Packing in the wind

[DigitalDave 0]

I've just started packing on my new 230 and yesterday it was pretty windy. I had a hell of a time getting the canopy flaked as it flailed around in the wind. I discovered that facing the wind is easier.

Are there any tricks to keeping a neat pack job on windy days when there's no indoor packing area available?

[virgin-burner 1]

get a smaller canopy, they're easier to wrestle..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[pontiacgtp00 0]

pay packers or don't jump in windy conditions

[zxcvb 0]

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pay packers or don't jump in windy conditions

It's not the packers have some secret trick. They just know they aren't the one that will be jumping that pack job, so they don't care if it gets blown around a bit.

[shropshire 0]

Pack down wind of a fat bird

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[virgin-burner 1]

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pay packers or don't jump in windy conditions

It's not the packers have some secret trick. They just know they aren't the one that will be jumping that pack job, so they don't care if it gets blown around a bit.

you pay for the packjob, NOT the opening!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[brettski74 0]

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Are there any tricks to keeping a neat pack job on windy days when there's no indoor packing area available?

I'm assuming that you're doing a pro-pack over your shoulders. If you're flat packing, I probably can't help you as I rarely, if ever, do flat packs.

The best tip I can give you is to pack with the wind at your back. This helps prevent the canopy catching wind while you're flaking the fabric. Other than that, try as much as possible to keep the wind on top of the canopy. If the wind gets underneath it, it'll catch air and go all over the place.

The same basic principle applies while gathering your canopy and carrying it back to the packing area, but that takes a little more practise to do well. If nothing else, I find that placing my arms across my chest with the entire canopy loosely S-folded around them makes for much easier carrying in windy conditions.

[mjosparky 4]

At your experience level if it is too windy to pack it is probably too windy to jump. Green light on jump tomorrow.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[mtbriles 0]

Yes dave pay your packer dave...remember those great openings i gave you dave??? Remember??? Give it to your packer!!!

Why not?
My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!!
Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
D.S. #55

[DigitalDave 0]

But you make it look so easy Mike. I'll probably be the first person in the Incidents forum for having a serious injury while packing.

[mtbriles 0]

My job is to make it look easy so that when you go outside and struggle and give up youll bring it back to me

Why not?
My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!!
Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
D.S. #55

[JohnRich 4]

Flat pack, and use packing weights.

[emmiwy 0]

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I've just started packing on my new 230 and yesterday it was pretty windy. I had a hell of a time getting the canopy flaked as it flailed around in the wind. I discovered that facing the wind is easier.

Are there any tricks to keeping a neat pack job on windy days when there's no indoor packing area available?

I'm jealous of the fact that your problem with packing a new canopy is the wind, and not the slickness or canopy material. I had a very difficult time packing about a 100 jump canopy on a rental rig today. Not brand new but a very slick canopy It's like relearning how to pack all over again!

[hookitt 1]

Start with back to wind. Once you have all the fabric cleared and it's time to pull the tail up, grab the tail, pull it up and turn face to wind and wrap the tail and put it on the ground.

You don't always have to stand with your back to the rig. Once it's over your shoulder you can turn around as long as you hold your lines or turn so the lines tension around your neck.

Or go hide behind something.

Does that make enough sense?

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

[DigitalDave 0]

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I'm jealous of the fact that your problem with packing a new canopy is the wind, and not the slickness or canopy material.

I should have clarified, the canopy isn't new, just new to me. It has a couple hundred jumps on it. I do have a hell of a time when it comes to folding it up for the bag though. I haven't PRO packed enough to get good at it yet.

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You don't always have to stand with your back to the rig. Once it's over your shoulder you can turn around as long as you hold your lines or turn so the lines tension around your neck.

That's good info, I hadn't thought of turning while packing.

The way I look it it, packers ruin 1/4th of my fun. For every 3 pack jobs I pay for, it's one less jump that day. Although Mikey does make me some nice soft openings. Once I give myself a nice case of whiplash, I'll probably come crawling back to the wonderful Raeford packers with 6 bucks in hand.