I believe (especially for me) the wing loading would be too high for our rusty skills. So our initial jumps (coached or otherwise ) will be with rental equipment and then as our currency and skills develop, we would return to our personal rigs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2021 by landmissle

[gowlerk 2,190]

Vigil batteries are no longer field replaceable and the unit must be sent in for service after reaching 10 years since DOM. So yours will need to go in and you should allow at least 4- weeks total turn around time. Other than that there is no reason to think there will be any problem with your gear. Although there are scattered reports that some gear dealer rigging companies have been refusing to work on gear that is more than 20 years old. If you run into this find a more honest and customer friendly rigger.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

Short answer: I wouldn't worry about it much. Get it properly inspected and you should be good to go.

Longer answer: The nylon does degrade over time. But only a little bit. Less than the sun damage from jumping it. The military did some studies on gear that sat for a long time (decades) and found it to be perfectly servicable. 

Gowlerk covered the issue with the Vigil batteries.

The one thing I'd be concerned about is the elastic. The keepers on the chest & leg straps and the mouth of the BOC pouch. The rubber in the elastic looses it's elasticity over time. 

But other than that, I'd personally have no issues packing or jumping it.

[wmw999 2,439]

When I came back to the sport in 2001 I had my 20-year-old rig, and it served me just fine until I found something new the next year. I wouldn't hesitate to jump nylon that old with few jumps. One thing to consider is wingloading -- if you were solidly loaded on that gear when you were current, it might not be a bad idea to get a little current on larger canopies.

Wendy P.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

You didn't read the last paragraph of the OP, did you?

[wmw999 2,439]

10 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

You didn't read the last paragraph of the OP, did you?

You're absolutely right. My bad

Wendy P.

[base615 77]

I currently jump a Vector from 1996 that is in great condition but I've seen 5 year old rigs in shit state that I wouldn't consider jumping.

[outdoort 5]

I have a similar rig to yours that was just loaned to me by a really nice guy I met in Fl. while down there getting my A license. Its a mirage g3 from 2003. The canopies are from the same year (guess he bought new canopies when he bought the rig) and he said that the sabre 2 main has about 300 jumps on it. So low jump numbers too, but its been used consistently thoughout the years.  Gonna have my rigger inspect the whole thing when I have him do the repack here in the next month. I was wondering your same question too though, cuz I have heard/read the "old enough to vote, too old to jump" thing...

So sounds great that age isn't too much of a concern here on our gear!

[wmw999 2,439]

One thing that can be done with older gear is also to send it back to the manufacturer for evaluation and/or replacing of components that are worn. A few years ago I sold a 20-year-old container with its 20-year-old reserve to an upcoming student (yeah, for a steal, but someone has to sometimes). She sent it to the manufacturer who replaced a couple of flaps and declared it just fine.

If the design hasn't changed that much (and Javelins have been effectively the same since late 1997 other than MARD compatibility), and the gear has been maintained and checked, I wouldn't hesitate to jump it. Of course, I also jumped a 35-year-old round about 10 years ago at an old farts' reunion, so who am I to talk?

Wendy P.

[MickPatch 55]

I bought a 20 year old rig last year, sent it back to manufacturer for full inspection and certification. 

Manufacturer said that it was as good as the day they made it.