want to trade.

20 year old strong 303 parachute for an equivelent softie so i may trade it in and get a $300 discount on a new softie.

Jim

What's wrong with your 303?

On Monday, July 21, 2014 11:27:01 PM UTC-5, Glidergeek wrote:
What's wrong with your 303?

Only its age. riggers will not repack a chute that old. no regulations about it. just general policy.

Mine is the same age, just got it replaced in So. Cal. Call strong if it's in good shape they will inspect and repack it. There is no age restriction on Strongs. Everyone that has opened mine says it's in excellent shape. If a chute maker can't get over 20 years of quality out of their product it must not be worth buying.

On Tuesday, July 22, 2014 1:03:02 AM UTC-4, Quietpilot wrote:
On Monday, July 21, 2014 11:27:01 PM UTC-5, Glidergeek wrote:

What's wrong with your 303?



Only its age. riggers will not repack a chute that old. no regulations about it. just general policy.

My chute is 30 years old and I have no problem getting it repacked. Perhaps if you shopped around you may find a rigger that basis his/her decision on condition and not age.

On Monday, July 21, 2014 10:43:00 PM UTC-5, Quietpilot wrote:
20 year old strong 303 parachute for an equivelent softie so i may trade it in and get a $300 discount on a new softie. Jim

Or maybe you can just sell your chute to someone for $300 and get the same end result for yourself?

Steve

Let's do a little math here, if you'relike my situation you paid $1600 for that parachute. You took good care of it kept about the sun and the weather got repacked either every year or every other year. It's 20 years old and it still in good shape, If Strong says it is a good chute and as long as it stays in good shape it can be repacked. Softie and other's say ours are only good for 20 years time to buy a new one pony up $2300.

Strong says ship it to us will repack and certify it for $55. Unless you have abused yours got it wet left it in your glider on hot days in the sun let your animals **** on it you should be able to get another 10 years out of it.

I just spoke with Strong regarding the 20 year thing. NOT SO. IF it passes the riggers general inspection it will be re-rigged indefinitely. Individual riggers may be unwilling to do a repack on an older chute but there is no regulation regarding this limit.

Walt

On Tuesday, July 22, 2014 9:40:37 AM UTC-5, Glidergeek wrote:
Let's do a little math here, if you'relike my situation you paid $1600 for that parachute. You took good care of it kept about the sun and the weather got repacked either every year or every other year. It's 20 years old and it still in good shape, If Strong says it is a good chute and as long as it stays in good shape it can be repacked. Softie and other's say ours are only good for 20 years time to buy a new one pony up $2300.



Strong says ship it to us will repack and certify it for $55. Unless you have abused yours got it wet left it in your glider on hot days in the sun let your animals **** on it you should be able to get another 10 years out of it.

I think the gist of the argument and I may be wrong, is that regardless of the environment or care in handling. The materials in the canopy still age, and by 20 years. The nylon or whatever material becomes more brittle. Testing this becomes a destructive test. Thus anyone signing one off past this generally recognized rule of thumb may not be someone to entrust your life welfare to. Then again there may be an element of salesmanship too. Strong has better insurance to stand by their product than John P Rigger
I have emailed strong. And received a reply. It is $65 to Re-certify it each time plus $70 (35 x 2) shipping to and fro. I may just want to get a more current used one and hand it to the guy with $40 and get it back next day. Or maybe the cost to continually recertify is not significant compared to the high outlay for new.
Incidentally the chute was offered with the glider I just purchased. It looks new and fooled the rigger until he pulled the log. It only just reached the 20 year mark. Otherwise it is really quite nice. It is my 1st parachute and my 1st glider too.

On Tuesday, July 22, 2014 10:43:36 AM UTC-5, Quietpilot wrote:
I think the gist of the argument and I may be wrong, is that regardless of the environment or care in handling. The materials in the canopy still age, and by 20 years. The nylon or whatever material becomes more brittle. Testing this becomes a destructive test. Thus anyone signing one off past this generally recognized rule of thumb may not be someone to entrust your life welfare to. Then again there may be an element of salesmanship too. Strong has better insurance to stand by their product than John P Rigger I have emailed strong. And received a reply. It is $65 to Re-certify it each time plus $70 (35 x 2) shipping to and fro. I may just want to get a more current used one and hand it to the guy with $40 and get it back next day. Or maybe the cost to continually recertify is not significant compared to the high outlay for new. Incidentally the chute was offered with the glider I just purchased. It looks new and fooled the rigger until he pulled the log. It only just reached the 20 year mark. Otherwise it is really quite nice. It is my 1st parachute and my 1st glider too.

From what my rigger has told me, if you treat the rig like you treat yourself (not left out in the sun and rain, kept at a reasonable temp when not "in use"), the majority of the wear and degredation of the canopy happens, are you ready for this, when you open it, inspect it, and re-pack it! So, with the older repack time limit, you actually wore out the chute faster if you got it re-packed every time it was due, because it was more re-packs per calendar year.

And this same rigger did condem a canopy in an old backpack that was 50 years old. He said it still passed the tests on the panels where he pulled on it, but he just wasn't comfortable with putting his name on re-packing a 50 year old canopy. He did try to tear a panel that he thought might be weak to show me, but he couldn't tear it. I thought, "Fair enough. He is looking out for his friends." But, 20 years? That is to sell new product.

Send pictures of the rig. I would probably give you what you would get on trade, and I will be happy to have another spare rig.

Steve Leonard