multi rubber bands o problem

[claus]

ok that is the story ,
it happend to a friend of mine while repacking to a slider down jump.
he opend up his packed rig pulled on the multi which was stored which these black rubber bands on top of his container basic research setup.
the first stow came undone the 2 did not and he was able to lift his rig off the ground holding his multi bridle it never came undone .this is what happend

note: multi velcro cover was in very bad shape it was ripped up pretty good
and the stows were pretty long about 5-6 cm.after looking at it the cover was all pulled up to a big wad and these little black rubber bands dont seem to brake .is this a problem i thing on a low jump it could have been a disaster you tell me .

please check your set up and change these black rubbers .i did.

claus

[Percy]

Thanks Claus

I have the exact setup as you describes but never have had any problems so far with it (lucky me). I will look over the whole set up.

Have anybody any thougts about skippin' the small rubberbands completely, pros and cons? Anybody?


Stay safe

// percy

[BASE_689]

I have done the total of my jumps (80 up today) jumping a Multi Fox.
I have been told NOT to use the small BLACK rubber band (the ones used in the Tail Gate, they exert morce force than the others), much more appropriate is to use the small (cut in half lenghtwise) rubber band, natural rubber colour. In such a set up, these "natural colour" rubber bands exert little force in keeping there in position the stows of the sheathed Multi.
Moreover, the stow length of Multi must be very short (I do mine about 2-3 cm). According to the explanation given to me by Nick D.G. (at the time working for BR), the purpose of the two webbing loops carrying the four small rubber bands is simply to keep the Multi stows there, avoind that during a hike up to the exit or a climb up to an A, such Multi stows remain there without moving around in the container and moving around on the pack job.
So, the purpose of the small rubber bands is simply to keep the Multi stows "there" and not move around before exit and NOT to stage the deployment creating excessive force and/or delay time for deployment!!!!
You must be able to clear EASILY the Multi stows IN ANY CASE, both on the ground during testing and while jumping!!!
If in doubt, you could use even the small very very very thin rubber bands (of same length as rubber bands above) that you use in office for papers/sheets.
Remember, you only need the Multi stows to stay there during hike/climb before the jump, NOT to create a delay during deployment!!!

Stay safe out there
Blue Skies and Soft Walls
BASE #689 :D
e-mail: base_689@yahoo.com

[crwper]

>Have anybody any thougts about skippin' the small rubberbands
>completely, pros and cons? Anybody?

I usually use the small black rubber bands, cut in half, with about 1 cm of multi stowed in each one. Not much needs to be stowed.

I generally leave the multi un-stowed for low freefalls & s/l jumps. I've done the same jumps with the multi stowed, though, and didn't really notice any difference. Just eliminates a potential source of hesitation.

5 cm loops are a MAJOR problem. Imagine what would happen if the first loop that needs to come off was looped around a subsequent loop. Keep the loops small enough so they can't work their way around each other.

Also, I think the importance of keeping every component of the gear in good shape cannot be overstated.

Michael

[Percy]

ok

It was kind of a lie to say I use the exact setting as claus described above. I do use rubber bands witch are cut in half (who hopefully easily let go of the multi) and significantly shorter stows. But still the rubber band set up has always worried me. Thats why I would like some inputs/thoughts on whether, besides the carrying around issue, if there is some cons in just removing the rubberbands completely. How it may affect the opening sequence for the pilot chute and such?

Sorry that my previous post was so unclear, English isn't my native tounge and I was under stress at the moment.

Stay safe

// percy

[david]

I use the same rubberbands to stow my multi that I use for my tailgate. But I only make the stows about 1/2 inch. (1 to 1.5 CM) It works great. The black rubber bands are awsome for your deployment bag on your skydiving rig. Just my opinion. :7

[Dwain]

The multi stows were necessary before the sheath to create some sort of order to the 4 multi lines. However since the introduction of the multi sheath in 1998 I personally believe the multi stows are dated and add complexity to the system, with no real benefits.

Personally, I don't like the multi stows and have never used them when packing since the introduction of the multi sheath. I have also witnessed a number of deployment hesitations due to the multi stows (usually from the bite of the stow being too large).

Also the location of the multi stows is not in an optimum position for a clean extraction during all deployment scenarios. It works well if you are head high on deployment, but if you deploy way head down or possibly in a super efficient track then the location of the multi stows could result in the multi dragging past the canopy. When packing you should think about the consequences of the bridle pulling from every possible direction.

Also the fabric and shape of the closed sheath will not clear the rubber band bite as easily or as cleanly as a group of lines, requiring much more force. If you insist on using the multi stows than use the thinnest, weakest, most pathetic rubber bands you can find.
It is much cleaner to S-fold the multi on top of the packjob. In regards to potential entanglement, this is no more complex than how the bridle is packed in the p/c or how the lines are stowed in the tailpocket.

Due to paranoia on my part, after a long hike (or when the packed rig has been checked as baggage) I will often open the container and check the packjob. I have never noticed the multi moving significantly - no more than say your lines would move in the tailpocket after a long hike.
I don't believe potential movement of the multi is a valid argument for using the multi stows unless your canopy is extremely loose in your container (so loose in fact that the integrity of the entire packjob would be at risk during a hike). In my experiences things typically stay put inside a packed container.

In summary I believe that using the multi stows provides no benefit to the system. They only introduce complexity and the chance of a potential malfunction that otherwise does not exist. They also place the multi in a less than optimal position in regards to certain deployment scenarios.

They are useful (and somewhat necessary) if you do not wish to use the multi sheath, otherwise I recommend just s-folding the multi on top of the pack job.

Note that there are other experienced BASE jumpers who disagree with the above view points.

[imported_Tom Aiello]

>...the location of the multi stows is not in an optimum position for a clean extraction during all deployment scenarios.

A few years ago I saw a Gargoyle that had multi stows on the inside of the top flap, down toward the center (top) of the pack tray. Do you think this would be a better configuration?

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[JJ]

I have used the black rubber bands for the multi stows on hundreds of jumps. The multi stows should be about 1 cm long - just long enough to hold it in place not requiring much force to pull out the multi. Your gear should always be in very good condition...if it's not you should fix it before a problem is created. For lower jumps...I free stow my multi. This is how the multi was stowed before the sheath and before it was decided to install the multi stows years ago.

Pro multi story:
Once I was on a tower with a tight lz climbing down in high winds and my pc got lodged in the tower unbeknownst to me, it popped my pin and opened my rig. I thought I felt something happening on my back so I stopped climbing down and looked up. I saw my pc lodged in the tower structure and my bridle at full length. I quickly pulled my pc down and wrapped the bridle around me and my open container a few times. The multi rubber bands were the only thing holding my rig in place before I figured out what happened. The rubberbands on the multi stows saved me because if my canopy fell out in 25 mile an hour winds at 200 feet...
I hate to think what may have happened...

JJ

[d-dog]

While I only have around 70 or so jumps with a multi, all of them were done with sheath-equipped setups. I've never used the stows on any of the jumps; as Dwain suggested, I simply s-fold the sheathed multi on top of the packjob.

Never had any problems with this, though perhaps that's just blind luck. Being the proverbial idiot, I like to idiot-proof my gear as much as possible. Adding another constricting factor (multi stows with bands) to a packjob doesn't seem to make things safer, at least in my mind.

The few real hessies I've had (PC hessies, and one caused by a taligate set way too tightly) scared the crap out of me. I try really hard to avoid them nowadays.

Peace,

D-d0g

[d-dog]

While I only have around 70 or so jumps with a multi, all of them were done with sheath-equipped setups. I've never used the stows on any of the jumps; as Dwain suggested, I simply s-fold the sheathed multi on top of the packjob.

Never had any problems with this, though perhaps that's just blind luck. Being the proverbial idiot, I like to idiot-proof my gear as much as possible. Adding another constricting factor (multi stows with bands) to a packjob doesn't seem to make things safer, at least in my mind.

The few real hessies I've had (PC hessies, and one caused by a taligate set way too tightly) scared the crap out of me. I try really hard to avoid them nowadays.

Peace,

D-d0g