Oct

Skydiving: Will you pack your own chute?

Mark Pawlak Category

free fall parachuteing, freefall, parachute, parachute jump, skydiving

The jump is the moment. But skydiving’s not just as straightforward as turning up, suiting up, jumping in a plane and then jumping out of it. There’s much to be done before your feet even leave the floor…

Pack your own chute? Image: Flickr/Horia Varlan

Aside from the refresher training you might choose to do, most of your time will be spent on safety checks and briefings. And when it comes to packing your chute don’t worry, you don’t always have to. If you are happier if someone more experienced than you prepares it, jump schools and riggers are more than happy to help.

They also offer training and guidance how to pack your chute, which in the end could also save you money. There’s no one set way to pack a parachute, although you will come across the following in your time in the sport: Stack Packing, also called Side Packing; Roll Packing; Pro Packing; and Trash Packing.

Skydiving isn’t the cheapest of sports, even if the experience really is priceless. To help reduce the overall costs, finding somewhere to stay within a short drive of the jump site is well advised. If you are staying in New York then stay in a New York hostel rather than a hotel, and look out for local transport options or buses laid on by the jump school.

And there’s one further consideration before packing a chute: you should read the instructions! If you’ve any issues or worries, the best people to contact are those who built, trialed and developed it – it’s likely they know best!

About the author

Mark Pawlak wrote 192 articles on this blog.

Editor at Adventure Sports Holidays, Mark's love affair with travel and the challenges of adventure sports continues... "You could save all year for a two-week, all-inclusive, doss by the pool, booze and buffet binge. Or, with a little planning and some good equipment, get off your arse and plan an adventure!"