Packing is the unglamorous backbone of skydiving. While freefall and canopy flight get all the attention, the reliability of your parachute depends entirely on how carefully and correctly it was packed. A poorly packed parachute can malfunction in ways that no amount of in-flight skill can overcome. Every skydiver, regardless of experience level, should learn to pack their own canopy and should understand the packing process thoroughly enough to pack someone else's rig in an emergency.
The Container System: Understanding Your Rig
Modern skydiving rigs — the combination of harness, container, and parachutes — are engineering marvels designed for extreme reliability under brutal conditions. The container is the backpack portion of the rig that holds both the main and reserve parachutes in their respective deployment bags, connected through a complex set of bridles and lines to the harness that attaches to your body.
The main canopy sits in its deployment bag inside the main container, with the pilot chute sitting in a pouch on the side. When you pull the pilot chute, it catches air and pulls the deployment bag out of the container, which pulls the bridle, which pulls the canopy out of the deployment bag, which allows the lines to deploy, which allows the canopy to inflate. Every step of this sequence depends on the previous step working correctly, and every step can be compromised by poor packing.
The reserve parachute sits in its own container below or beside the main container, accessible through a separate closing system. The reserve is connected to the AAD and to the main canopy through the reserve static line. The reserve must be packed by an FAA-certified rigger and must be repacked within 180 days regardless of whether it has been used.
Pre-Packing Inspection and Preparation
Before you begin packing, the canopy must be thoroughly inspected. This is not optional — it is a critical safety step that catches damage, contamination, or packing errors before they become in-flight problems. The inspection process checks every square foot of canopy material, every seam, every suspension line, every link, and every attachment point.
Begin by laying the canopy out on a clean packing mat — never pack on a dirty surface, as dirt and debris can contaminate the canopy material and damage the fabric. Check the top and bottom surfaces of each cell for tears, holes, burn marks (which can occur from laser strikes or excessive sun exposure), and contamination from oil or chemicals. Any canopy with significant damage should be removed from service and sent to a loft for repair.
Inspect all suspension lines — the lines that connect the canopy to the risers and ultimately to your harness. Lines should be continuous without fraying, cuts, or broken strands. The line attachments at the canopy and at the risers should be secure. Any line that shows signs of wear should be replaced before packing. The links that connect the lines to the risers should be closed and secure.
Proper Folding Technique for Ram-Air Canopies
Ram-air canopies are packed differently from the old-style round parachutes. The goal is to fold the canopy in a way that ensures it will open cleanly and inflate uniformly from the nose to the tail. A properly packed ram-air canopy will look like a long, uniform bundle with the cells stacked neatly on top of each other.
Begin by ensuring the canopy is fully inflated — hold the nose open and let air flow through the entire canopy until every cell is inflated and the fabric is taut. This removes wrinkles that could cause one cell to open before another during deployment. A wrinkled canopy can open asymmetrically, creating a dangerous situation.
Starting from the tail — the rear, closed end of the canopy — fold the canopy in accordion-style folds, working toward the nose. Each fold should be approximately the width of your hand, and each subsequent fold should stack neatly on top of the previous one. The goal is a uniform, layered stack with no bunching, overlapping, or gaps. Use your body weight to compress the canopy as you fold, removing as much air as possible.
Line Management During Packing
The suspension lines must be managed carefully throughout the packing process to ensure they are not tangled, crossed, or under excessive tension when the canopy is deployed. Line tangles — known as line twists — are one of the most common canopy malfunctions and are almost always caused by packing errors.
As you fold the canopy, the lines on each side must be gathered and laid flat alongside the folded canopy body. They should not be twisted around each other or around the canopy itself. The best technique is to gather the lines in your non-dominant hand as you fold with your dominant hand, keeping constant tension on the lines to prevent tangling.
After the canopy is fully folded, the lines should be laid in a neat S-curve or zigzag pattern along the length of the folded canopy, with no crossover points. The lines are then gathered at the bottom — at the riser end — and the entire bundle is placed into the deployment bag with the lines trailing behind. The deployment bag has a specific orientation in the container; placing it incorrectly can cause deployment malfunctions.
The Deployment Bag and Container Closing
The deployment bag — also called a d-bag — serves as an intermediate container between the packed canopy and the outer container. It is designed to release the canopy in a controlled manner as it is pulled out by the pilot chute, preventing the canopy from violently inflating or tangling during the critical initial opening phase.
The canopy and lines go into the deployment bag in a specific orientation, with the pilot chute bridle threaded through the bag's closing flap and ultimately through the loop that connects to the container. When the pilot chute is pulled, it pulls the bridle, which pulls the deployment bag out of the container, which pulls the canopy out of the bag.
The container itself closes with a closing loop and pin system. The main pin — a small metal or plastic pin with a friction band — is inserted through the closing loop on the container, holding it shut until the pilot chute's opening action pulls the pin free. The pin must be inserted correctly through both the loop and the friction band, and the pin's closing loop must be secure in its pouch. A poorly seated pin can release prematurely, causing an inadvertent deployment.
Student vs. Sport Packing Standards
Student parachutes are packed by professional packers at the drop zone or by the drop zone's packer staff, and students are typically not permitted to pack their own parachutes until they have earned their A license and received specific packing instruction. This is appropriate — student safety depends on having reliable, correctly packed equipment, and novices lack the experience to catch packing errors.
After earning your A license and completing packing instruction, you will be certified to pack your own main parachute and, eventually, those of other licensed skydivers. This certification is not automatic — you must demonstrate competent packing technique to a qualified instructor, and many drop zones require a formal packing proficiency check before allowing self-service packing.
The standard to which you pack should be the same whether you are packing your own gear or someone else's: meticulous, thorough, and conservative. If you are ever in doubt about any aspect of the packing process, stop and seek guidance from an experienced packer or rigger. There is no shame in asking for help, and the consequences of a packing error can be fatal.