Re: [waltappel] ripstop tape
waltappel wrote:
OuttaBounZ wrote:
waltappel wrote:
To clarify, what concerns me is not the adhesive's holding power, it's the adhesives's ability to degrade nylon fabric over time. Because of that. I stay away from it.
Walt
So you suggest sewing when possible or just leaving it if you can't sew it?
I suggest asking around and doing what makes sense. My personal choice is to not bother with small holes until they start getting bigger or there are enough to make it worthwhile to send to the factory for repair.
In some circumstances, rip stop can make sense as a temporary repair with emphasis on *temporary*. If canopy damage were bad enough that I wouldn't want to jump it without first applying ripstop tape, I probably wouldn't use it on a BASE jump anyway unless it was a guaranteed water landing.
I know I'm looking to get flamed for this but I suggest doing a search on the dropzone.com forums for "ripstop tape". There are even posts on how to remove the adhesive.
You're not getting flamed, at least not by me. :) Everyone is entitled to his opinion and I like your style of look around and do what makes sense.
Still, I have to give my personal choice as well. I think rip stop tape is the shit and I have used it a lot to repair canopies. I also have heard the theory of the adhesive somehow reducing the durability of the canopy but I think this is urban myth or at least the reduce has no practical effect in BASE. I'm basing this statement to a personal experience having a Troll with about 700 jumps on it with some ripstop patches that have been on the canopy for last 4 years and 500 jumps. No problem with the patches during that time, they stay on super good and the canopy works like a charm. Also I know other experienced jumpers that I regularly jump with who have similar experiences.
We even once ripstopped a canopy which got hung on to a lamp post on a urban jump and had a rip about 3/4 of the tunnel in spanwise and maybe a foot or so chord wise on the bottom skin. We very carefully patched it with the tape, did couple of reinforcement tapings over the patch, packed it and my friend jumped the last couple of days of the trip with it. We examined the patch after every jump and it stayed on perfectly. Of course, having a damage of that size he got it repaired by a rigger after we got back from the trip.
Just my opinion, like the original poster said, ask around and make your own.
Markus
HSBC / SBA / FBA
www.basejump.fi / www.basejumper.ch
