Packing New ZP canopies is undoubtedly difficult. When I first wrote this page I had just bought my girlfriend (now wife) a Sabre 135 with 100 jumps and it was nearly new and very slippery. I decided to have Katarina @ skydive AZ show Mary how she packs (since she does it for a living and has small hands...) I learned some very neat things for packing new z-po. This is the text version of the tricks I leaned.
Basically, the pro-pack is the same til you throw it on the ground...
Instead of laying on it and rolling it under you, sit on the warning label and place your legs in a "V" to straddle the canopy.
Place your hands on the canopy and force the air out of it gently
so that it is a flat triangle shape:
o <-- Bridle attachment ------------------------------------ \ | | | | | / \ 1 2 3 2 1 / <-- fold points 1,2,3 \ / see below... \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / <-- Sit here on the warning label \/ || || <- lines to rig... ||When it is flattened (not as hard as you think..) then you take each side and fold it under at fold point 1. Make sure to press the air out of it again after you fold it. The fold is instrumental in keeping the canopy from unrolling in all directions (as new Z-po loves to do) as you s-fold it to put it in the bag.
o <-- Bridle attachment -------------------------- \ | | | / \ 2 3 2 / <-- edge folded to point 2 \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \/ || || ||Now fold it under again at fold point 2 so that the edge (now at fold point 1) is folded under to point 3. Smooth it out to push any air out again. If you look at the end of this coocoon, it will look like this...
__________3___________ (bridle attachment at 3) 2| ________ _________ |2 |________1| |1_________| --------------------------------------floor--------------->From the top view again...
o <-- Bridle attachment -------------- | | | 2 3 2 \ / \ X / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \/ || ||A small amount of pressure on the "X" will keep this from inflating all over the place (spontaneous unpacking as new z-po is known for...) When Katarina makes the first S fold, she folds it, then spreads the grommits and line groups into Left and Right groups. This gives her a place to put her knee....Right between the two grommits. Be careful not to make the first S fold too small since if you put pressure on a small S fold, it just wants to squirm out all over the place. Here's what it looks like:
o <-- Bridle attachment -------------- | | | 2 3 2 \ / \ ________ / \ \warning / / \|\______/|/ First S fold. \_|| ||_/ || || || || <-- split line groups. || ||Move the grommits to each side to split the lines and put your knee on the whole thing (right where the "ni" in "warning" is on the diagram above.)
The last S fold is obvious, but you'll notice that as you force it flat again and reach underneath to hold the two sides together for that last fold...that (wonder of wonders!) it's easier to control. Those folds make a big difference. S fold the last one and place your knee back in the same spot to keep everything from coming apart. Now you can finess the bag into place by keeping it as close to the center point where your knee keeps everything under pressure. Katarina slides the bag (by the closing flap) under the left side (lifting the canopy slightly up) and slipping the left corner of the canopy in the bag. Then she pulls the bag (by the closing flap) under the right side and slips the right corner in. The enire process is done with the knee in the same spot. If you let up on the pressure point with your knee...well...it's a typical z-po fight. If you keep the pressure there with the assistance of the folds described above, even a tiny small handed female can finess the slipperiest canopies into their d-bags...
Have fun packing! If I get enough response, I will take the photos and scan them for the web...
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