Emergency Reserve Parachute Advice

Reserve Parachute Buying Advice from Flybubble Paragliding

Here is some advice to help you make the right choice of reserve parachute, and any accessories you may need to ensure you have everything you need.

Pull Down Apex (PDA) Emergency Reserve Parachutes

When comparing Pull Down Apex (PDA) emergency reserve parachutes (commonly called "reserves"), amongst other factors to consider, you should pay particular attention to it's physical size (area in square metres, m2).

One of the main factors that determines the 'sink rate' of a reserve (i.e. how fast you are coming down) is the load (Kg) per square metre (m2). If a reserve has a relatively small area (m2) compared to the load (Kg) it is carrying then it is very likely it will have a relatively high descent rate!

Maillons & Reserve Bridles

Maillons and reserve bridles aren't generally included in the package with reserves as some paragliding harnesses have inbuilt reserve-to-harness bridles.

If your harness has inbuilt reserve-to-harness bridles then you don't require the two Maillons required to attach the reserve-to-harness bridles to the two harness shoulder straps.

For harnesses which don't have inbuilt reserve-to-harness bridles, it is recommended to purchase two Maillons to attach the reserve-to-harness bridles to the two harness shoulder straps (you may also need to purchase the reserve-to-harness bridles).

Either way you will usually also require another Maillon for the single-point attachment between the reserve bridle and reserve-to-harness bridles.

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