How to Pack a Parachute

Skydiving is a popular sport all over the world, and you may be on your way to testing your courage, as well as your dependence on whoever has packed your parachute. The process for packing a parachute isn't too complex, though it does require attention to detail. Read on to learn how to pack a parachute.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Pick up the lines of the parachute while walking toward it. Be sure not to drag the parachute toward you; walk toward it. Gather up the parachute in that way following your jump, take the chute to a safe area to pack it (out of the way of other jumpers) and lay it out by walking backwards away from it to get the chute and lines straightened out as much as possible.

2. Check all lines carefully for tangles and snags. Make sure they are all straight and free from each other. Put the static line into the hole on top of the chute before you fold it.

3. Fold the parachute carefully, making sure that the hole, out of which proceeds the static line, is on top. You need to leave the static line free, as its end will remain outside the pack. Fold from the bottom up.

4. Wrap the static line--not too tightly--around the metal loop at the top of the pack. Do this just before close the final flap over the top of the pack. This will help you make sure that the pack will pop open when you pull on the static line.

5. Close the pack with the pin, which is attached to the static line. Be sure that you have several inches of slack from the closing pin upwards. Place the pin through the metal loop on top of the pack, after you close the pack. This holds the flaps in place and keeps the chute in the pack until you pull the line.

Tips & Warnings

• The instructions on this page are only for reference purposes, and you should get proper, supervised training before packing your own or someone else's chute before a jump. Different parachutes require different packing procedures.

Resources

• Parachute-Packing/Skydiving Course in Seville, Spain Info
• Diagrams on How to Fold and Place Your Chute in the Pack
• Photos to Guide You Through the Packing Process

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[gripe]

on 11/18/2008 No one, and I mean NO ONE, should follow these instructions. Not only are they incorrect and outdated, they don't even come close to providing a deploy-able system. If you find yourself in need of a parachute packing, and you have no training in parachute packing, contact an FAA Certified Senior Rigger or Master Rigger to pack it for you.

[kuai43]

on 4/20/2008 How the heck OLD is this advice? Better yet, try this... lay the bedsheet out flat, tie four equal-length pieces of clothesline to each corner, tie the other ends to a sturdy belt and put it on. Climb on top of a neighbor's house with the highest roof, close your eyes and pitch yourself off. Then, sue the crap outta them for allowing yourself to do something stupid.