kneal 0 #76 December 26, 2004 At my very small DZ, I have packed rigs (with supervision) since day one! My DZ owner appreciated my interest in wanting to learn how to pack the Tandem Rigs and my student rig. All this practice assisted me in learning to pack my own 170. I feel safer and know exactly what to expect upon deployment. Learn all you can about your gear...I heard it will save your life! "Don't waste the pretty"! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superfletch 1 #77 December 26, 2004 I've got 530 jumps to date... I've been packing my own since jump #1. Packing paid for all my student jumps and all my experienced gear. I think everyone should know how to pack if they are going to jump. If you're one of my students your packing your own stuff shortly after you throw your own pilot chute. Gary "Superfletch" Fletcher D-26145; USPA Coach, IAD/I, AFF/I Videographer/Photographer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dqpacker 7 #78 December 26, 2004 I think you should know how to pack for your self. I am a packer a skydive twin cities and there are a good amount of people who have over 50 to 100 jumps and still can't pack and then get mad at us for not being able to pack their stuff when we are slammed with tandums and staff gear. I will pack for them if I can but they should be able to pack if they have to. I don't mind packing for someone who has thousands of jumps and knows how to pack but they packed for the first ten years of jumping. In the time that some of these newer jumpers at my home dz sit and go packer to packer seeing if we can fit them in they could have packed their gear, if they know how, and make a jump and be back on the ground packing again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flailmonkey2 0 #79 December 27, 2004 i packed my own and other people's when i probably shouldnt have..but all those who had me pack for them jsut kept telling me it was the only way i'd learn. they kept saying "thats why we have 2" but....i still should have had more people watching me i think in the beginning...made me nervous when i went to jump Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
falling.gator 0 #80 December 27, 2004 I packed from jump number 1. Of course, I was supervised by a coach for the first 5 or so packs, but after that I was on my own. After I got off student gear on jump 8, I packed a nearly Triathlon with about 10 jumps on it for myself. I've packed every time I landed and twice for other people. I have 36 jumps and I don't really know what some of you people are complaining about. Packing is a life-saving skill and something that you should learn to do well for all types of canopies. Sure, that Triathlon was a pain in the ass and I started over on more than one occasion. But the skills learned were well worth the effort. Jared Lee Cohete Rodriguez / Team Dirty Sanchez #74 Former President, UF Falling Gators Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Salsa_John 0 #81 December 27, 2004 now that I have my own rig, I will start. "You did what?!?!" MUFF #3722, TDSM #72, Orfun #26, Nachos Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKKid35 1 #82 December 27, 2004 I don't think I'd be doing myself any favours trying to pack myself, now I have my own rig I'll be more likely to learn to pack, but not when my time at the DZ is limited. I think I've packed student gear about four or five times, each time they were horrible when they deployed. I really don't need a mal as a newbie, perhaps when I'm a little more experienced I'll be more able to cope with something I've managed to pack poorly, but why compound the chance of an incident so early on? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loumeinhart 0 #83 December 27, 2004 I'm a newbie with 60 jumps and completely agree. My first 20 I just threw it in the tent and paid, then I realized one day during a gear check I didn't know EXACTLY how everything worked. I started packing and it sucked, I was still flaking while everyone was getting on the plane. I got tips from experienced packers some worked some didn't. 40 jumps later I have a rhythm and I'm confident with the pack......still pretty slow though!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cayce 0 #84 December 29, 2004 Well, I’ll be packing here pretty soon and I have to say I’m not really looking forward to it. I just took my packing class yesterday at Perris, learned the basics, and managed to do a decent pack job. At least it opened, actually better than any of the student rigs I’ve jumped to date, so I’m happy. This was the first time packing my new/used rig. Okay, it’s used, but it only has 25 jumps on it. So I actually took the packing class with an essentially brand new Sabre2-230. I knew conceptually what I was getting into, but it was even worse than I thought. It was the hardest thing to keep it contained and cram that slippery wad into the bag. So, going forward, I know I have to keep practicing and refining my skills so I can pack and jump this thing. I may do one pack job and pay for four in one day just to get some jumps on this chute and break it in so it’s easier to pack. I will probably continue packing in the student area for a while so they can keep an eye on me and maybe have mercy on me after the fifth failed attempt at bagging the chute. Prep and closing are fine, it’s just getting the damn thing in the bag that sucks right now. Ultimately I plan to pack all the time, I may miss some loads, but at the busier DZ’s there is always another load going up so it’s no big deal. I look at it as an incentive to learn to pack faster, and maybe a cost savings since I won’t get as many jumps in and I won’t be paying a packer. If you see me land in the dirt, it’s on purpose, I’m trying to get my chute dirty… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craig_b 0 #85 December 29, 2004 I did my packing class..... first jump was great, good opening.... next 5 were ALL line twists.... had an 8 wrap and said no more! I had a packer do them at that point. I mix my packing with packers now and am still getting pointers on the nuances of packing. We need to pack our own and get on with it. _________________________________________ once you've experienced flight, you forever walk the ground with your head pointed skyward. There you've been and there you long to return. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chester 0 #86 December 30, 2004 I didnt learn it yet (too lazy) but I will this summer. J-S ---- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
droquette 0 #87 January 5, 2005 i hate packing but as time has gone bye i have gotten much better at it.. i still pack like a slob but hey, it opens and i make it down in one piece... i have packed now well over 75 times and it is slowly getting better... my canopy is also 209 which sucks cause its big.. i wich i could fly a little 79 and have it packed under 3 minutesHISPA 72 ----- "Muff Brother" 3733 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UKKid35 1 #88 January 6, 2005 Please please tell me: Why should I pack my own rig when I'm less experienced and therefore less able to deal with a malfunction that I'm more likely to create than if I let an expert pack? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darminion 0 #89 January 6, 2005 I have 56 jumps and I've been packing since I got off of student status. Sure the first few jumps on my own packjobs were freaky but now I trust myself more than anyone else. And I know how to pack myself a decent opening on my canopy. Unless my Sabre 170 is having a bad day and decides not to like me.Anvile Brother #59 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Randy_H 0 #90 January 6, 2005 I pack my own. Once my new canopy gets here from PD, I will let the packers pack it for a bit, so the fabric develops good memory. Does zero-p fabric even have a memory?010010010110010101100001011101000111000001110101011100110111001101111001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #91 January 6, 2005 QuoteDoes zero-p fabric even have a memory? Yes. It remembers it wants to open up... But with time it gets less slippery... with time...Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
funks 1 #92 January 7, 2005 QuotePlease please tell me: Why should I pack my own rig when I'm less experienced and therefore less able to deal with a malfunction that I'm more likely to create than if I let an expert pack? Less able to deal with a malfunction just because you packed it???? ...why would it be any different dealing with a malfunction that you packed or someone else packed???? Believe it or not but packers do pack malfunctions. You may want to realize that otherwise you may be in for one hell of a surprise Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fast 0 #93 January 7, 2005 QuoteQuotePlease please tell me: Why should I pack my own rig when I'm less experienced and therefore less able to deal with a malfunction that I'm more likely to create than if I let an expert pack? Less able to deal with a malfunction just because you packed it???? ...why would it be any different dealing with a malfunction that you packed or someone else packed???? Believe it or not but packers do pack malfunctions. You may want to realize that otherwise you may be in for one hell of a surprise I would say that you can learn to pack well enough in a short period of time. From there its just learning how to pack faster. You will most likely pay more attention to your gear than a packer who is rushing through the packjobs because time is money. A couple people at my DZ only pack for themselves and haven't had cutaways in years.~D Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me. Swooping is taking one last poke at the bear before escaping it's cave - davelepka Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
packing_jarrett 0 #94 January 10, 2005 I'm not old enough to jump so I'm the DZ's packer yay! if its one thing I know is mindless manual labor.Na' Cho' Cheese Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dqpacker 7 #95 January 10, 2005 packing_jarrett im guessing you are a dz baby, same here. I have been packin since I was 8, 11 years of packin damn Remeber not to rush anything besides pack jobs like you said mindless work well I think about how cute some of those tandumb students are. Remeber Racers are the best rigs oh wait I thought it was 1982 never mine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
