PackerBarry

not to add fuel to the fire, but I jump a Sabre 170 and love it, I've got about 150 on it and have never had anything resembling a hard opening... I pack for a living and have learned how to make them do my bidding... we had a rental at my drop zone (Sabre 150) that we called the punisher, it sent two people to the hospital and really hurt several more, I started jumping it so that I could figure it out... it spanked me so hard that I literally saw stars, we tried to pack it every way in the book, nothing helped, after we'd exhausted all of the options we finally measured the slider and determined that it was 2 inches too small.. upon reflection that should have been one of the first steps... anyway, we replaced it with a dome slider 2 inches larger and now it opens in what I would call a "positive" manner, but it doesn't hurt anymore. The tricks that I have learned that seem to work on these canopies are very simple and seem to work across the board; very first step, I tie the three rings to ensure even risers, may not do much, but it makes me feel good...I do not roll the nose, a lot of people swear by this, but in my experience, with zero P fabric, any rolling that you do will just come out in the "remove the air" step of packing... I get the nose cells as even as I can like when packing a stiletto and I stuff the cells elbow deep, and I mean deep, then I pull the slider all the way out over the nose and splay it out to cover the entire wind channel into the nose, then I give the tail a good and I mean good tight wrap... I pack as normal and pay a little more attention than normal with the stows, sometimes tripling them if I need to, without getting into the range of bag locking.... I know that these sound like really basic steps that most people are doing anyway, but on a Sabre I I tend to really keep an eye on the basics... I check the slider numerous times to ensure that it is all the way down on the poker chips... if you are being slammed by your sabre, some things to check as part of the trouble shooting process 1. have someone else pack it and discuss with them the techniques that they are using, try different approaches, every canopy seems to have a bit of a personality 2. measure the slider and maybe get with a rigger to build you a larger slider that is within design parameters but will slow down the elapsed time between the slider being dominant and the canopy taking over 3. check the line trim, out of trim lines can cause radical differences in the designed opening sequence by changing the angle of attack of the nose 4. check the pilot chute, a worn pilot chute can actually cause a harder opening due to the fact that it doesn't have the ass to really get the d bag out there and fully stretched out prior to the canopy separating from the bag, I know, it's counter-intuitive, but I've seen hard openers cured with a new zero P pilot chute 5. if all else fails, document your trouble shooting and send it back to PD, they are generally very helpful and dont' want to see a slammer out there, bad for the sport and bad for their reputation just my observations, for what they're worth

I decided to post this after some comments in an unrelated post.. skydivers who use packers might think about a few courtesies when leaving their rig.. try to uncollapse your slider, stow your brakes, cock your pilot chute, run the lines and perhaps even replace broken rubber bands... I know what you're thinking, why should I do this? I'm paying them to pack it for me... one, packers have a hard job and every little bit helps two, it will help get you back in the air and three, it will put more money in your underpaid packer's pocket.. how many times have you missed a load because a packer didn't get you packed up in time? ask yourself, if I'd done all of the prep work, could I have made it? all of the prep work mentioned earlier can sometimes add 3 or 4 minutes to a pack job, not to mention walkthroughs... over a day, we're talking about 20-30 pack jobs that your packer didn't get to do. we're talking about 20-30 people who didn't get into the air when they wanted to. Packers do their jobs conscientiously and will continue to do so no matter the condition of the rig that is dumped in front of them, but ask yourself, are the the kind of person who brushes their teeth before going to the dentist or not? be kind to your local packer and try to realize that for a paltry sum, you're placing your life in someone elses hands-- it might pay to make them happy to see you coming instead of rolling their eyes and thinking , oh no, not messy marvin again... just my thoughts

at Skydive Dallas, the staff packers get 5 for a rental/student rig and 10 for a Tandem.. regular packers charge 5 for sport rigs.. the sliding price scale for different sized canopies hasn't reached us yet. On note about collapsing the slider, stowing the brakes etc.. I try to explain to people that between collapsing and stowing and cocking everything, not to mention walk throughs, sometimes it will add 3 or 4 minutes to a pack job.. the next time you're on a short call and your packer didn't get you on... ask yourself, if I would have done all of the prep work, would I have made it? now, who's fault is it? not to mention the money that you're taking out of your packer's pocket by robbing him of 20 pack jobs that he could have done with the extra time... just my thoughts