My Pioneer Thin Pack was 42 years old before someone refused to
inspect/repack it.Â* His complaint was about some minor fraying on the
crotch straps.Â* They would probably have only sustained a 20,000 pound
shock before stretching a bit...Â* My previous rigger from Colorado was
always impressed with its condition and he did puncture and rip tests.Â*
I was always present when he inspected and repacked it.

I now have a new Aviator P-124 emergency parachute
https://rigginginnovations.com/skydiving-containers/aviator-emergency-parachute
and am very happy with it.

On 6/10/2019 4:36 PM, wrote:
I like the Softie line of chutes and fly with one now. And I agree the folks at Para-Phernalia are great to deal with.

But--the manufacturer is one of the few (only?) in the U.S. to set a 20-year life on their products (see below). It can be challenging to get any chute that's more than 20 years old packed--even when it's in superb condition--thanks to the efforts of Allen Silver. Do a search on this newsgroup for (much) more info. But I suspect it will be even more difficult to get a rigger to pack a 20+ year Softie. I wish I'd known this before I bought mine.

"Independent testing of aged nylon materials has proven that its strength degrades over time, therefore, Para-Phernalia, Inc. and Free Flight Enterprises have established a 20-year service life from the date of component manufacture for the Softie Pilot Emergency System and the Preserve line of emergency parachutes."

Chip Bearden

--
Dan, 5J