recondaddy

I started packing my own during AFF. After a couple dozen jumps, I got married, went to college, had a kid, and pretty much laid off of skydiving for ten years. Recently, I've started back, and jumping my first pack job was way more nerve-wracking than my FJC. However, twice, in the past couple of months, I have cornered an up-jumper and had him coach me on my packing skills (I lured him with the promise of beer ). I also watched the PD packing video, the "Pack Like a Pro" video by Billy Weber, and took copious notes during my coaching sessions. I even pulled out my iPhone a couple of times and snapped some pics. Hey, I'm an engineer -- I'm anal like that. However, now I am very comfortable with my packing skills, and packing has become an enjoyable part of my DZ time.

I bought a Vector II container, but I don't like the color pattern on the center panel. UUPT said that they would replace the center panel with whatever I want, but since Vector II's are discontinued, it would cost me $175 and about 6 weeks of turnaround time. Does anyone know of some process or dye that I can use to simply color the center panel black, like the rest of my container? Thanks.

Been out of the sport for 10 years, and chose Skydive the Farm as the DZ to get back in the groove. Was pretty nervous about it and felt like a total noob. However, EVERYONE at STF made me feel like a member of the family. Andy gave me a GREAT refresher course. Very laid back and informal but very thorough. Warren and Sandy took me up for my recurrency dive and could not have been more encouraging and safety conscious. Sandy must've checked my gear three times before I left the aircraft. Hans, the DZO, though bombarded with tandems and the hectic business of the day, was never too busy to talk. STF is also the most beautiful drop zone I've ever seen. 55 acres of gorgeous, North Georgia land. Huge landing area. Reminded me of LZ Falcon at Camp Lejeune. Had such an awesome time, I jumped twice more after completing my recurrency jump. The vibe at STF is the coolest I've ever seen. Everyone just seems like one big family. It's a two hour drive for me, but Skydive the Farm IS my new home drop zone.

Been out of the sport for 10 years. Went to STF, yesterday, to do my refresher and recurrency jump. Felt like a noob before I got there, but everyone at the DZ really took me in and treated me like one of the family. STF WILL BE my home DZ, from now on! Thanks to Andy, Warren, and especially Sandy for all the help you gave me. After finishing my recurrency jump with Warren and Sandy, Sandy agreed to go back up with me for a little coaching. AWESOME! I had so much fun, I knocked out three jumps, yesterday. CANNOT WAIT to get back out there! Why did I ever quit, to begin with?