would you jump your kid's pack job?

[dropzonejunky 0]

I've heard this being done a couple of times now, i took it as a joke the first time but questioned when i heard it being done again. Are there people out there really having there kids packing for them? and what are the benefits if your not jumping two riggs? Now i don't want this turned into an argument over legality of the situation, just if people would or would not jump it. lets try to keep it to only that

if it hurts your still alive!!

[NWFlyer 2]

I don't have any kids of my own, but I've had other skydivers' teenage kids pack for me. As far as I'm concerned, packer is a great job for an enterprising dropzone kid. It's a job with a lot of responsibility, they're going to get rewarded with loyal customers and good tips if they provide good customer service and quality, and they can probably make a lot more than they can at the mall or mowing lawns.

As soon as they're old enough to understand what they're doing and physically big enough to do it, why the hell not?

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[shermanator 4]

As long as they know what they are doing, I have no problem with it. Heck, the canopies are designed to open, not sure if 32 is your actual jump numbers, but once you've been packing for a while, you'll learn that it really doesn't matter how you throw it in, it will open *as long as the lines are straight*. And you'll be surprised when you find your most sloppy, horrid pack job, end up being the softest, on heading opening you have ever had.

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[darkwing 5]

I too have had other people's kids pack for me. The kids were in the 14-16 year old range.

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[Zenister 0]

Quote

I've heard this being done a couple of times now, i took it as a joke the first time but questioned when i heard it being done again. Are there people out there really having there kids packing for them? and what are the benefits if your not jumping two riggs? Now i don't want this turned into an argument over legality of the situation, just if people would or would not jump it. lets try to keep it to only that

yes, but I knew the parent and liked the kid.... random kid found in a mall probably not...

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[dqpacker 7]

I started packing for my mom when I was 7 years old. It was roll or flat packing. Than when I turned 16 I got a full time packing slot and have been packing ever since. I'm 22 now. I know those first two summer's packing, I always had more cash than my friends. Last summer we had one of the dz kids start packing, he's 8 or 9, and he's not fast but he has it down.

[kimemerson 7]

A.)As long as they've been taught properly.
B.) We jump the reserve, not the main.
C.) A canopy can deploy even if it has been crammed into a Hefty bag and you hold it as you get out. You might not like the opening but it has a pretty good chance of opening. This is not conjecture. It's been done.

[BIGUN 1,312]

There is/was an Instructor at Skydive Dallas (haven't been down there in a couple of years) whose then five year old daughter would pack her Dad's rig. I watched her pack a few times and thought it would be fine to jump her pack jobs. In fact, some folks could learn something about packing from her. She could also teach the FJC - quite well.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[diablopilot 2]

Most of our tandem packers are in High School.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[pilotdave 0]

Quote

Are there people out there really having there kids packing for them? and what are the benefits if your not jumping two riggs?

Are you kidding? You can't see the benefit of having kids pack for you? I thought free packjobs was the entire reason skydivers ever had kids.

I don't have kids but my packing team consists of another skydiver's grandkids. Well, one of em can almost do a whole pack job and the other can help get the air out of the canopy. And they only come out a few times a year. But they're still my packing team.

Dave

[Skydivesg 7]

You'll find it's quite common for experienced jumpers to have their own kids packing for them.

My son started coming to the dz with me every weekend at around age 7.

I started to teach him how to pack at age 9 under my supervision. At 10 he was packing for me all the time and at 11 he was packing for my 4 way team. At age 12 he would pack for anyone including my 4 way team.

It was common for him to come home from a weekend with 250-300 bucks and more from a boogie.

He went through AFF when he was 17 and did 25 jumps to get his A license in one week along with an hour and a half of tunnel time. He paid for all this with the money he saved from packing. He had roughly 2500 pack jobs before he made his first jump. In fact his only concern about going through the FJC was that they wouldn't let him pack his own rig. This made him very uncomfortable.

He's now 22 and has about 5000 pack jobs and only one malfunction.

Be the canopy pilot you want that other guy to be.

[skybytch 273]

I've jumped packjobs done by an 11 year old. Why not? Packing isn't rocket science. There's no magic age that makes someone capable of folding and stuffing nylon.

[denete 3]

True. I'd be more afraid of getting into a car being driven by a 16-year old...much less, my own child.

SCR #14809

"our attitude is the thing most capable of keeping us safe"
(look, grab, look, grab, peel, punch, punch, arch)

[cjsgrlsx3 0]

I don't see a problem with it at all. My daughter enjoys packing and can't wait until I will let her pack mine. I only have 10 pack jobs and want to continue to pack my own. She will be packing mine soon!

[JustChuteMeNow 0]

I jump my daughter's pack jobs all the time. She is a very conscientious packer. That said she is a certified jumper.

Think of how stupid the average person is and realize that statistically half of them are stupider than that.

[WILDBILLAQR 0]

I'm taking my daughter to a boogie so I don't have to pack! She's 18 & has been packing for 3 years now.
My regular packer is 14 & gives me nice openings every time BTW, I've seen him make $400-$500 in a weekend!

----------------------------------------------
"Thats not smoke, thats BUCKEYE!!"
AQR#3,CWR#49

[dropzonejunky 0]

My thoughts on the whole deal weren't the teens doing the packing but the younger ones. i guess since i haven't seen it done i don't know how well a 7 or 8 year old could pack do to there short stature(especially with the larger canopys). but you all are right as long as the lines are straight and fabric is on the out side for the most part, hell jump it. it must just be that im still new and i enjoy packing but i could see how it gets old after a while and when it dose ill just have to drag some neighborhood kid down to the DZ to pack for me. cant wait

if it hurts your still alive!!

[faulknerwn 38]

I've taught friend's kids as young as 8 to pack for me (hey free pack jobs till they figure out they can make money at it!)

When I was a student, the dzo's kid was 12 and packed a bunch of my student mains. He had actually started packing around age 8 or so.

In fact, I remember a funny story from back then where they had some Middle Eastern guy out there who had a problem with the female (master rigger) packing his main! So they said ok, and sent the 8 year old male out there :-)

Heck, he's all grown up now and posting himself on these forums! Hi Mikey!

W

[JohnDeere 0]

Yea them middle eastern guys cant have a girl/woman do anything for themself's or any one else. Ignorant people.

Nothing opens like a Deere!

You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers!

[Zenister 0]

[reply i guess since i haven't seen it done i don't know how well a 7 or 8 year old could pack do to there short stature(especially with the larger canopys)

[gimpboogie 0]

at my DZ an instructors 14 yr old kid packs chutes,and he jumps them... among other sky divers

To become active member in the Bonus Days Club you must very narrowly escape eternal freefall ... one exciting time.)-Pat Works

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

My thoughts on the whole deal weren't the teens doing the packing but the younger ones.

Anyone can pack at most any age. My bigger concern would be the kid. For the jumper's sake, they'd have to be old enough to understand that they need to do a good job every single time. There are adult packers that still don't get this.

For the kid's sake, also old enough to understand that if someone got hurt jumping their pack, that it wouldn't be their fault as long as they are doing a decent job.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Amazon 7]

I am surprised John and Valinda have not been in the thread yet

I have jumped quite a few packjobs that their kid has packed....

And I jump packjobs done by Jim Perrys (our DZO at NWSkydivers) kids at the DZ all summer.. including at Lost Prairie when I took them along for the boogie to pack for me. They also got to pack for quite a few others at the boogie..Ryan was just 14 and Julia was 15 when they started packign for me.

[jacketsdb23 49]

I started packing at the age of ten for my father and others at the dropzone. Was good money! :)

Losers make excuses, Winners make it happen
God is Good
Beer is Great
Swoopers are crazy.

[piisfish 140]

If I had kids I'd jump their packjobs

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