freefalle 0 #1 March 28, 2003 My triathlon is pissing me off, I bout the canopy because I read several reviews that it was a great canopy with nice openings. NICE OPENINGS my ASS. Ive less that 100 jumps on mine, its packed the same way every time. in the last 5-10 jumps each opening is geting harder and harder to the point it opened so hard it put me in the hospital with severely bruised ribs a few weeks ago. A bunch of the people at my DZ have told me that the Tri. has a history of bad openings. I really cant afford 1300 dollars for a new sabre 2 but I can afford to get hurt if I continue to jump this canopy. Anybody else have any feed back on the triathlon? please share. thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #2 March 28, 2003 Have your rigger put a pocket on the slider. Also, check the line trim. Second hardest opening I've ever had was on a Triatholon 120. They can open very hard. Hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #3 March 28, 2003 Call or email Aerodyne and get a copy of their Triathlon packing video. Pack yours the way they explain. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith 0 #4 March 28, 2003 Geez, wish I could help. I don't know how you're managing to get slammed on a canopy that is known for it's long snivels. What are you doing with the slider? Are you making sure it's right up against the bumpers when you pack? Are you pulling it out to catch more air, or just quartering it? Maybe if you explain your packing technique and body position on opening a light bulb will go off in someones head.Keith Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 643 #5 March 28, 2003 This gets back to the basics of packing. Tighten up on your rubber bands. Triathlons only spank naughty packers who get lazy when stowing lines. The other important factor is slider position. Any time the slider is not hard up against the stops, you can expect any canopy to slap you. Sure ask you rigger to measure line trim. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Professor 0 #6 March 28, 2003 How many jumps does the canopy have on it? If it's up around 400-500, you might want to think about a reline. I've had a canopy that got progessively worse and worse opening, and a reline cured it. Hope this isn't, since relines are expensive, but if it's due, it could help quite a bit. Blues Ted Like a giddy school girl. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hooknswoop 19 #7 March 28, 2003 I had packed the 120, packing it according to AR's specs (I had the video), with the small rubber bands, AR D-bag and PC, etc. Rubber bands shouldn't make a difference on how hard the canopy opens. Hookit recently did some test jumps w/ loose stows, no hard openings. Some canopies are prone to hard openings. Every now and then pressurization and bottom skin inflation over-powers the slider. Canopy design has ore to do w/ opening force than anything. My Safire Option can tame a hard opening Safire simply by changing the upper control lines. The new rubber-band-less D-bags prove that tight stows aren't necessary for soft openings. I have deployed a PD-170 and a Stiletto 97 out of free-bags with soft openings. A friend of mine demo's a PD reserve, packed into a D-bag w/ tight stows and got hammered. Hook Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rigging65 0 #8 March 28, 2003 QuoteThis gets back to the basics of packing. Tighten up on your rubber bands. The basics of packing have nothing to do with tight rubber bands. The basics of packing have to do with keeping your lines in the center of the packjob, your slider tight against the stops and opened into the airflow (as you stated), and maintaining control of the overall deployment sequence through proper staging (which DOES NOT even require stow bands). Let's not confuse things here folks, canopies open hard because of the rate and method in which they inflate, nothing else. Stowing your lines in tight rubber bands has nothing to do with inflation rates. "...and once you had tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been, and there you long to return..." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #9 March 28, 2003 I've had a triathalon 190 for about a year now, and 95% of my openings are wonderfully soft. I don't roll the nose - only the tail. I disagree with anyone who says triathalons are known for hard openings, only because I've put my last 100 jumps on one, and that's not been my experience. A few of my openings have been brutal. I blame my bad packing, not the canopy - once was a broken steering line. No canopy opens great 100% of the time, and if anyone ever invents such a canopy, I will buy it. It helps to be a good packer - I am not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jonsmann 0 #10 March 28, 2003 Tight rubber bands prevent line dump, and line dump gives very hard openings! On any canopy! - Jacques Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith 0 #11 March 28, 2003 Who said Triathalon's are known for hard openings?Keith Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #12 March 28, 2003 Quote Tight rubber bands prevent line dump, and line dump gives very hard openings! On any canopy! Even on your reserve? _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikeat10500 12 #13 March 28, 2003 QuoteTight rubber bands prevent line dump, and line dump gives very hard openings! On any canopy! - Jacques I find this hard to believe? Line dump may cause mals but hard openings? I pack my lines in tube stows so large" oversized " ,cause I'm lazy and crazy, that my dzo runs out behind the barn and pukes when he sees me pack! Some have even called it free stowing. I never have hard openings" 1000' snivels". They sold me a ZP pilot chute "very cheap" with the hope it may speed up my openings " my old one was baffed when I bought it 400 jumps before that". I made no diff at all. The slider vrs the tired f111 is what makes my canopy open slow/soft. mike----------------------------------- Mike Wheadon B-3715,HEMP#1 Higher Expectations for Modern Parachutists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkpbxman 0 #14 March 28, 2003 Had a Triathlon 160 a few years ago and put a few hundred jumps on it. Got it for a bunch of different reasons, one of them being it's opening characteristics. Not sure where you got your info. but in all that time, while the openings were crisp and positive (the way I like them) I can't remember ever being slammed. It'll definately be one I look at for my next canopy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gravitymaster 0 #15 March 28, 2003 i would sugest you try to be more aware of your body position when you deploy. Are you flat and stable? Are you stopping your track completely before deploying? I would also recommend what other have said about packing, especially how you stow the slider. It is too easy and convenient to blame the canopy. I had over 350 jumps on a Triathlon 150 and only experienced a few hard openings. I can assure you those few gad NOTHING to do with the canopy. More to do with me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhino 0 #16 March 29, 2003 I use to fold the hell out of that nose. 3 cells on both sides all the way to the center then tucked the hell out of the nose. Other than that what Hook said.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b1jercat 0 #17 March 29, 2003 Dude all my openings on a tri have been sweet except for one,and the way it turned out was I started to pack it, but to make the next load I had to manifest so my buddy says hey I'll get this.We get out of the plane and did our thing.Unfortunately we blew right thru breakoff, I realized it first so I went into a track and when I was clear I pulled. This was alittle over two weeks ago and I'm still sore.I can think of several reasons why I had a hard opening, but from reading your post I can only think something is going on with your canopy.good luck blue skies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckInUSA 0 #18 March 29, 2003 I put 50 jumps on a Triathlon before moving on to the Sabre2 canopies and I can't ever recall really getting slammed on my old Triathlon. Try not to worry about the things you have no control over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BadDog 0 #19 March 29, 2003 I had a Tri 175 that nailed me a few times. I tried lots of different combinations of packing techniques, stows, etc. The best openings I ever got were when I psycho-packed it. The openings were dream-like! Very gentle, very slow. If I still had a Tri, I'd psycho-pack it. I also like Super Bandz instead of rubber bands or tube stows because they hold like rubber bands and wear like tube stows. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tlshealy 0 #20 March 29, 2003 When I first got my tri 160, had a lot of different openings, hard, soft, on heading, off heading, I started rolling the nose and tail and leveling my shoulders through the opening and have had consistently smooth,soft, on heading openings ever since. Tad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cloud9 0 #21 March 29, 2003 I would really give aerodyne a call. They have excellent customer service and I'm sure would be more then willing to help out. When I had my triathlon all my openings were great with the exception of one. It opened so hard I broke lines and had to cut away. I still don't know for sure what caused it, but it only happened onece. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pkasdorf 0 #22 April 1, 2003 As a very satisfied Triathlon user that adores it's openings my only advice would be you to contact Aerodyne's customer service. There must be a reason for what is happening to you. They should be able to help. HISPA # 18 POPS # 8757 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
