TubeStose VS. SuperBandz

[mindcool 0]

Does anybody use Aerodyns SuperBandz?
What's the Difference between that and TubeStose?
I've heard a lot of people saying that they are affraid of using all those kinds of strong rubber bands coz it can cause a bag lock...
So what's up with that?

[fudd 0]

Here is my reason for using regular rubber bands.
A PC at terminal pulls with 100 pound or more. If a regular rubberband should lock, it will likely break. A Tubestow would probably not.

However, many people use tubestows and I don't think they have a higher rate of baglocks.

I am no rigger or expert at this, so don't take my words for the truth.

Never heard of SuperBandz, though...

There are only 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.

[mindcool 0]

but i've heard that tubestows are built in a way that it's easier to the lines to slide out of the band coz of it's circular shape....
I wonder about the SuperBandz though....
Any Rigger's opinion?

[eames 0]

I used to use Superbandz... until I had a baglock. I've always made short line stows (~1.5 inches), and never double wrapped. They're just too strong....

It's a little disconcerting to find yourself with a bag spinning over your head after you've just exited at 2200'--and even if you get the canopy out, it's a VX.... Anyway, I was able to yank the risers hard enough to break the offending band and kick out of about 10 linetwists by 1500'.

I no longer use anything stronger than a standard rubber band, single wrapped. I can't see any reason to do otherwise, even with HMA. If the stow is too loose, your rubber band is too big.

To answer your question, Superbandz look like thick rubber bands and tubestows are more cylindrical (tubular).

Jason

[eames 0]

Quote

Any Rigger's opinion?

...and that was a rigger's opinion.

Jason

[councilman24 37]

My opinion is that tube stows are tubular because surgical tubing was readily available. I have a customer who even used to make his own. Many in the industry, including PD, don't think that tubes stows hold well enough. Because they can "roll" off and don't have the bearing surface of rubber bands they don't grip the lines as tightly. PD wants... hmmm... I think they quote 6 to 12 lbs of force to remove a stow. That means you should be able to pick up the baged canopy by the line stow. Super bands give you back the holding powing with the supposed durability of tube stows. But, as noted they may be too strong. I bought some but haven't tried them yet. After 24 years I still just use rubber bands. Stows 2 inches so they don't half hitch around each other, and no double wraps.

Oh, by the way. I had a customer bring me his rig for service during the winter. We opened the main right away and the black tube stows he used for locking stows had lost all elasticity in the cold. When we removed the stows they stayed stretched out. Only when the warmed up did the shink back to normal size. This is another reason I don't use tube stows.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

I think they quote 6 to 12 lbs of force to remove a stow.

Close, its 8 to 10 lbs.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skydiverek 63]

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Many in the industry, including PD, don't think that tubes stows hold well enough. Because they can "roll" off and don't have the bearing surface of rubber bands they don't grip the lines as tightly.

That's what PD recommends:
http://www.performancedesigns.com/store_files/accesorystore2.asp?product=bands

[ERICCONNELLY 0]

I have also had a bag lock using superbandz.

I dumped at 2500 and was hanging upright under a fully inflated pilot chute and a spinning bag. Two good yanks and chopped it Disconcerting as hell if you ask me.
On the ground there was no indication of what caused the baglock (on the first locking stow) other than maybe the Superbandz.

That was my last jump using them. Rubber bands break but they are cheap and they work.

My 2 cents.

[nightjumps 1]

Superbandz = Bad

The industry went thru this about 10-12 years ago once and they were quickly adiosed from the market because they don't break... Seems they have re-appeared. Duubt their longevity or popularity will improve.

Had a girl at Quincy ask me about them and I told her the above. She had a baglock about her third dive after installing them... Reserve ride. She took them off and went back to plain 'ol rubber bands.

...Bigun

[BadDog 0]

I use Super Bandz and I like them. No problems in hundreds of jumps.

I guess nobody has ever had a bag lock using regular rubber bands, otherwise nobody would use those either, right?

p.s. I've had Super Bandz break..........

[dove 0]

I use tube stoes and love them. They roll very easily and I use short stows. I tried converting to small rubber bands and was getting smacked (my lines are small so even with a small rubber band and longer stows it was quick) and double wrapping the larger bands wasn't working either. So I went back to what gave me awesome openings and that is the tube stoes. And something that always scares folks... I actually double wrap the small tube stoes. I know, I know. But I use small (usually about 1 inch) stows and it works perfectly for me. And I am anally neat with my lines and my stoes (no twists allowed!) so I don't worry about messy lines getting the tube stoe caught or even a twisted stoe causing a bag lock. If I ever do have a bag lock I'm sure I'll rethink it. But the stoes have been around for awhile, there's no recall on em, no epidemic of bag locks due to them. You can have a bag lock no matter what you use so just be ready.

Oh, and besides the awesome openings I get from them... I also like not having to look for rubber bands (the stoes can last for hundreds of jumps) and they don't chew up my fingers the way bands do.

Fall in dove.

[fundgh 0]

As I always it seems like personal preference. I haven't heard anything good about the super...whatever-bands, but I do like tubestows and rubber bands. I have a couple of both on my bag, and I like stowing in the tubes better and they seem to hold nice for now. As with any part of you rig, regular preventative maintenance and thorough inspection is what keeps it fresh.

...FUN FOR ALL!

[eames 0]

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I use Super Bandz and I like them. No problems in hundreds of jumps.

I guess nobody has ever had a bag lock using regular rubber bands, otherwise nobody would use those either, right?

p.s. I've had Super Bandz break..........

I've also had SuperBandz break... even on the first jump after replacing one... and I also had hundreds of jumps on SuperBandz before I had a baglock. It's that one low-altitude subterminal deployment--where a regular rubber band would have broken, but instead you have a baglock--that'll change your outlook.

Sure, SuperBandz last longer and hold tighter. And replacing rubber bands is an inconvenience. But it took me only one preventable malfunction to realize that I should stop making decisions based on convenience.

Jason

[alan 1]

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Sure, SuperBandz last longer and hold tighter. And replacing rubber bands is an inconvenience.

Just tacking this on at the end of the thread for general information, I treat my mil spec rubber bands with food grade silicon and they last for hundreds of jumps. It is available at most hardware stores in a spray can and is usually located near the WD-40. Spray them, rub it in good until they dry and put them on. Maybe spray a little on your fingers and work it in once or twice a month during use. The small bands seem to hold well on HMA lines, even with a single wrap. What ever works. I also put a little on my pilot chute kill-line to keep it from wearing and to reduce friction heat that will shrink it. CYPRES silicon gel works too, it is the same stuff we use on the CYPRES reserve closing loop. I also use a little on my lower steering lines to reduce the wear induced by the movement through the retaining ring as you steer and brake. A main closing loop made of Spectra will last a long, long time as well, especially if treated with silicon.

A word of caution, Spectra is much more sensitive to friction heat than a standard loop made of gutted Type II cord so it is imperative that you remove the pull-up chord under the pin and pull it out slow enough so that if you have a finger on the loop as you remove the chord, you do not feel any heat from the friction. If you routinely use a packer that you don't know well and trust, I would be cautious about using a Spectra loop. If it is damaged by careless removal of the pull-up chord, the damage is hidden on the bottom of the loop between the loop and the pin.

Will the pin slide out too easy because of the Spectra and or the silcon? Not if it is tight enough to begin with. Well, at least not in the 1000 or so jumps I have made since doing this. Remember, if you have a CYPRES, your reserve loop is silicon impregnated Spectra. Some manufacturers recommend a CYPRES loop even if you don't have a CYPRES. Standard reserve loops are Spectra, although heavier than the CYPRES loop and not treated with silicon. If your not sure, check with the manufacturer. I got much of my information from Sandy Reid at Rigging Innovations several years ago while I was working towards my riggers certificate.

alan